Description

Hosts: Lalo Solorzano & Andy Shiles
Guests: Marcus Eeman (Director, Customs Systems & Process, Flexport) & Alex Nederlof (Sr. Director, Trade & Financial Services, Flexport)
Published: September 18, 2025
Length: ~39 minutes
Presented by: Global Training Center

🌍 Tariffs, Compliance, and Tech — How Flexport Responds to Rapid Trade Changes

In this week’s episode, Lalo and Andy sit down with Marcus Eeman and Alex Nederlof from Flexport to discuss how global supply chains are adapting to an unprecedented wave of tariff changes and compliance demands.

From the elimination of de minimis to overlapping steel, aluminum, and copper tariffs, importers are being forced to rethink compliance at a deeper level than ever before. Marcus and Alex pull back the curtain on how Flexport manages these challenges — combining policy interpretation, bill-of-materials tracking, and advanced technology to keep customers compliant and costs under control.

They also share insights on how AI, automation, and tariff engineering are reshaping compliance, and why companies need to strengthen compliance staffing and cross-functional collaboration at the C-suite level.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why overlapping tariffs (232, 301, origin shifts) are creating compliance headaches
• How enforcement and “reasonable care” are evolving under CBP
• Why importers may need to track compliance at the bill of materials level
• How Flexport uses automation, decision trees, and AI to process tariff changes within 24 hours
• Why compliance staffing and executive engagement are now critical to risk management
• How programs like USMCA, FTZs, drawback, and tariff engineering can offset costs

Key Takeaways:

• Tariff volatility is forcing companies to adapt in real time.

• Enforcement is still unsettled, but CBP is starting to demand deeper supply chain detail.

• Importers should document decision-making to satisfy the reasonable care standard.

• Compliance workloads have tripled — C-suites must increase staffing and cross-departmental alignment.

• AI and automation can reduce compliance tasks from hours to minutes — freeing people to focus on strategy.

• Strategic tools (USMCA, FTZs, drawback, tariff engineering) are underutilized but increasingly valuable.

Resources & Mentions:

• Flexport – Tariff Simulator

• CBP – Mod Act & Reasonable Care

• USMCA Information – CBP

• Foreign-Trade Zones Board

• Global Training Center

Credits

Hosts:

• Lalo Solorzano – LinkedIn

• Andy Shiles – LinkedIn

Guests:

• Marcus Eeman – Director, Customs Systems & Process, Flexport

• Alex Nederlof – Sr. Director, Trade & Financial Services, Flexport

Producer:

• Lalo Solorzano

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Presented by: Global Training Center — providing education, consulting, workshops, and compliance resources for trade professionals.
👉 www.GlobalTrainingCenter.com

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