Free Trade Agreements can eliminate or reduce import duties — but only if you claim the right preference and can prove origin. Most teams know this. Far fewer systematically check every applicable FTA for every shipment.
The manual approach breaks down
A compliance analyst with a spreadsheet might compare the MFN rate against one or two FTAs they remember. With dozens of active agreements, regional cumulation rules, and product-specific exclusions, the combinatorics exceed what manual review can cover.
Savings get left on the table. Not because teams are careless — because the tooling doesn't exist.
What automated analysis looks like
For each classified line item, Nexim evaluates applicable FTAs based on origin, destination, and product category. It compares preferential rates against MFN, flags rules-of-origin requirements, and quantifies the duty difference.
A manufacturer we work with identified $240K in annual savings across ASEAN and bilateral agreements they had never systematically claimed.
Origin documentation
Finding the best rate is half the problem. Proving eligibility is the other. Nexim links FTA recommendations to the documentation you'll need — certificates of origin, supplier declarations, and bill-of-materials evidence for regional value content.
When to run FTA analysis
Ideally at classification time, before the shipment is filed. Retroactive preference claims are possible in some jurisdictions but painful everywhere.
Build FTA checks into your standard workflow, not a quarterly spreadsheet exercise.