How to Import into Mexico?

Pag 4
INDEX
3 Editor’s Note
4 Events
➢ Francisco González Torres Biography
➢ 70 years trajectory
8 Articles
➢ Agreement to facilitate trade.
➢ Luis Hinojosa’s Book Review.
10 Certifications
12 Employee Incentives
13 Activities / Birthdays
14 Tips
➢ How to Import into Mexico
15 Strategy
➢ First air shipment into Mexico
16 Interview
➢ LLUSCBA’s President Sonia Villarreal
17 International Commerce
Systems Design
18 GONTOR’s Faces
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
Dear Clients and Friends,
W
e are on the
second publication of
our
quarterly GONTOR digital magazine, hoping
that our first edition was useful and of your satisfaction. In
this issue, with great pride and
satisfaction, we celebrate our
Customs Brokerage 70th Anniversary, which was founded
by Francisco Gonzalez Torres,
(GONzález TORres), a Mexican Customs House company
that has diversified into US Customs Brokerage, Distribution
and Logistics.
In the first magazine we focused on topics of general interest within the scope of International Trade, making a conscious
decision to be a source of global trade information and providing the benefits of the Mexican market in the world. In this
second edition, we continue to
observe the same format and
points of interests, furthermore
we also present GONTOR’s expanding infrastructure of our
Mexico City office to meet customer’s brokerage and logistics
needs.
GONTOR’s goal is to evolve
the magazine publication with
your active participation by
sending your comments and
suggestions to our email address. In addition to capturing
our common commercial interests, this is also a mechanism to
connect with you periodically
with a chance to strengthen our
friendship and create new ties.
Sincerely,
The Editor
[email protected]
GONTOR´s Exclusive Photography
3
EVENTS
Francisco González Torres
(1924-2010)
F
rancisco Gonzalez Torres was born in Ciudad
Juarez, Chihuahua, to
Francisco González Pérez
and Luz Torres Corral. His father
was the Mexican Customs Tax
Collector for Nuevo Laredo, Cd.
Juarez, Nogales, Veracruz, Tampico, and Progreso, Mexico. In
the 30´s and 40’s, it was common
for tax collector official’s family to live in the customs houses,
due to this childhood experience
he claimed, “I grew up between
custom warehouses and fiscal
yards, where with admiration I
saw my father work and because
of it, I have classification, merchandise appraisal and regulations in my blood, possibly even
before birth.”
Once he graduated in 1945 with
an accounting degree from the
Banking and Commercial School
of Mexico City, he moved to Nuevo
Laredo to work with his brother
as a partner in the Customs firm
they both established.
In 1963, Francisco founded
Gonzalez Torres & Co. and in June
1967 he received his Mexican
Customs Broker License from the
Ministry of Finance and Public
Credit. He would recall with great
joy, “A broker has risks, the more
customers-the more responsibilities, the startup of a customs
brokerage is economically challenging.” Allied Forwarding Corp.
was founded in 1974, which today is GONTOR Forwarding, later in 1975 the company took a
strong leap towards consolidation by building its first warehouse in Laredo Texas.
From 1987 to 2005, GONTOR’s
services were integrated into a
national network, as it is known
today. Francisco expressed, “Just
as we came upon the era of technology, we will adapt and transform in the future as we see it
necessary in our industry”, with
the incorporation of his two children, Francisco and Carlos, they
continue to promote and cultivate the companies’ innovated
vision with great enthusiasm to
this present day.
From 1979 to 1986, Francisco was President for two terms
of the Nuevo Laredo Customs
Broker’s Association. Also, from
1983 to 1986 he was the Vice
President of Mexico’s National
Customs Broker’s Association,
better known as CAAAREM. He
then served from 1986 to 1989,
as Secretary on the National
Commission of Honor and Justice. His years of service lead
him to believe, “The Customs
Broker, as any other industry’s
business man, wants the best for
Mexico; this eagerness unites us,
identifies us, motivates us, and
historically forces us to strive in
the constant rebuilding of this
Nation.”
