C-TPAT is a voluntary program initiated by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 attacks, and was officially implemented on April 16, 2002. Through C-TPAT, CBP hopes to collaborate with relevant industries to establish a supply chain security management system to ensure the safety of transportation, the flow of security information, and the condition of goods from the starting point to the endpoint of the supply chain, thereby preventing the infiltration of terrorists.
C-TPAT factory inspection is applicable to all industries.
What advantages can C-TPAT factory inspection bring to enterprises?
Manufacturers and other suppliers mainly benefit from the following two aspects:
1. Reduce the number of inspections while meeting the requirements of different importers. Without standard procedures such as GSV, foreign factories may need to undergo multiple certifications for a single purpose, resulting in production delays, reduced efficiency, and increased costs. To address these issues, GSV provides independent safety inspections for each supplier factory of importers, industry associations, and their members, and all members can view data results simultaneously.
2. Help suppliers strengthen their security measures, win the trust of importers, and enhance their competitiveness in the international market.
In addition to safety assessment scores, the report also shows comparisons between suppliers and other suppliers in the same industry, and provides best practice recommendations to help businesses improve their safety operations. The higher the score, the better the security situation. Suppliers with higher scores are more attractive to international importers and therefore more competitive in the market.
C-TPAT certification process
1. Apply for C-TPAT certification from the anti-terrorism certification agency.
2. After receiving the application, the anti-terrorism certification agency will sign a certification contract with the applicant.
3. The applicant fills out the C-TPAT certification questionnaire.
4. The applicant prepares the corresponding documents and records to meet the certification requirements of the C-TPAT certification body. Of course, applicants can seek assistance from C-TPAT consulting agencies.
5. The C-TPAT certification body shall conduct on-site audits and hold the first meeting first.
6. C-TPAT auditors inspect the site.
7. C-TPAT auditors inspect documents and corresponding records
8. Summarize and point out non conformities.
9. The final meeting.
The purpose of global supply chain security factory inspections is to help foreign manufacturers and exporters avoid complex inspections and establish effective security systems in factories and supply chains.
