Simply Trade

Host: Lalo Solorzano and Andy Shiles
Guest(s): Hal Berman and John Petitte
Published: September 17, 2026
Length: 38:47
Presented by: Global Training Center

Summary
Tariff engineering isn’t just a compliance exercise—it can become a powerful strategy for reducing landed costs, improving sourcing decisions, and strengthening profitability.

In this episode of Simply Trade, Lalo Solorzano and Andy Shiles welcome back Hal Berman and John Petitte of Trade Insight for a practical discussion about how companies can approach tariff engineering as a cross-functional business initiative.

The conversation explores why successful duty optimization requires much more than finding a different tariff classification. Engineering, sourcing, procurement, finance, operations, tax, supply chain, and compliance may all hold pieces of the information needed to determine whether a change actually makes financial sense.

Hal and John share examples involving product design, component sourcing, final assembly, free trade agreements, and duty exposure to illustrate how relatively small changes can potentially produce meaningful savings. They also discuss the role of AI as a research and productivity tool for trained trade professionals—not as a replacement for human judgment.

The bigger lesson: companies can get more value when trade considerations enter the product lifecycle earlier, rather than waiting until goods reach the border.

Main Topic / Discussion
Tariff engineering is the process of evaluating how legitimate changes to a product's design, materials, sourcing, manufacturing, assembly, or supply chain can affect tariff treatment and overall landed cost.

The discussion emphasizes that effective tariff engineering requires a holistic view. A lower duty rate alone doesn't necessarily make a change worthwhile. Companies must consider supplier agreements, manufacturing costs, labor, logistics, tax implications, compliance requirements, and other costs before determining the actual return on investment.

Build a Cross-Functional Team
Compliance may help lead the analysis, but the necessary information often lives throughout the organization. Engineering understands product design. Procurement and sourcing understand suppliers and contracts. Finance can evaluate ROI. Operations and supply chain understand manufacturing and logistics constraints.

Executive sponsorship can help these groups work toward the same objective instead of leaving compliance to pursue optimization opportunities alone.

Start Small and Build a Repeatable Process
Rather than reviewing every SKU at once, the conversation suggests identifying products associated with significant duty spend and evaluating specific opportunities.

Even when the first project doesn't uncover savings, the exercise can establish a repeatable framework: which questions need to be asked, who owns the information, what constraints matter, and which stakeholders need to participate.

Over time, tariff considerations can move earlier in the product lifecycle and potentially become part of product and supply-chain design.

AI as a Trade Professional's Tool
AI and technology can help trade professionals research classifications and analyze much larger product libraries, but the episode stresses the importance of human involvement and transparent reasoning.

The objective is to give trained professionals better tools, clearer supporting rationale, and greater capacity—not simply automate away the compliance function.

Key Takeaways
• Tariff engineering goes beyond finding a lower duty rate; companies should evaluate total landed cost and overall ROI.

• The strongest opportunities can involve product design, materials, sourcing, manufacturing location, final assembly, free trade agreements, and other special tariff provisions.

• Compliance cannot effectively execute tariff optimization alone. Engineering, finance, sourcing, procurement, operations, supply chain, tax, and other stakeholders may need to participate.

• Executive sponsorship can help transform tariff optimization from an isolated compliance project into an ongoing cross-functional business process.

• Starting with high-duty products can create a manageable pilot project and establish a framework that can later be repeated across additional SKUs.

• Bringing trade considerations into the product-development process earlier can give engineers and sourcing teams additional information when making design and supplier decisions.

• AI can expand research and classification capacity, but trained trade professionals and human judgment remain central to defensible compliance decisions.

Resources & Mentions
• Global Training Center
• Hal Berman on LinkedIn
• John Petitte on LinkedIn

Credits
Host:
Lalo Solorzano
Andy Shiles

Guest(s):
Hal Berman - LinkedIn
John Petitte - LinkedIn

Producer:
Lalo Solorzano

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Host: Lalo Solorzano
Guest(s): Arthur O’Meara
Published: September 16, 2026
Length: ~12 minutes
Presented by: Global Training Center

Summary
What separates a good tariff classifier from a great one? According to longtime Global Training Center instructor Arthur O’Meara, it comes down to mastering the fundamentals—and consistently following a process.