We conclude from Francisco’s
life, the fundamental cornerstones that make up GONTOR’s
culture:
• WORK
• HONESTY
• INNOVATION
• VISION
This year, we will be celebrating our 70th anniversary of constant efforts in the international
trade industry, all we have to do
is see the legacy left behind by
Francisco to feel his presence,
which motivates us to reach new
goals and continue to grow in
this dynamic field.
43
70 years
Trajectory
EVENTS
First warehouse is
built.
Brothers Octavio and
Francisco Gonzalez
Torres founded a
Customs Brokerage in
Nuevo Laredo Mexico.
Customs Brokerage
Gonzalez Torres & Co
is founded.
Allied Forwarding
Corp. is founded,
now known as
GONTOR Forwarding
Corp.
Start of warehouse
services in Laredo,
Tx. USA.
Carlos Gonzalez
Treviño is issued
license No. 3136.
- BAC Logistics is founded, now known
as GONTOR Logistics.
- A U.S. brokerage department is
created to offer this service directly to
our clientele.
First Airport branch
opens in Mexico City.
Francisco Gonzalez
Treviño is issued
license No. 3135.
Francisco González
Torres is issued
license No. 373.
First Sea port branch
opens in Veracruz.
-Opening of the
second Airport
branch in
Guadalajara.
The expansion
continues with
the opening of
2 additional
branches at
the ports of
Manzanillo and
Altamira.
14 licenses are
integrated into
GONTOR to expand
our coverage and as a
backup.
GONTOR US Customs
Broker Corp. is
founded.
-Francisco Gonzalez Treviño
assumes the general leadership of
GONTOR.
- Alejandro Gonzalez Garza is issued
licence No. 1634.
- GONTOR dispatches the first air
pre-clearance shipment at
the port of
Laredo, Texas.
GONTOR US Customs
Broker Corp. is issued
a National Permit.
5
EVENTS
GONTOR warehouse inauguration, Laredo Texas.
Ribbon Cutting by FCA.
From left to right: Francisco González, Milena Uribe, Mercedes Figueroa, Michaela Dorsch, Rubén Ibarra, Ramón Villarreal, Paul Schultz and Carlos González.
GONTOR office inauguration, Mexico City.
Ribbon Cutting by DHL
Front row, from left to right: Ricardo López, José María de Orduña and Carlos
González. Back row, from left to right: Adalberto Saldaña, Reyna Castelán,
Mario Castiñeyra, David Cervantes, Francisco González and Yadira Alarcón.
Toasting with CEVA
From left to right: Reyna Castelán, Carlos González, Raúl Espejel, David Cervantes, Mario Castiñeyra, Iván Yañez and Eduardo Claverie.
6
EVENTS
First Conference of Customs Facilitation.
COFA
(Committee of Customs
Facilitation).
Lic. Jorge Fernando Boy Espinoza
Toluca Customs Administrator.
Lic. Jorge Hugo Frias Ortega
Toluca Customs Sub-Administrator.
Lic. Roberto Dominguez Sosa
Puerta Mexico Customs Sub-Administrator.
Lic. Luis Eduardo Sosa Gomez
Legal Area Sub-Administrator.
Lic. Marisol Garcia Loretz
State of Mexico Secretary of Economic
Development.
Lic. Mercedes Figueroa
Chrysler Customs & Logistics Senior
Management.
Lic. Ruben Ibarra Contreras
Chrysler Customs Manager.
Lic. Ma. Del Carmen Borgonio
Latin American Confederation of Customs
Brokers.
Lic. Jaime Enrique Prida Bravo
Toluca Customs Brokers Association
President.
