FTZs Help U.S. Companies Save Millions During Tough Economic Times

While no one likes difficult and tough economic down cycles, periods like the one we're in now serve the useful purpose of helping companies increase their focus on business process improvement--for example, by exposing inadequate global trade processes in order to improve them. Global trade, despite the current downturn, is in a long-term growth cycle. Combined U.S. imports and exports increased from under $100 billion in 1968 to nearly $3.5 trillion dollars in 2008--with almost half that total growth occurring in the last decade.

Given this reality, it's critical that business executives and global trade directors leverage current economic challenges to create fast and significant international trade process improvements, carefully investing limited capital in those areas where it can get the biggest bang for the buck. One excellent way to do this is by taking advantage of the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) program. {Read more}