American Association of Exporters and Importers CEO Marianne Rowden believes automation is going to replace a lot of tariff classification work over the coming years. “Will human beings be doing tariff classification in the next three to five years? I don't think so -- I think it’s all going to be done by machine,” Rowden told a National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones online conference Feb. 9. She also predicted that the moratorium on customs duties on digital transactions, such as downloads of games or movies, will end in the medium term. “Every two years there is a vote at the World Trade Organization on the moratorium on customs duties on digital transmissions,” she said. “I think we’re going to lose that vote probably within the next five to six years because governments, particularly developing countries, are so desperate for revenue.”

DSV is offering a new customs classification service to “provide a structured, straightforward process which can be used early in the company’s import and export planning activity,” DSV's Robert Wisniewski, customs manager, International Shared Service Center, said in a news release. The “service is divided into seven steps, where customs information about the goods is analysed, classified and validated by DSV customs classification experts on behalf of the customer,” the company said. “When all customs documents are ready to be handed over to the relevant authorities, DSV shares this with the customer.” Wisniewski said the classification team “consists of subject matter experts who have an in-depth understanding of global merchandise as well as the legal aspects of customs tariffs.”

Amazon bought 11 Boeing 767-300 aircraft -- seven from Delta and four from WestJet -- that will join its leased air cargo network by 2022, it said Jan. 5. The goal is to continue delivering goods to customers “in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step,” said Sarah Rhoads, vice president-Amazon Global Air. The company will continue to rely on third-party carriers to operate its fleet, it said.

Amadeus Capital Partners agreed to invest $7 million in Altana AI, “a start-up working with governments, global enterprises, and supply chain solutions providers to de-risk global supply chains,” the companies said in a news release. Altana customers “gain global supply chain visibility and risk intelligence through the Altana Atlas -- a shared artificial intelligence model of the global supply chain.”

Twenty-three trade groups, led by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and Farmers for Free Trade, are asking U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to work harder to resolve the Airbus-Boeing dispute, and thus remove European Union retaliatory tariffs on distilled spirits, cheeses, potatoes, nuts, fruits, juices, chocolate, ketchup and agricultural equipment. These retaliatory tariffs are the second round on ag exports, as the EU put 25% tariffs on whiskey, orange juice, rice and sweet corn in 2018 over steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the U.S. Some will rise to 50% next June, the groups said in a Nov. 18 letter.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) has “deep regret” about the Trump administration’s imposition of national security export restrictions on China’s largest chipmaker (see 2009280022), Chairman Zhou Zixue said on a Q3 investor call Nov. 11. Though the restrictions “will have an impact on SMIC in the near term, we believe it’s manageable,” he said. “We will continue to follow up on this matter and further evaluate the impact. The company will maintain close cooperation with suppliers and customers and continue to maintain active communication with the relevant department of the United States government working to resolve possible differences.”

Arena Solutions and Trade Compliance Group will partner to help regulated manufacturers understand export control laws, the companies said in a Nov. 10 news release. Arena Solutions provides product development services for the high tech, consumer electronics and medical device industries. “Many companies are either unaware or ill-prepared to meet [International Traffic in Arms Regulations] and [Export Administration Regulations],” Arena Solutions CEO Craig Livingston said. “Our platform provides a secure way to manage product development and management across the full lifecycle, and we are excited to have TCG provide import and export compliance consulting to our customers.”

Microchip Technology Inc. halted all Huawei shipments in mid-September in compliance with further Commerce Department export restrictions on the Chinese tech giant imposed in August (see 2008170029), President-Chief Operating Officer Ganesh Moorthy said on a Nov. 5 investor call for fiscal Q2 ended Sept. 30. Huawei was the source of about 2% of Microchip’s Q2 revenue, down sequentially from Q1, according to Moorthy, who will succeed Steve Sanghi as CEO March 1, 2021, as Sanghi transitions to executive chairman. Microchip is working with Commerce “to apply for licenses for products and technologies that we believe have no impact” on U.S. national security, Moorthy said. “We do not know if or when such licenses may be granted,” so Microchip assumes no Huawei revenue in the fiscal third quarter ending Dec. 31, he said. Huawei's push to complete manufacturing of all products before the shipment ban took effect caused wide-scale supply-chain “constraints” during the September quarter, he said. The rush of its competitors to replace the business Huawei lost “further stressed the supply chain,” he said. The “ongoing shift” of semiconductor manufacturing out of China to avoid the Section 301 tariffs also pressured “the capacity in other Asian countries where we manufacture through our partners,” he said. The supply chain disruptions “are continuing into the December quarter,” he said.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company CEO C.C. Wei declined to comment on the “unfounded speculation” that it landed a Commerce Department license to ship to Huawei. “We are complying fully with the regulations,” he said during an Oct. 15 investor call. The company also won’t comment “on our status right now” with Huawei, he said. TSMC is “evaluating the impact to the semiconductor industry” from new export restrictions on Semiconductor Manufacturing International, China’s largest chipmaker (see 2009280022), Wei said. Its factory “capacity planning” is based on “the long-term demand profile” in 5G and high-performance computing as a hedge against unexpected disruptions, he said.

European wine and spirits imports have been hurt more than any other industry outside aerospace in the Airbus-Boeing dispute, and the trade group representing those importers is asking for Europe and the U.S. to agree to a 180-day truce and serious settlement negotiations. The National Association of Beverage Importers was reacting to the announcement that the European Union can add tariffs to $4 billion in U.S. exports; the U.S. is already taxing hundreds of European products at 25% as part of its retaliation for Airbus subsidies. Between 15% tariffs on aircraft and 25% tariffs on other products, the U.S. is targeting $7.5 billion in imports.