C-TPAT: Because Quality Makes A Difference!!!

Even though the origins of C-TPAT date back to a decade or so, there still continues to be a lack of understanding regarding the concept of the tool and how it benefits and adds up to some organizational value.

Understanding the Tool:

“The U.S Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism initiative (C-TPAT) is a voluntary U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that has been designed to improve and uplift the border security while also accelerating the processing of import shipments. 

Prep4audit had designed a C-TPAT toolkit to help you improve your level of compliance with Customs and Border Protection. The toolkit includes a Compliance Assessment Worksheet (Excel) and Requirement Statements (Word). The toolkit is designed C-TPAT minimum security criteria are fundamentally designed to institute effective security practices designed to optimize supply chain performance to mitigate the risk of loss, theft, and contraband smuggling that could potentially introduce dangerous elements into the global supply chain.

Understanding what to do with it:

The audit suppliers for conformance to the C-TPAT requirements, as part of your preparation process to register in the program or general risk management. Many companies require their suppliers to comply even though they don’t officially register in the program since a C-TPAT audit will provide information that is useful in managing the security of your production, products and tooling at the supplier factory.

Top Benefits:

  

 The C-TPAT importers are 4 to 6 times less likely to incur a security of compliance examination. Partners in the program receive a fast lane access that save their time crossing the border.

• Involvement in the program reinforces an organization’s brand, mission and values. Marketability thus becomes an important benefit.   
• C-TPAT created this benefit “as a means to alleviate the additional cost of multiple container shipments being held for only one line item with storage costs collected on all containers.”

The C-TPAT toolkit is available at $29.99 per business unit for an unlimited use license. Not for resale by purchaser; which is a very small amount compared to the services that it provides.