Powering Performance

The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) and the International Automotive Oversight Bureau (IAOB) proudly announce the IAOB’s continued sponsorship of AIAG’s Core Tools Support (CTS) software. With this announcement for 2021, the IAOB agreed to sponsor 250 IATF certified organizations with a one-year CTS license. Recipients of sponsored subscriptions must be certified to IATF 16949 by one of the IAOB’s 20 IATF certification bodies, which are listed on the IAOB website. 

As the only industry-endorsed training of its kind, AIAG’s USMCA Content Reporting course was developed by a highly qualified group of volunteers from numerous OEMs, heavy truck manufacturers, and Tier 1 suppliers, along with guidance from trusted trade compliance experts.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a CTPAT alert late January warning of cyber threats arising from many CTPAT members working from home during the pandemic. CBP stated that harmful individuals may try to exploit weaknesses associated with remote work, such as email phishing attacks with malicious links.

Christopher Swift, JD, PhD, is a partner and litigator with Foley & Lardner LLP, specializing in international and national security practices, where he counsels clients on a variety of trade-related issues. Dr. Swift recently spoke to AIAG’s Export Compliance Advisory Group (ECAG), providing important updates on current export compliance issues and concerns. The AIAG ECAG group collaborates to share industry knowledge and create best-in-class programs for effective export compliance in the automotive and related spaces. The committee reviews changing export regulations and critical elements of effective export compliance procedures, sharing training and development opportunities throughout the industry.

In 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of the Treasury ramped up their efforts targeting companies around the world that are benefiting from forced labor.

Sometime in the next few days hundreds of millions of Chinese workers will get on trains, buses and for the lucky, planes, to return to their hometowns and families for the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration.

Tom Swennes is a logistics and supply chain executive with over 28 years in finished automotive logistics. With a longstanding tie to AIAG, he has served as a volunteer since 2008. Swennes has been a leader in AIAG’s Visibility of Finished Vehicles Initiative (VOFV) — helping to develop event reporting standard across the finished vehicle supply chain — and is currently a member of AIAG’s Finished Vehicles Advisory Group. With both a systems and a sales background, as well as extensive operational experience at the OEM level, Swennes offers a unique perspective on the challenges facing automotive logistics professionals.

With fewer than two months to go until we kick off the 2021 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Summit, we’re busy putting the final touches on our agenda, and looking forward to a fantastic lineup of speakers and presentations for this year’s two-day virtual event.

As the automotive trade compliance community dives into the second year of USMCA qualification and the corresponding supplier solicitation process, numerous challenges and new questions have arisen around what has changed, what best practices now exist, and what steps are required to qualify goods under USMCA.

In continued support of the industry, AIAG is offering many of our mission critical tools, resources and best practices free through June 2021 to both members and non-members.