United States
India
Canada
The Automated Export System (AES) is an electronic filing system that keeps track of export data online. It is aggregated using data provided from the United States Customs and Border Protection, Bureau of Industry and Security, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the export trade community, and other federal agencies. AES filing ensures adherence to export regulations and enhances data management for the maritime industry and more. AES reports also track export trends and economic indicators and contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Prior to this system, everything was done by paper, and mistakes took extensive time and labor to fix. The AES offers an alternative that is more digital and readily available to the members of the export trade community. In the AES, export information is amassed electronically and immediately edited. If there are any errors, these are detected at the time of filing and immediately fixed. AES was created with the intention of improving customer service, preventing any accidentally duplicate reports to agencies, and making sure that everyone is complying with and enforcing the laws regarding proper exporting.
The Role of AES in the Export Process
The export process has many steps but ultimately starts with the decision to export a certain piece of merchandise. Then an authorized agent or that same exporter will make specific shipping arrangements or book with a known carrier. Then, the AES comes into play as the exporter or authorized agent must record information about the good or specific commodity (EEI) using the AES. This information can also be recorded by a service center or port authority. AES then certifies that the data is accurate compared to internal existing editing tables and other United States government agency files. If everything seems correct, then a confirmation message is generated and sent to the filer. Otherwise, an error message will be generated and sent to the filer so that the mistakes can be corrected.
If the Vessel Transportation Module applies, then the carrier will also send a Receipt of Booking message when the cargo is received. Additionally, a departure message would be sent as soon as the vessel carrying the cargo departs. Furthermore, the carrier will share the full export manifest using AES within 10 days of the vessel departing. AES again validates the transportation data against existing files and then produces a confirmation or error message accordingly. In the case of an error message, one must correct and resend the information to AES immediately.
AES Benefits
The AES benefits all members of the trade community, including the consolidators, port authorities, freight forwarders, carriers, exporters, service centers, and more. Greater transparency and the sharing of appropriate information lead to a smoother and safer exporting process for all.
The AES functions to ensure compliance with United States export documentation requirements. When one successfully files using the AES, an Internal Transaction Number (ITN) is generated with the confirmation message. In addition, because of the AES’ flexible editing system and immediate feedback, it’s possible to correct errors along the way or relatively quickly once they are detected. AES also benefits members of the export trade community by reducing overall costs. The costs of correcting mistakes, submitting details on paper, and duplicating reports are reduced through using the digital and more efficient AES. These costs are also not insignificant, as electronic data entry reduces a lot of the time and labor barriers involved in paper recordkeeping.
The AES and its partnership with multiple government bureaus and agencies allow for the electronic validation of data on export shipments compared to previously approved licenses. If there are any discrepancies, the transaction will be redirected to a relevant government agency handling such cases. In addition, the AES is compliant with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The use of AES facilitates better business when dealing with many countries and respects growing trends in globalization and increased world trade. Furthermore, accurate data represented in the AES can be used to generate statistics that measure a business’ success in the global trade market and inform better business decisions in the long run.
Final Thoughts
The AES is an electronic method of global export shipment recordkeeping that adds clarity and continued compliance to the export process for all the members of the trade community involved in it. It also operates as a collaboration of data provided by multiple government agencies, and sometimes it can redirect a person to the appropriate partnership agency to resolve issues in the required export shipment documentation process. Ensuring compliance with the United States laws and regulations regarding export shipment and documentation of it determines safety and satisfaction for everyone, especially the end user. If someone as a member of trade community is looking to join the AES, they must send a Letter of Intent to the United States Census Bureau. More information can be found online at one of the government agency websites.