In week two of this Simply Trade Tips series, host Lalo Solorzano and Arthur dig into tariff classification and the details trade professionals can’t afford to overlook. Arthur highlights two essential tools: the General Rules of Interpretation (GRIs) and the notes that accompany the Harmonized System, including section notes and chapter notes. Those notes can define materials, establish boundaries, identify exclusions, and ultimately change where a product belongs.

But knowing the rules is only part of the equation. Arthur explains why importers should have a documented tariff classification process that reflects what they actually do—and then follow that process consistently as part of practicing reasonable care.

The conversation also tackles AI and classification. AI can be useful, but Arthur warns against confirmation bias and illustrates why human review and sound classification methodology remain critical.

The takeaway is simple: have a process, follow it, and read the notes.

Main Topic / Discussion
Tariff classification is a game of details.

Arthur identifies two areas that can elevate a classifier’s work: understanding the six General Rules of Interpretationand consistently consulting the relevant section and chapter notes.

Those notes aren't just supplementary reading. They can provide definitions, establish exclusions, and determine whether a product can even be classified in a particular chapter. Arthur illustrates this with materials such as plastic and rubber and explains how something as seemingly straightforward as changing the material of a gasket can affect its classification.

Beyond individual classification decisions, Arthur emphasizes the importance of a documented tariff classification process. The process should reflect what the company actually does and be followed consistently.

The episode closes with a caution about AI. Asking an AI system to justify a classification you've already selected can reinforce your assumptions rather than independently establish that the classification is correct. Arthur's point is not to ignore technology, but to maintain a defensible process and meaningful human review.

Key Takeaways
• Master the GRIs: The six General Rules of Interpretation provide the framework for navigating tariff classification.

• Read the notes: Section and chapter notes can contain definitions, exclusions, and other details that materially affect classification.

• Document your classification process: Arthur recommends creating a process that reflects what your organization actually does and following it consistently.

• Watch for confirmation bias with AI: Don't simply give an AI tool the tariff number you want and ask it to build an argument supporting your conclusion. Use sound classification methodology and human review.

Resources & Mentions
• Global Training Center

• Lalo Solorzano

Guest(s):
Arthur O’Meara - LinkedIn

Producer:
Lalo Solorzano

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Host: Cindy Allen
Published: September 11, 2026
Length: ~27 min.
Presented by: Global Training Center

Summary
International trade is entering another major transformation—and according to Cindy Allen, trade professionals need to learn how to “be the willow and bend with the wind.”

In this episode of Simply Trade: Cindy’s Version, Cindy returns from the Customs Trade Cargo Security Summit in Dallas with a firsthand look at where CBP and the administration are taking U.S. trade policy, enforcement, and modernization.

The message from government leadership was clear: economic security is national security, importing is increasingly being treated as a privilege, and greater supply-chain visibility will be central to the next era of compliance.

Cindy breaks down five major themes from the summit, including the push to illuminate supply chains back to raw materials, changes to importer verification, the expanding responsibilities of trade participants, and the growing importance of CTPAT. She also explores how AI and ACE modernization could help CBP and compliant businesses work faster and smarter.

The direction of travel is becoming clearer. For importers, brokers, manufacturers, and other trade professionals, now is the time to understand how their responsibilities—and their compliance programs—may need to evolve.

This Week in Trade
• CBP and the administration are increasingly connecting economic security with national security.

• Full supply-chain visibility and traceability are moving toward becoming fundamental compliance expectations.

• Importer verification, country-of-origin determinations, and participation in programs such as CTPAT may evolve significantly.

• AI, ACE modernization, and greater use of technology could reshape both CBP operations and private-sector trade compliance.

Main Topic / Discussion
Cindy breaks down five major messages she took away from the Customs Trade Cargo Security Summit and what they could mean for the future of international trade compliance.

1. The Administration’s Trade Goal
The administration is pursuing an America First policy framework that could lead to changes in policy guidance, regulations, and eventually trade laws.

