Exiger, a leading firm in supply‑chain artificial intelligence, has secured a multi‑million‑dollar contract with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to enhance the detection of illicit transshipment across global supply chains.
Transshipment—the practice of rerouting products through intermediary countries to obscure their true origin and evade tariffs or trade restrictions—is a growing threat to the integrity of global commerce and U.S. trade enforcement.
Under the contract, Exiger’s “Trade AI” platform will be implemented by CBP to:
- Detect illegal transshipment at scale and in real‑time.
- Monitor and enforce tariff classifications, product origin and value.
- Map flows of raw materials and sub‑components globally, and risk‑score shipments in transit.
- Strengthen visibility into import‑flows, support early tariff revenue collection and improve segmentation of high‑risk trade routes.
For the retail and omnichannel ecosystem, this development signals several implications:
- Suppliers and vendors will face increasing scrutiny around origin documentation, bills of material and trade‑compliance traces.
- Retailers sourcing global merchandise may encounter tighter import checks, possible delays and elevated due‑diligence costs.
- Enhanced enforcement on transshipment could level the playing field for U.S. manufacturers, while raising the bar for international sourcing‑risk management.
In short: the Exiger‑CBP partnership underscores how AI is moving from back‑office analytics to frontline trade‑compliance enforcement, and how supply‑chain visibility is becoming a strategic as well as operational imperative.