GEODIS visit
From left to right:
Oswaldo Andrews
Frank Abreu
Carlos Gonzalez
Michael Greco
See more photographs
7
ARTICLE
Trade Facilitation Agreement (AFC)
By Carlos F. Aguirre
T
he Trade facilitation
Agreement (AFC) is an
international
instrument, currently being negotiated within the World Trade
Organization (WTO), which will
include provisions that set an international trend in customs regulations and once implemented,
it will ensure widespread application of its precepts.
The AFC was part of ministerial decisions taken by members of
the WTO Ministerial Conference
in Bali, Indonesia, on December
2013; Decisions which are known
as the “Bali Package”.
If we ask ourselves what is the
future of the customs regulatory
framework, simply check the precepts that the AFC will adopt to
answer your question.
The AFC is intended to facilitate the conduct of business operations, limit the discretion of
customs authority, and in general
provide legal securities in International Trade that Customs may
see as a gray area.
Since the AFC is currently being drafted, it includes disciplines
that reflect today’s customs op-
GONTOR´s exclusive photography
erations worldwide, such as employing a single point of contact/
single window, all the while providing provisions that facilitate
trade in customs as indicated below:
•Ease of Access to Customs
•Having a procedural manual
for Agencies involved in customs
regulations
•The right to appeal Customs
decisions
•The definition of duties and
charges on imports and exports,
which should correspond to the
approximate cost of the services
provided by customs
• By keeping customs processing fees (with some exceptions
available) in line with Customs
value and not by an additional
cost for services
• Processing before arrival of
merchandise
•Risk Management Procedures
presented to customs for clearance and audit purposes
•Vetted personnel for ease of
access
•Ease of communication/coordination between customs and
the private sector.
•The possibility of having rulings in advance on various is-
sues such as tariff classification
of goods and origin, with the possibility of access to a review the
mechanism for the resolution
•The right to a second inspection of samples
•The setting of deadlines for
customs to expedite the customs
clearing process
Some of the principles we have
discussed, such as the use of a
single point of contact, electronic
clearance, the ability to be able to
correct customs documentation,
risk management, vetted personnel; all these systems would benefit both the private sector and
customs for ease of international
commerce all the while maintaining secure trade.
The provisions the AFC set forth
for Customs brokers can be summarized as follows:
•The AFC is not intended to
eliminate customs brokers
•The use of customs brokers
should not be mandatory
The AFC stipulates that the licensing of customs brokers should
be carried out with a strict adherence to procedures and with
transparency.
As soon as the AFC provisions go
into effect, our country will have
to adhere to these norms and regulations since Mexico is a member of the WTO (Before the AFC
can be implemented, it must get
approval from India which seems
to be hesitant to enter the agreement).
In our opinion, our country is
not currently prepared to take all
the principles laid down in these
systems and it’s up to the customs
authority itself, to achieve the
adoption of measures to ensure
compliance within the guidelines
of the agreement.
As soon as the AFC provisions go
into effect, our country will have
to adhere to these norms and regulations since Mexico is a member of the WTO. Up to this date, 8
WTO Members have accepted the
Protocol to include the AFC in the
WTO legal framework.
The list of WTO Members that
have accepted the protocol is the
following: (i) Hong Kong; (ii) Singapore; (ii) United States of America; (iv) Mauritius; (v) Malaysia;
(vi) Japan; (vii) Australia; and
(viii) Botswana.
[email protected]
8
ARTICLE
CLASSIFIEDS
Luis Hinojosa’s book review
W
e now face a growing number of
macro economics and business
factors which create a new and
non-familiar business environment. The solution to these is
easy to say, but hard to implement: to lower costs, to do more
for our customers than our competitors, to be more flexible in
order to be the first to offer new
products, to outperform in quality and to be better than
our competitors in all senses.
WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO
ACHIEVE THE OBVIOUS?
It is simply that the way the companies are organized and operated nowadays, makes it impossible to do the improvements
that are needed.