One of the clearest messages Cindy heard was that importing is being treated as a privilege rather than a right. At the same time, CBP does not want to stop legitimate trade. The objective is to better identify risk while allowing compliant trade to move more efficiently.

Economic security and national security are becoming increasingly intertwined, with domestic manufacturing capacity playing an important role in that strategy.

2. Illuminate Your Supply Chain
Supply-chain visibility is becoming a critical compliance issue.

Trade participants should increasingly expect to understand their supply chains beyond immediate suppliers—including products, manufacturing locations, and potentially the origins of raw materials.

Forced-labor enforcement is one driver, but Cindy explains why this visibility could also become important as the government revisits country-of-origin rules and other trade requirements.

The takeaway: companies should not wait for full traceability to become an explicit requirement before investing in the systems and processes needed to achieve it.

3. Know Who Is Participating in Trade
CBP wants greater visibility not only into what enters the United States, but also who participates in the transaction.

Importer-of-record verification is one area receiving attention. Cindy discusses the current 5106 process, CBP’s efforts to eliminate inactive importer records, and why additional information about importers and other supply-chain participants could become part of future requirements.

CBP is also considering how better participant information can improve risk segmentation and programs such as CTPAT.

4. The Role of Trade Professionals Is Changing
“Trade is a team sport” was a recurring message at the summit.

CBP increasingly sees importers, customs brokers, and other trade participants as partners in identifying suspicious behavior, understanding supply-chain risks, and protecting U.S. economic security.

For trade professionals, that could mean looking beyond traditional transaction-level compliance and developing a stronger understanding of geopolitical developments, enforcement trends, and broader business risks.

Cindy encourages companies to connect their trade teams with regulatory, legislative, and other internal stakeholders to build a more complete picture of emerging risks.

5. Technology and AI
CBP is envisioning a future in which legitimate trade becomes quicker and easier while suspicious shipments and actors become easier to identify.

ACE modernization, cloud technology, reduced duplication of data, and artificial intelligence are all expected to play roles in that transformation.

AI does not eliminate the need for human oversight. Instead, Cindy describes the emerging model as a “human in the loop,” where technology analyzes information and helps professionals become faster and more effective while people remain responsible for reviewing accuracy and making critical decisions.

Key Takeaways
• Economic security is increasingly being treated as an essential component of U.S. national security and trade policy.

• Supply-chain traceability—from finished goods potentially back to raw-material origins—is becoming an increasingly important compliance capability.

• Importer verification and visibility into everyone participating in trade could expand as CBP develops new approaches to risk segmentation.

• Trade professionals should prepare for broader responsibilities while using AI, ACE modernization, and other technology to improve visibility, efficiency, and compliance.

Resources & Mentions
• Global Training Center

• Trade Force Multiplier

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

• Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT)

• Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)

• Trade & Cargo Security Summit

• Section 232 and Section 301 trade actions

Credits
Host:
Cindy Allen

Guest(s):
N/A

Producer:
Lalo Solorzano

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Host: Lalo Solorzano
Guest(s): Michael Laden
Published: September 11, 2026
Length: 40:24
Presented by: Global Training Center

Summary
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, U.S. Customs faced an unprecedented challenge: protect the country from another attack without bringing legitimate international trade to a standstill.

In this episode of Simply Trade, Lalo Solorzano sits down with Michael Laden, one of the original private-sector architects who helped shape what became the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT).

At the time, Michael was a senior trade executive at Target, overseeing a massive global supply chain involving thousands of vendors across 84 countries. The morning after the attacks, he sent a short email to U.S. Customs offering to help. Within 20 minutes, his phone rang.

That call would eventually put Michael in meetings with Customs officials and approximately 50 experts from across the international trade community as they worked at extraordinary speed to rethink cargo security.

Michael shares the story from inside those rooms: the lessons Customs learned about global supply chains, why the private sector insisted CTPAT remain voluntary, the role of the original seven charter members, and how Target discovered that stronger security could actually make its supply chain more efficient.

Twenty-five years later, this is the story of how crisis, collaboration, and practical trade experience helped reshape supply chain security.

