Introduction to Tradeflow®

Tradeflow® is an integrated suite of supply chain software programs that assist importers and exporters in managing their international trade challenges. Through Internet access to international tariff data and rules, Tradeflow helps international companies reduce the risks and manage the costs associated with importing and exporting in today's compliance driven and security conscious global trade environment. With features like estimated landed cost calculations, restricted party screenings, and customs classification searches, importers and exporters that subscribe to Tradeflow are better equipped to deal with the changing rules of international trade.

Because Tradeflow's services are hosted on the Internet, your company can readily empower your supply chain partners - customs brokers, buying agents, freight forwarders, suppliers and carriers - with controlled access. You authorize which trade partners have access to the services through a pre-defined set of roles and permissions. Tradeflow allows companies to demonstrate reasonable care and due diligence in securing their international supply chain. The return on your investment is quickly achieved because the Internet permits rapid activation and deployment. A truly global system, Tradeflow supports the world's most commonly spoken languages.

Tradeflow consists of four core Centres.  These Centres are integrated, easy-to-use, and consistent in design.

Shipment Management Centre

The Shipment Management Centre is a Transportation Management System (TMS) that allows shippers and vendors to communicate shipment information electronically to their customers and transportation providers. With the intent of capturing data at the earliest point in the cycle for optimum accuracy and efficiency, the Shipment Management Centre begins the shipping process and initiates shipment tracking and visibility. The system saves time and effort by using templates to capture repetitive shipment information, generate shipping documents and distribute these documents to the trade partners that need them. The Shipment Management Centre is integrated with the Trade Partner Centre and the Product Management Centre. The shipper can be you or your vendor (trade partner), who adds products from the Product Management Centre to a booking to create documents such as the invoice and packing list. This integration drives consistency and accuracy in the documentation that the system produces. Compliance checks are built into the system to enforce restricted party and embargo screening.

Product Management Centre

The Product Management Centre is a Internet-based repository for companies to store the cross-border attributes of the products that they import and export. The system acts as your data warehouse for crucial import/export classification and preferential duty information. Having a system to manage your classification process is essential for demonstrating customs compliance. The Product Management Centre is integrated with the customs tariffs of over 90 countries. You can search these tariffs in a flexible way and retrieve classification information and estimate landed cost before making a sourcing or sales decision. Because Tradeflow is on the Internet, your customs brokers and freight forwarders can access the system for current and consistent classification information while processing shipments and customs declarations. The system is designed to facilitate collaboration between your company and all of your global trade partners.

Trade Partner Centre

The Trade Partner Centre, where you store your supply chain partners and their contact information, is an important step in the direction of creating a secure supply chain. Like an address book, it maintains information on a company's trade partners such as suppliers, customers, transportation providers, and customs brokers. Additionally, trade partners can be screened against the restricted parties lists maintained by various governments and supra-national organizations like the United Nations or the European Union. This feature allows importers and exporters in affected countries to fulfill their obligation to screen the companies with whom they do business overseas. The Trade Partner Centre is also used to set up vendors, customs brokers and other trade partners with access to the system. For example, your customs broker can be configured as a trade partner with access to your Product Management Centre so that they can use the system to view classification information. Freight forwarders and other carriers are set up as trade partners to receive shipment bookings.

Trade Reference Centre

The Trade Reference Centre provides users with access to current regulatory data, tariff classifications, and other pertinent trade data. It consists of tools for determining classification, estimating landed cost, and regulatory controls for 61 countries and territories covering over 95% of all international trade. There is classification and costing information available for an additional 30 countries. Buyers can compare product-sourcing options by varying manufacturing country, terms of sale or transport mode to minimize cost and maximize profitability, while sellers can compare sales viability options to determine profitability in target markets.