Read about it in New Hampshire Business Review HERE.

July 16, 2003-
Nashua software maker plays key role in world trade
By Michael McCord, NHBR

It is no small matter for the latest DVD player from Korea, automobile from Germany or cotton shirt from China to land at your local dealer. The international shipping of goods is a frantic, hyper-competitive and complicated business as tens of billions of dollars of goods are shipped in and out of the country 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

That’s a lot of detailed paperwork to fill out, which includes volumes of ever-evolving tariff, embargo and regulation information for the nation’s customs brokers, freight forwarders, importers and exporters.

Ironically, one of the country’s main suppliers of such vital and sophisticated software isn’t located in a big port city or a major transport area -- unless you consider downtown Nashua as the hub of the shipping universe.

Since its founding in 1972 and through its various incarnations, Trade Point Systems has quietly grown into one of the state’s largest tech companies, with more than $11 million in revenues and 71 employees and with branch offices in London and The Netherlands. A few years ago, Trade Point moved into its current Franklin Street location, former offices of Nashua Corp.

“We work in a niche market, and so haven’t attracted a lot of attention except in our industry,” said Ken Halle, Trade Point’s chief operating officer.

Halle, a University of New Hampshire graduate and former teacher, also exemplifies Trade Point’s ability to attract and retain top talent, including the industry’s top software and international trade specialists. According to company figures, more than 30 percent of its employees have been with Trade Point for more than 10 years, 10 percent have been around for more than 15 years and another 30 percent have been there for more than five years.

“It’s a fascinating, ever-changing industry, and that keeps people interested. But open communication is the key (to retention). We frequently share company results, direction and vision. This is a good company, a well-run company,” said Halle, who first joined the company as a trainer in 1976 and later branched out into sales and operations.

Trade Point’s employee stability stands in stark contrast with the ever-complex and demanding labyrinth of U.S. trade regulations.

“The government is always changing compliance requirements,” Halle explained, and that requires flexibility.

Financial implications

What the folks at Trade Point Systems do is create state-of-the-art software complete with updated security, tariff and embargo requirements to facilitate the physical shipment of goods across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the borders with Canada. It may be a niche market, but it’s a crucial one.

In addition to hundreds of customs brokers and freight forwarders, Trade Point import/export clients include General Motors, Oracle, Hynes and Sherwin Williams. At any moment of the day, Halle estimated, Trade Point software -- dealing with export compliance and documentation, global logistics, tracking, forwarding and custom brokerage -- is utilized at 150 key entry locations across the country.

Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, security has become the top priority in shipping regulations, and, said Halle, “Trade Point has been ahead of the curve” when it comes to applying the latest in documentation innovations.

Its FASTPoint product was the first in the industry approved by the federal government and deployed for the post-September 11th federal FAST (Fast and Secure Trade) regulations for trade between the United States and Canada. Halle said the electronically filed paperwork (and pre-travel inspection process) now allows trucking to cross the border “in a matter of 15 seconds via a special travel lane, when before it could take four hours or more of waiting at the border.”

This speed has major financial implications for companies such as General Motors, which employs just-in-time inventory practices and frequently ships parts at a moment’s notice from many of its Canadian-based suppliers.

Trade Point also recently released Manifest 24 in response to new container shipping regulations that require 24-hour advance manifest declaration to U.S. Customs by the overseas forwarder before a ship can leave port for the United States. This allows agents to conduct due diligence on the freight, the ship and its owners and other relevant intelligence long before the ship arrives in a U.S. port.

“A ship just can’t show up anymore without its paperwork being filed before it leaves,” said Halle.

Trade Point’s market revolves around U.S. imports and exports, but its expansion into Great Britain and continental Europe reveals the importance of its growing international customer base and a potential plunge into the global trade market, said Halle.

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