Customs Reports Progress on ACE
Pilot testing of the ocean and rail manifest systems in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment is scheduled to begin early this fall, Cindy Allen, executive director of the ACE business office, said Friday. Allen said that successful performance of the new manifest systems will give Customs the opportunity to turn off the rail and ocean manifest systems in the 1980s-era Automated Commercial System, one of the primary goals in ACE development.
The first phase of testing began in May with 17 ocean carriers, four railroads, a customs brokerage and a service center providing data for testing. Allen said Customs is now inviting more participants for a second phase, which will begin after Aug. 1. Allen said that the pilot test will involve data in “production-level” volumes, or data flow comparable with ACE’s normal processing load. After September, Customs will invite three ports to use ACE for all ocean and rail manifests.
If the manifests pass all tests, Customs will formally accept the software from its prime contractor in January 2012, leading to a shutdown of the ACS manifests in June. Allen said that ACE is making progress in reducing paperwork with the perfection of a document imaging system that allows importers to electronically submit supplementary information to their entries.
Customs is also working on modernization of the Census Bureau Automated Export System, and making it a part of ACE. Allen said Customs is mindful of the need for maintaining the confidentiality of Census data, but it will also give Customs officers the opportunity to operate in a single system.
Leslie G. Brand III│Supply Chain Solutions, Inc.