The only option is a profound
and fundamental change in the
way work is done. To provide a
road map to achieve this, is the
goal of this book. Michael Hammer deepens on how an enterprise can transform its
processes focusing on
the end-to-end fundamental sequence of
activities that create
all the value a company delivers to its customers such as order
fulfillment, product
development, solution to customer’s
problems, demand
creation and management of the supply chain.
In some companies the actual processes create problems that
should not exist.
Team
members spend all
the time arguing
on who is sup-
posed to be responsible for an
order, or the order is waiting in
someone’s tray. This is not that
people are lazy. On the contrary,
most of them want to do a good
job. They are given objectives
and they try to accomplish them.
They focus on doing a good job
and they are rewarded for their
effort. However, a few understand how their work fits in the
whole picture, on what the company wants to accomplish. As a
result, what they do affect someone elses outcome.
A real global enterprise make
its customers’ lives easier. They
know that customers want a
quality product, when and where
they want it, and at the price they
want it.
It is time to do our job faster,
cheaper and better.
D
o you have a vacancy in your company’s
international trade
department? Are you
looking for work and have experience in the foreign trade
field? We are offering magazine space for you to publish it!
E-mail us at: bolsadetrabajo@
gontor.com; send a brief summary and contact details, and
we will list it in our next edition.
Our magazine is read by a
wide range of companies and
hundreds of contacts in the industry; surely we could help
you!
Luis Hinojosa
GONTOR Forwarding Warehouse Manager
9
CERTIFICATIONS
GONTOR is C-TPAT certified and
periodically performs drills to train
and maintain our personnel alertness.
Drill performed on May 5th.
Warehouse receiving team members: Jose Aguilar and Jose Santillan report their findings on suspicious merchandise to the Warehouse Coordinator
Jesus Gonzalez and to the Warehouse Manager Luis Hinojosa.
National Permit
GONTOR US Customs
GONTOR US Customs Broker Corp
was issued a national permit,
which will allow us to serve our
customer’s brokerage needs on a
national level.
10
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Instructor
T
irso Julian Melendez
Guerra, GONTOR Legal
department Manager has
been certified by the Ministry of Labor and Social Services
as an instructor and is authorized
to give courses to our customers
pursuant to Article 153-C, 153-P
of the Federal Labor Act.
This certification allows our customers to benefit by adding curricular value, providing job skill
certificates in customs regulations
and foreign trade that are authorized by the STPS. (Secretaria del
Trabajo y Prevision Social).
IATA
CERTIFICATION
I
nternational Air Transport
Association (IATA): GONTOR
Logistics was certified as an
agent by IATA , which allows
us to cut airway bills at the
Mexico City Airport and hazmat
merchandise. IATA is composed
of 250 airlines which allows us
to offer services at a competitive
rate.
11
EMPLOYEE INCENTIVES
E
very year, GONTOR
recognizes the best
performance in three
different
categories.
We are proud to announce the
personnel who excelled in their
fields:
Best Branch
Mexico City
Congratulations to:
Best Branch
Mexico City
Best Manager
David Cervantes Alcantara
Top Seller
Francisco González Garza
Sincerely,
Corporate Management
From left to right: Alejandro Torres ,Sandra Hernandez,Dayana Chavez,Adriana Sanchez,Mariana
Becerril,Alejandro Gonzalez,Reyna Castelán,Jose Luis Roja and David Cervantes.
Best Manager
From left to right: David Cervantes and
Alejandro González
Top Seller
From left to right: Carlos Gonzalez Treviño, Francisco González Garza and Francisco Gonzalez
Treviño.
12
ACTIVITIES
GONTOR, in the month of
April participated on the
“HOLI Festival de Colores” to
conmmemorate “Earth Day” in
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
Celebrating Mother’s and Father’s Day
at Gontor Forwarding.
GONTOR’s Legal Coordinator: Ma. Isabel Gomez and owner of Sadhana
YOGA with a group of participants.
