The ACE Group (TAG)

Exciting news! Our team member, Irvingh Juarez, will be a speaker on “The Advancement of AI and Automation in International Trade.” With his deep expertise and hands-on experience, Irvingh will share valuable insights on how AI and automation are transforming global trade—and how we apply these advancements in our daily operations. We’re looking forward to an engaging discussion and the opportunity to learn from his perspective. Stay tuned for more details!

Navigating Trump Tariffs: USTR's Temporary Exclusion Process for Goods Amid growing uncertainty and speculation, the trade community faces the challenge of understanding which products from Mexico, Canada, and China will be subject to additional duties under the current administration. Drawing from past experiences, particularly the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese products, which ranged from 10% to 25%, importers have the option to request the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to initiate a temporary exclusion process for specific commodities. Is designed to mitigate the burden of additional duties. Temporary exclusions are applied to specific products, but businesses must act quickly. These are granted on a rolling basis, meaning companies should submit requests promptly to benefit of any granted exclusions when the USTR's online docket is available for comments. 301 tariffs originated from an investigation into China’s trade practices, especially regarding intellectual property and technology transfer. In 2024, USTR published a Federal Register notice proposing 312 subheadings of machinery under Chapters 84 and 85 that would be eligible for exclusion. Additionally, 19 exclusions were proposed for solar wafer and cell manufacturing equipment. Following public comment, USTR confirmed 14 exclusions related to solar manufacturing equipment in a September 2024 notice, retroactive from January 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025. The October 2024 notice formalized the procedures for submitting exclusion requests for these and other machinery items. The exclusion process targets a specific subset of manufacturing machinery—312 subheadings from Chapters 84 and 85, which cover a wide range of machinery, from industrial robots and semiconductor equipment to agricultural, textile, and mining devices. However, the exclusions do not cover all machinery within these chapters, focusing only on certain items that align with both U.S. manufacturing goals and trade leverage with China. Any “interested person,” including trade associations and businesses, can submit exclusion requests. Once submitted, other interested parties may file responses within 30 days, either supporting or opposing the request. Objections must address whether comparable equipment is available in the U.S. or third countries and whether the Chinese-made equipment can be substituted. USTR evaluates each request case-by-case, considering the rationale for the exclusion, and the clarity of the product description. These requests are reviewed and approved on a rolling basis. Any granted exclusion will be effective from the date of publication. To maximize the benefit of these exclusions, businesses should act quickly to submit requests and closely monitor USTR’s announcements. This process provides with a tool to mitigate the financial impact of tariffs. Prepare and act promptly, companies can seek exclusions , easing the strain caused by these tariffs.

Trump’s Potential Tariff Impact on Importers and Customs Brokers In a few days, President-elect Donald Trump will take office as the 47th President of the United States. During his previous presidency, he frequently used tariffs as a tool to address trade imbalances with other countries. He has made clear his intention to increase tariffs on imported goods, with adjustments based on issues such as trade deficits, drug and human smuggling, the abandonment of the U.S. dollar as an exchange currency, and the protection of the auto industry. As President, he has the authority to impose such tariffs under various trade acts and provisions, which grant him significant discretion in determining when and how to act. But how will this impact importers and customs brokers? Under 19 CFR 113, a bond is required to import goods into the United States. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) relies on these bonds to safeguard revenue and ensure compliance with laws and regulations. The amount for a continuous bond is calculated using a formula based on a percentage of the duties paid in the previous year or the projected duties for the upcoming period. If tariffs increase, the bond amount and any collateral required by surety companies will also rise. Surety companies refer to this increased liability as “bond stacking.” Bond stacking occurs when importers must cover multiple open bond periods, accounting for potential duties, taxes, fees, and any claims tied to their imported goods. This can significantly affect an importer’s financial obligations and compliance with customs regulations. To prepare for these changes, importers should ensure their financial information is ready and accessible. Surety companies often require collateral before issuing new bonds, and being proactive can help streamline the process. For more information on bond stacking and its implications, visit this Bond Stacking resource. https://lnkd.in/gsgSceCT

Our CEO Francisco Ramirez's most recent article for the Forbes Business Council "Five Tips for Elevating Your Marketing and Service Efforts" is a way for Francisco to share his gifts with his followers. It covers how to implement new marketing avenues. Consistency is vital in developing a comprehensive sales playbook to enhance your social media presence as it builds connections and drives engagement. At TAG we commit to fostering a culture of excellence while pursuing industry certifications. Currently we are in the process of getting our ISO 9001:2015. Initiate just one of the ideas presented and see the impact on your bottom line. #marketing #marketingstrategy #sales #salesplaybook #ISOCertification