Main Topic / Discussion
When Trade Changed Overnight
Following the September 11 attacks, Customs elevated security to its highest priority. Inspections intensified, border traffic slowed dramatically, and just-in-time supply chains began breaking down.

Michael recalls watching the attacks from Target's offices and realizing later that evening that international trade was about to change.

The following morning, he emailed Bonni Tischler, then Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations at the U.S. Customs Service, offering to help from his positions at Target, COAC, and AAEI. Within approximately 20 minutes, he received a call asking him to come to Washington as soon as flights resumed.

Separating the Known From the Unknown
Michael's central idea was straightforward: Customs needed a way to distinguish trusted, known companies and supply chains from unknown and potentially higher-risk shipments.

He pointed to the Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition (BASC), an existing initiative designed to harden supply chains against narcotics smuggling, and suggested adapting the concept to address terrorism on a global scale.

That idea became part of the foundation for what ultimately developed into CTPAT.

Teaching Customs How Supply Chains Really Worked
One of Michael's most revealing stories comes from a meeting with Customs investigators.

Officials wanted Target to guarantee that every shipment entering the United States was completely secure. Michael explained the enormous complexity behind such a request: Target worked with approximately 15,000 vendors across 84 countries.

The exchange exposed a critical knowledge gap. Customs understood what happened when cargo arrived at a U.S. port of entry, but the agency needed private-sector expertise to understand everything that happened upstream throughout a global supply chain.

Building CTPAT at “Warp Speed”
COAC convened approximately 50 private-sector experts representing importers, exporters, brokers, freight forwarders, ports, truckers, airlines, and other parts of international transportation.

Working alongside Customs, the group examined individual supply-chain modes and helped develop the framework that became CTPAT.

Michael also describes debate inside government over which agency should control incoming cargo and explains why members of the trade community strongly advocated for Customs to retain that responsibility.

The program was formally launched on April 16, 2002, with seven charter members Commissioner Robert Bonner referred to as the “Magnificent Seven.”

Why CTPAT Was Voluntary
According to Michael, the trade community strongly pushed for CTPAT to begin as a voluntary partnership.

The reasoning was important: a mandatory system would put every importer into essentially the same regulatory pool. A voluntary program could instead reward companies willing to invest in stronger security while allowing Customs to focus greater scrutiny on companies and supply chains outside the program.

Security That Improved the Business
When Michael asked Target leadership to support the initiative, executives naturally wanted to know what it would cost.

The surprising result was that some changes made to secure Target's supply chain actually saved money. The company identified redundancies, improved transportation processes, increased efficiency, and strengthened security at the same time.

For Michael, that remains an important lesson for companies evaluating CTPAT today: supply-chain security does not necessarily have to come at the expense of operational efficiency.

Key Takeaways
• CTPAT grew from an urgent post-9/11 need to secure international supply chains without stopping legitimate global commerce.

• Government could not secure the international supply chain alone. The program required collaboration with the companies, carriers, logistics providers, and professionals who actually operated those supply chains.

• Michael Laden's early recommendation to adapt concepts from BASC helped frame a system in which Customs could better separate known, trusted supply chains from unknown risks.

• Twenty-five years later, CTPAT demonstrates how security and trade facilitation can reinforce each other—and how stronger supply-chain controls can sometimes create operational efficiencies rather than simply additional costs.

Resources & Mentions
• Global Training Center

• Michael Laden — “The Genesis of the U.S. C-TPAT Program”

• Robert Bonner — Testimony Before the 9/11 Commission

• The Washington Post — “Nation to Boost Anti-Terrorism Precautions”

• Voice of America — “New Security Measures Cause Traffic Jams at U.S.–Mexico Border”

• Voice of America — “September Terror Attacks Tighten U.S.–Mexico Border”

• UTEP/El Paso Borderplex Research Compilation

• Michael Laden — “C-TPAT Off the Rails”

• CBP — Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT)

Credits
Host:
Lalo Solorzano

Guest(s):
Michael Laden - LinkedIn

Producer:
Lalo Solorzano

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Host: Lalo Solorzano & Andy Shiles
Guest(s): Anders Lillevik
Published: September 10, 2026
Length: Approx. 34 minutes
Presented by: Global Training Center

Summary
Procurement and trade compliance may sit in different departments, but today's volatile global environment makes it increasingly difficult for them to operate independently.