BIRTHDAYS
May, June & July
JOSE (PEPE) LUNA MAY 2
GUILLERMO ZAMBRANO MAY 10
GERARDO NORIEGAMAY 14
ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ MAY 30
CARLOS GONZALEZJULY 10
JAIME MIRELES JULY 16
MARGARET O’BRIEN JULY 31
13
TIPS
How to Import into Mexico?
B
efore
importing
merchandise
into
Mexico, be it a person
or a company, one must
research information of the
product, obstacles or special
requirements, demand for the
product, amongst other issues.
You can use the following
information to help determine
whether the importation of a
certain product is viable:
EXPORTING COUNTRIES
Know the main exporters of the
product being imported.
IDENTIFY COMPETITORS
Know
which companies are
already
importing
certain
products, volume and value, to
determine the main competitors,
their strengths and weaknesses.
SELECT A NICHE
Analyze the market within your
country depending on:
•Consumption (preferably high
volumes)
•Competition (Preferably low)
•Country (economic, political and
social factors)
•Distance and risk
•Check barriers for importation
such as: Prohibition, import
permits, fees, PGA (Partner
Government Agencies
regulations)
•Tariffs
•Quality
CHECK IMPORT BARRIERS
• Prohibition
• Import permits
• Fees
• Technical standards or trade
information
• Regulations or restrictions
(sanitary, phytosanitary, among
others )
• Tariffs
• Quality level
Luis Miguel Vidal
GONTOR HTS Appraiser
GONTOR’s exclusive photography.
14
STRATEGY
First air shipment into Mexico.
MEXICAN CUSTOMS CLEARANCE IN LAREDO, TX.
EL MAÑANA
Friday December 23, 2012
By Francisco Diaz
L
Although
not officially opened,
Mexican Customs in
Laredo, Texas (the
first time Mexico has customs
officials outside Mexico) had its
first cargo airplane dispatched
and cleared from Laredo, TX.
GONTOR was the Mexican
Customs Broker for this
aredo,
TX.-
operation. A Local government
source confirms that GONTOR,
a firm dedicated to providing
comprehensive services on
foreign trade and customs
brokerage dispatched this
shipment of U.S. products into
Mexico, without specifying the
destination.
GONTOR has branch offices
in Laredo, TX, Nuevo Laredo,
Toluca, Veracruz, Manzanillo,
Altamira, Saltillo,
México City and Guadalajara.
This shipment made history as
it is the first of its kind, in that
it was pre-cleared by Mexican
Customs abroad.
On November 1st, the Customs
Administrative Office published
the clearance guidelines of an
extension of Mexican customs
at the airport of Laredo, TX in
Mexico’s Official Gazette.
This pilot program
was
approved
in
order to facilitate
customs
clearance
of certain goods for
importation,
the
entrance of goods to
a bonded warehouse,
foreign trade zone
specifically for air
shipments.
Local
Laredo
officials
plan to officially
inaugurate its new
customs facilities
at the airport
within the first
months of 2013. The city
invested $2.5 million USD in
infrastructure that houses both
Mexican and U.S. Customs, and
about six months ago Mexican
IRS officials began training its
staff in said operation.
Several cities such as San
Antonio, Dallas, and Brownsville
were considered for this PreClearance pilot program, and
given its import/export traffic
Laredo won this concession.
The advantage of pre-clearing
merchandise is that it can go
directly to airports in Mexico,
streamlining and optimizing
the entrance of goods and
reduce costs.
Mexican authorities believe
that this project will benefit
the companies that use this
service by optimizing time and
cutting cost making logistical
operations more efficient.
15
INTERVIEW
Sonia Villarreal, LLUSCBA President
(Laredo Licensed U.S. Customs
Brokers Association)
W
HAT ARE THE
BENEFITS
OF
BEING
PART
OF
LLUSCBA?
