On September 4, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency officially opened its third Center for Excellence and Expertise (CEE) in Detroit. The new CEE will focus on the automotive and aerospace industries, and is designed to “centralize processing for all trusted partners in the automotive and aerospace industry, providing uniformity for importers within that industry.”

In the press release announcing the opening, the CBP centers are described as “offering one–stop processing to lower the trade’s cost of business,” and to “provide greater consistency and predictability and enhance CBP enforcement efforts. The centers are coordinated from strategic locations, but are manned by CBP personnel across the country. The centers represent CBP’s expanded focus on 'Trade in the 21^st Century,' transforming customs procedures to align with modern business. By having the centers focus on industry-specific issues, CBPO is able to provide tailored support to unique trading environments.”

Kevin McAleenan, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, said: “The Center of Excellence and Expertise is an innovative approach to managing trade by both industry and accounts. Leveraging the right mix of CBP skill sets in the center brings together an environment that promotes industry expertise and collaboration.”

The staff of the CEE will “answer questions, provide information and develop trade facilitation strategies to address uniformity and compliance concerns. They will also serve as a single point of processing for businesses enrolled in CBP’s trusted shipper programs: the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Importer Self-Assessment (ISA)”

Currently, CBP operates a Pharmaceutical Center in New York and an Electronic Center in Los Angeles. A fourth center focusing on Petroleum, Natural Gas and Minerals is due to open in Houston before the end of September.