MNX Global Logistics signs with Descartes to comply with ACAS rules

The new Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) final rules requiring the sharing of cargo data before it is loaded onto an aircraft bound for the United States have been implemented this month, but the program is not being fully enforced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) until next year. However, 3PL MNX Global Logistics wasted no time is securing a contract with Descartes Systems Group for use of its cloud-based data-filing system to comply with ACAS we ahead of time.

The “Descartes ACAS” system, as it is known, collects the required data elements before the aircraft is loaded at foreign airports, validates the data format and transmits it to U.S. CBP within the required timeframes, using the Descartes Global Logistics Network. The information comes directly from air forwarders’ enterprise systems and shared with CBP automatically, which Descartes said “increases data accuracy and timeliness.”

“MNX was one of the earliest adopters” of Descartes ACAS, said Tom Belmont, COO at MNX Global Logistics. MNX serves customers in the life sciences, medical device, aviation and technology sectors, which often require time-critical and secure-sensitive handling. “Descartes provides us with the technology platform to display innovation leadership,” and ensure the security of its shipped cargo, Belmont added.

MNX has been participating in the ACAS pilot since its inception, said Scott Sangster, vice president of the global Logistics network at Descartes. The ACAS system, he said, was “built in close collaboration with CBP,” as well as the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and other early-adopting air cargo forwarders.