We have direct communication with CBP (Customs & Border Protection) on pertinent
issues to disseminate to our
members that affect our day
to day operations, topics that
need immediate attention such
as bridge delays or closings. In
the meetings, we resolve any
issues that any of our members
has with CBP or PGA (Partner
Government Agencies).
Education is one of our strongest features, keeping our members up to date on import/export processes and PGA, from
regulations/procedural issues
and day to day operations. Continuing education in our industry is a must.
HOW IS AN ISSUE BROUGHT UP
TO CBP?
We have three monthly meetings:
• CBP & LLUSCBA Meeting
-This is the venue where CBP
and the trade community discuss topics of interest or any
issues occurring as to improve
the communication between
both parties.
•Meeting with LLUSCBA
Members
-Issues concerning the trade
community are discussed that
will be brought up directly to
CBP in the monthly meeting.
• Board Members
-Discuss internal decisions,
agendas with the board members of the association
WHAT’S NEW WITH CBP?
CBP is going through a recent
overhaul, they are implementing ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) and it will
be mandatory by November
1, 2015. ACE will be the new
system for CBP and brokers to
process all import and export
issues.
CBP is currently working with
us on outreach programs to our
stakeholders to address the information as fast as possible.
16
Currently in international business, you need a fast and reliable way to determine
the origin of your materials of your products. Free trade agreements provide us
with an effective way to reduce costs, be more competitive in a global environment,
have a presence abroad, and offer better prices in the domestic market.
In International Commerce Systems Design (ICSD), we offer a comprehensive
solution to fulfill the rules of origin of any trade agreement signed by Mexico in a
user-friendly platform that can be tailored to your exact needs.
Solution capabilities are:
• Two options to access the system: one that allows you to upload bill of materials information
from your suppliers, such as, certificates of origin, declarations of
origin, etc. The other access option is for your supplier, to enter
the necessary information into
17 the system in order to determine
the origin of your product.
• Have access to the system online, information can be stored in
our servers, or can be linked directly to your server.
• If the system determines that
your product does not meet the
rules of origin, it will give you suggestions to complete the requirements.
• Ease to visualize and link materials within the products.
• The system automatically sends
alerts to your suppliers when they
are missing origin certificates or
declarations.
• Data confidentiality guarantied,
secured by different access levels.
• Access to your securely store
documents as needed.
• Information can be entered
manually or automatically via Excel, EDI, etc.
• We comply with the rules of origin of any free trade agreement
Mexico has signed.
• If you need an original certificate
of origin from your provider, the
system will automatically send
an email to the supplier, which
provides instructions so they can
send the original document.
Gabriel Solorzano
[email protected]
+52 (867) 711-1625
52*241860*2
Carlos Aguirre
[email protected]
+52 (55) 1105-0083
52*241860*2
17
GONTOR FACES
GONTOR Guadalajara branch
Staff for GEODIS - IBM - FOXCONN Operations
From left to right: Javier Peña, Manuel Almaraz, Betsy Vargas, Carely Hernández,Jorge Cuevas, Sara Hernández, Tomás Escamilla, María de Lourdes
Pérez, Francisco Escobar, César Esparza, Jonathan García and Pamela Rosales.
GONTOR Nuevo Laredo branch
IT Department
From Left to Right: First row: Cecilia Juárez, Darinel Lozano, Patricia Herrera, Margarita López. Second row: Yolanda Vargas, Rubén Valdez, Arturo
Sandate, Jorge de Luna, Silvestre Pérez. Third row: Juan Carlos Reyes, Alejandro Marín, Gerardo García. Fourth row: Arturo Fernández y Martín Moreno
18
GONTOR FACES
GONTOR Laredo, TX branch
ALFA Warehouse Operations
From Left to right: Humberto González Jr., Alejandro Perales, José Luis Carrillo, Arturo Vaquera, Juan Pruneda, Thomas Rodríguez, José Luis García
and Marcos Rodríguez.
A BIT OF
HUMOR
19