In this episode of Simply Trade, Lalo Solorzano and Andy Shiles sit down with Anders Lillevik, Founder and CEO of Focal Point and a procurement veteran with more than 25 years of experience, to explore how procurement, compliance, risk, and logistics can work together to build stronger and more resilient supply chains.

Anders explains why understanding your direct suppliers is no longer enough. Organizations need visibility into the suppliers, subcontractors, geographic dependencies, and risks hiding further down the supply chain. The conversation explores supplier diversification, changing tariffs, transportation disruptions, internal bureaucracy, compliance requirements, and why companies need contingency plans before the next crisis arrives.

The group also discusses an often-overlooked opportunity: bringing trade compliance into the procurement process earlier. From classification and product descriptions to supplier vetting and sourcing decisions, collaboration before a purchase order is issued can prevent delays and costly surprises later.

For trade professionals, procurement leaders, logistics teams, and executives, this episode offers a practical framework for identifying risk and preparing your organization to respond faster when disruption hits.

Main Topic / Discussion
Modern procurement is no longer simply about finding the lowest-cost supplier. Organizations must balance cost, compliance, risk, resilience, transportation, supplier capacity, and geopolitical uncertainty.

Anders explains that effective procurement includes sourcing suppliers, managing existing suppliers, and transacting with them—but today's risk environment requires organizations to look beyond their immediate vendors.

Look Beyond Tier-One Suppliers
A supplier may appear reliable while depending on subcontractors or materials from vulnerable regions. Understanding those indirect dependencies can reveal risks that aren't visible from the primary supplier relationship.

Organizations should identify critical suppliers and ask which suppliers those companies depend on.

Build Supply Chain Alternatives Before You Need Them
Supplier diversification isn't necessarily a cost-optimization strategy. Sometimes paying to maintain secondary or tertiary suppliers is the price of ensuring continuity.

Organizations should evaluate primary, secondary, and tertiary options and understand what it will take to activate those alternatives before a disruption occurs.

Create an Emergency Governance Process
Strong governance matters, but lengthy internal approval processes can become liabilities during a crisis.

Companies need a clearly defined exception or emergency process that allows teams to move quickly when supply is threatened—without abandoning appropriate oversight.

Bring Compliance Into Procurement Earlier
Trade compliance shouldn't first become involved when goods arrive at the port.

Procurement and compliance can collaborate earlier on supplier vetting, product descriptions, HTS classification, special declarations, country-of-origin considerations, and other information that can affect landed cost and clearance.

Getting that information right at the purchase-order stage can reduce downstream delays and improve consistency across commercial and shipping documentation.

Key Takeaways
• Identify your critical suppliers—and understand which third parties those suppliers depend on.

• Build primary, secondary, and tertiary sourcing strategies before disruption forces you to react.

• Don't optimize solely for price. Supplier capacity, resilience, geography, transportation, compliance, and continuity all affect the true cost of sourcing.

• Create an emergency governance or exception process so procurement can respond quickly when critical supply is threatened.

• Bring trade compliance into procurement decisions earlier, particularly around supplier vetting, product descriptions, HTS classification, country of origin, and special declarations.

• Review critical supply-chain risks regularly because suppliers, subcontractors, tariffs, transportation routes, and geopolitical conditions can change.

• Evaluate the cost of maintaining alternative suppliers against the operational and financial impact of losing a critical source.

Resources & Mentions
• Global Training Center

• Focal Point

• Anders Lillevik - LinkedIn

Credits
Host:
Lalo Solorzano
Andy Shiles

Guest(s):
Anders Lillevik - LinkedIn

Producer:
Lalo Solorzano

📢 Subscribe & Follow
Stay connected with the Simply Trade community and never miss an episode that helps you trade smarter.

🎧 Listen on:

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💬 Connect with us:

• Simply Trade

• Global Training Center

• Trade Geeks Community

Don't forget to rate, review, and share with your fellow trade geeks!

Want to be on the show or have topic suggestions?
SimplyTrade@GlobalTrainingCenter.com