In the Forbes Business Council article, "15 Business Areas to Consider Leveraging Automation," our CEO Francisco Ramirez contributed how at TAG we look seriously at automating tasks. We first evaluate different areas in our business that involve repetitive tasks and analyze the costs of automating to determine which tasks will offer the best ROI. We also take into consideration the impact the changes will have on our team and customers. It’s always best to know which tools exist and how to best use them for your needs. #automation #leveragingautomation #processimprovements #repetitivetasks #CEOinsight

White House Announces New Executive Actions to Address Surge in De Minimis Shipments The Administration announced that it’s taking new actions to address what it says is a “significant increased abuse of the de minimis exemption, in particular China-founded e-commerce platforms" and will implement new rules to more effectively "target and block" illicit shipments. The White House noted that the majority of the now more than one billion shipments a year claiming the de minimis exemption come from several Chinese e-commerce platforms. ? “With today’s announcement, the Administration is using executive authority to stop the abuse of the de minimis exemption. The Administration also calls on Congress to pass legislation this year to reform the de minimis exemption comprehensively to further protect American consumers, workers, and businesses,” the White House said in a statement. The new Executive Actions taken by the Administration against de minimis abuses include: ·???New Rulemaking to Improve Accountability and Enforcement in De Minimis Shipments—The proposed rule would strengthen information collection requirements to promote greater visibility into de minimis shipments. That additional level of transparency would help CBP protect consumers from purchasing goods that do not meet health and safety standards, and protect U.S. workers and businesses—including retailers, importers and manufacturers—from unfair competition. ·???New Rulemaking to Reduce De Minimis Volume and Strengthen Trade Enforcement—This proposed rule would make ineligible for the de minimis exemption shipments containing products subject to U.S. trade enforcement actions, such as those driving the increase from China-founded e-commerce platforms like low-value textiles and apparel, closing a major loophole. Those products would no longer enter the U.S. market duty free. ·???Final Rule to Prevent De Minimis Shipments from Circumventing Safety Standards—This Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) proposed final rule would require importers of consumer products to file Certificates of Compliance (CoC) electronically with CBP and CPSC. That would strengthen CBP’s and CPSC’s ability to target and block unsafe products and prevent foreign companies from abusing the de minimis exemption to circumvent consumer protection testing and certification requirements. These actions are on top of the work already underway by the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection to crack down on de minimis exemption abuses. (See this Sept. 13 DHS press release for more details.) The de minimis exemption allows CBP to pass free of duty and tax, merchandise imported by one person on one day that has an aggregate fair retail value in the country of shipments of $800 or less. According to CBP, the agency processes nearly 4 million de minimis shipments per day through U.S. ports of entry.

Our CEO, Francisco Ramirez, highly recommends active listening and radical candor as essential components in cultivating a well-aligned team as a leader. He believes embracing active listening makes you a more compassionate leader. His comments were included In the Forbes Business Council 14 Steps Professionals Can Take to Become More Compassionate Leaders article, effective business leadership involves more than achieving business objectives. Great leaders recognize that the relationships they build and cultivate with employees has a direct impact on the overall success of the organization. #CEO #CEOleadership #CEOinsights #Hr #Listening #Opendoorpolicy #corporatevalues

Check out our CEO Francisco Ramirez's latest thought leadership feature! Read it at Forbes Business Council below. It covers the lessons we learned at TAG on our path to achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification. Why investigate ISO certification? There are many valid reasons, with one being a prospective client asking that we become certified so they would have the assurance that TAG had internal processes in place for quality and consistency. Before standardization, there needed to be a greater understanding of best practices and their successful application to drive tangible results. It required hiring a specialized consultant to help us plan and implement a Quality Management System (QMS). Preparing organizational context documentation and training personnel for internal audits sets you up for long-term success. #ISOCertification #ForbesCouncils #CEO #CEOTips #CEOAdvice #QMS

Our CEO Francisco Ramirez is a contributor to the Forbes Business Council expert panel articles. In this article, he shared the way at TAG we leverage technology to drive The ACE Group’s business growth. Francisco suggests that as a leader, you must have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish. If your goal is to boost productivity, focus on the tech tools that will assist you in achieving efficiency. Be sure to explain in detail to your team members what the objectives of implementing the tech software is--so they are confident in coming on board using it. #CEOtips #marketing #businessdevelopment #technology #ai #chatgpt #productivitysoftware

What trait do you think you should cultivate to handle times of disruptive change better? I believe the C-level leaders are responsible for their team’s well-being during local, global, and economic challenges. Prioritizing composure and remaining calm allows leaders to effectively lead the team—helping team members laser focus on the tasks at hand. In the Forbes Business Council article, “Undergoing Disruptive Change? 16 Leadership Traits to Cultivate,” our panel experts suggested their recommendations. Read here. #CEOtips #CEOtraits #CEOleadership #CMentalhealth #CEOfocus