Some sort of centralization is often a key enabler to success in global trade compliance, but there is no one-size-fits-all way to go about it. What you centralize depends greatly on how your corporate organization is structured, on the resources and processes already in place, and on your specific goals.
Many organizations manage compliance via a piece-meal approach combining manual activities based on employee knowledge, pockets of excellence in regions or business units, perhaps with some centralized oversight supported by point IT systems and data.
To determine what aspects of global trade compliance to centralize or improve in your company, start by assessing three key areas: people, process, and technology: How is your compliance organization structured? Which compliance processes exist and are needed? And, what compliance data and systems are required in order to support those processes?
