Registration Now Open for AIAG’s Virtual Event on the Latest in Customs & Trade, a Mexico/US Customs Overview

AIAG has announced a virtual event for North American automotive customs and trade professionals, featuring a variety of experts from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Scheduled for March 11, 2026, the event is called AIAG Customs & Trade Virtual Event: Mexico/US Customs Overview. Topics range from Mexico customs reform and SAT audits in Mexico to how CTPAT minimizes risk, geopolitics and trade, and recent amendments to customs provisions for IMMEX operations.

Alan Dewar, one of the featured speakers, will provide an overview of Canada’s role in the automotive trade, highlighting the latest in trade agreements, duty relief opportunities, and the evolving challenges impacting cross-border automotive supply chains.

“Canada has evolved from being an assembly hub to becoming a highly integrated, compliance-driven node in the North American automotive supply chain,” says Dewar, who serves as executive vice president of GHY International. “At the same time, regulatory modernization and heightened scrutiny mean companies must be far more deliberate about origin, valuation, and importer accountability than they were even a few years ago.”

Well acquainted with the changing dynamic of trade, Dewar serves on the boards of the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers and the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters. GHY International is one of North America’s longest-serving customs broker. His talk at the event is “Canada Matters: Keeping Automotive Supply Chains Rolling.”

Dewar notes that cross-border supply chains now require active governance —especially around importer of record responsibility, origin substantiation, and financial security. “Decisions made upstream — such as supplier sourcing, routing, Incoterms, and system design — directly affect duty exposure, cashflow, and operational risk,” he says. “Companies that treat customs as a strategic function — not just a transactional one — are far better positioned to protect margins and maintain continuity.”

Dewar’s goal is for attendees to leave with a clearer visibility into current regulatory realities and have steps — or “footholds,” as he calls them — that they can take to strengthen compliance while improving operational efficiency.

Register for this high-value virtual event today.