Shareholders in UTi Worldwide voted to approve the company's sale to DSV A/S, a Danish logistics company, said UTi in a news release (here). The deal, announced last year (here), is valued at about $1.35 billion. UTi services include air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage and other supply chain management.

Amazon may be moving toward offering non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) services, said Flexport, a logistics company, on its blog (here). "Flexport has obtained information that Amazon China has received a license to operate as an ocean freight forwarder" in the U.S, said company CEO Ryan Petersen. Peterson pointed to the Federal Maritime Commission's directory of Ocean Transportation Intermediaries, which has a listing for "Beijing Century JOYO Courier Service Co. Ltd, with the trade name “Amazon China” on the license, said Petersen. Amazon bought JOYO in 2004, he said. "This is a smart and long overdue move for the company," said Petersen. "By offering ocean freight services, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) will make it easier for its customers to move goods into the company’s logistics network."

UPS will give a delivery guarantee when the company is used as the customs broker in several categories of shipments between the U.S. and Mexico, said UPS in a news release (here). The company also created a "new, single national Power of Attorney in Mexico that today covers 27 ports of entry so shippers have less paperwork for more efficient customs clearance into the country," it said. The new offerings are meant to strengthen UPS's "cross-border services to help U.S. exporters capture new opportunities in Mexico, and Mexican exporters to increase trade with the U.S.," it said. There's been about a 20 percent increase in customer requests for U.S.-Mexico cross-border movements, said Carlos Cubias, vice president of the UPS center of excellence for U.S.-Mexico trade.

Not implementing the Trans-Pacific Partnership would put U.S. commercial interests at risk and trade agreements in Asia would be dictated by China’s needs, Alan Wolff, chairman of the National Foreign Trade Council, wrote in testimony submitted in advance of a Jan. 13 ITC hearing on the probable effects of TPP’s entry into force (here). While acknowledging the agreement isn’t perfect, Wolff highlighted several provisions that NFTC deems as beneficial for international commerce, and said the group would support Congress and the White House ironing out several TPP issues cited by the business community. For example, the pharmaceutical industry is concerned about the time period of data protection for biologics in the agreement. TPP would give five years of data protection for the drugs, compared with U.S. law, which extends 12 years of exclusivity for biologic test data, meaning the information can’t be used by imitators to create biosimilars (see 1511060028).

The Trans-Pacific Partnership supports U.S. technology leadership globally and will be a driver for economic growth and job creation, TechNet said in a news release (here). TechNet urged Congress to approve TPP and identified "key provisions" that are important to the technology sector, including "rules and regulations to increase fair competition and consumer protection in the tech sector," guarantees of "nearly unrestricted" cross-border data flows, prohibitions against "forced localization" of data and the elimination of tariffs and duties on digital products. "Our nation's ability to continue to lead in this [technology] sector is dependent on access to the fastest growing markets in the world and the uninhibited flow of data across borders," said TechNet CEO Linda Moore.

The next president should embrace transparent trade and investment policies that open markets, reduce tariffs, and will benefit the future of the U.S., U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mike Ducker wrote in a letter addressed to “The 45th President of the United States” (here). The U.S. needs a leader who will modernize trade rules, simplify regulations, and streamline customs processes to open opportunities for businesses of all sizes, he said, citing a FedEx-commissioned study focusing on the markets of 17 countries that found 82 percent of respondents reported buying online from a merchant outside the U.S.

CV International, a Virginia freight forwarder and customs brokerage, purchased M&S Shipping for an undisclosed amount, said CV in a news release (here). “This was a positive development for both of our companies,”said Mike Coleman, president of CV. “We have known and worked with M & S for a long time. Their business philosophy and unwavering dedication to customer service fits very well with our own.”

The George Tuttle Law Office, Braumiller Law Group and Braumiller Consulting Group will work together within a "strategic business alliance," said the firms in a news release. "By joining forces, we combine talent, creativity and experience while driving innovation, efficiency and cost-savings", said Adrienne Braumiller, who founded the Braumiller group. The alliance will allow Tuttle to "expand our capabilities while maintaining an efficient infrastructure for our clients," said Tuttle's President George Tuttle. Braumiller's office is based in Dallas, while Tuttle is located in the San Francisco area.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership will set strong new rules for international commerce, promote U.S. economic leadership, and expand U.S. trade opportunities, Tom Linebarger, chair of the Business Roundtable International Engagement Committee, said Jan. 5 in a statement expressing Business Roundtable's support for the pact (here). The group believes the TPP will open markets, in part, by eliminating or reducing 18,000 foreign tariffs on U.S.-made products and addressing non-tariff barriers to U.S. exports of goods and services. “The TPP will open up and expand markets for U.S. companies, creating and supporting jobs here at home. Ninety-six percent of the world’s population lives outside the United States. Those are consumers and businesses that want to buy American products and services,” said Business Roundtable Chairman Doug Oberhelman. “International trade supports more than one in five American jobs, and the United States must continue to expand trade relations around the world, including in the dynamic Asia-Pacific market.”

The National Association of Manufacturers announced its support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Jan. 4 (here), giving renewed firepower to President Barack Obama at a critical time in the White House’s quest to persuade Congress to vote in favor of the agreement. NAM, the nation’s largest trade association, in a statement said the TPP is a “significant improvement” over the status quo, both for manufacturers and the wider economy, as it should open up new export avenues. “We recognize this agreement is not perfect, and there are some principled objections to the TPP, so the NAM will continue to work closely with its members to address remaining barriers, to raise standards, to promote the rule of law and to further level the playing field for all,” NAM CEO Jay Timmons said. “Importantly, we encourage the administration to work closely with the industry, congressional leaders and the other TPP governments to address these key issues.”