We’re living in a new world of regulations. This is a world where cookie-cutter approaches don’t apply any more. What passed inspection just a few years ago won’t necessarily satisfy the current code. Don’t rely on the years of project expertise your vendors and dealers have accrued. Especially, when it comes to building codes, because (as the saying goes) all politics are local and the rules change accordingly.
That’s why it’s up to you to contact the municipality where you want to build or add-on. Pin them down, if you can (documented if possible), on what the appropriate codes are now, what may be coming down the pike, and how they’ll apply to your project. These kinds of preliminary preparation will speed-up the formal permit process later on.
That applies to what you’ll be receiving and shipping in your facility, as well. Thanks to global terrorism, homeland security is also your responsibility. If you source from overseas, it might pay you to get interested in the latest U.S. Customs Service initiative: The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). This is a joint government-business initiative to strengthen overall supply chain and border security.
Participants are required to conduct a comprehensive self-assessment of supply chain security using C-TPAT security guidelines encompassing procedural, physical and personnel security. The guidelines also prescribe education and training, access controls, manifest procedures and conveyance security. You’d be expected to communicate these guidelines to your supply chain partners and build them into your relationships.
What’s in it for you? To start with, fewer inspections, fewer delays, an assigned account manager, access to the C-TPAT membership list, and an emphasis on self-policing rather than Customs verification. However, perhaps the biggest potential benefit is a safer global supply chain. For more information, go to www.customs.gov.
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