NAFTZ

U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs) continue to provide importers and exporters with duty deferral, export exemptions, and operational efficiencies, even as 2025 tariff policies—including reciprocal duties, higher Section 232 rates, and the end of de minimis—reshape the importing landscape. By leveraging FTZs, companies can manage costs, streamline compliance, and maintain global competitiveness while navigating evolving trade regulations.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman spoke with Jeff Tafel, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones. Topics covered included: the impact of the recent removal of the de minimis exemption on Foreign Trade-Zone activity, the mission of the NAFTZ, and the impact of tariffs, among others.

The foreign-trade zone program was designed to strike a balance between transparency and confidentiality—and there are now additional ways to leverage the program to further enhance U.S. economic security. Is your operation putting these advantages to work?

Our foreign trade specialist shares ways in which U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones serve as economic development tools and often mitigate changes in Customs and trade regulations—critical insight that every shipper should understand to remain globally competitive in 2024.

A recent United States International Trade Commission report delves into the economic impact, benefits, and challenges related to FTZs in the U.S. This study is the first of its kind since the 1980s.