Transferring Goods to Foreign-Trade Zones (US)

You have to map all foreign-trade zones relevant to your imports as customs IDs in both the feeder system and the SAP GTS system. The customs ID is the reference level of inventory management in SAP GTS. Receipts to and issues from a foreign-trade zone are recorded for the customs ID representing the zone in the system. You define customs IDs in Customizing and add basic data like the ID and the Facilities Information and Resources Management System (FIRMS) code of the location within the foreign-trade zone to be mapped.

In the feeder system, you assign at least one combination of plant and storage location to a customs ID representing a foreign-trade zone. Only procurement processes that are based on the plant/storage location combinations assigned to a customs ID for a foreign-trade zone can be transferred to the work-lists for admission to that zone in SAP GTS.

All products to be introduced into a foreign-trade zone in SAP GTS have to be flagged as relevant for the procedure on the Special Customs Procedures tab in the product master. You further have to specify on this tab whether the product is a finished product or a component. If the product is a finished product that is to be manufactured in the foreign-trade zone, add a BOM on the Bill of Material tab to specify the proportion of quantities of components to product.

If you usually apply for the privileged foreign status for the imported goods that you transfer to a foreign-trade zone, you can select the corresponding indicator in the Zone Status field on the Special Customs Procedures tab. However, the system also provides an indicator for merchandise with non-privileged foreign status.

Once you have maintained the product master, you send this information to the feeder system using the Redistribution: Products for Special Customs Procedures - Individual or Redistribution: Products for Special Customs Procedures - Mass Proc. transactions (transaction codes /SAPSLL/PR_DISTR_SG and /SAPSLL/PR_DISTR_MS respectively). There is also an app for the individual transfer of information regarding special procedures (Distribute Product Data to Feeder System - Special Procedure).

The first video explains how the SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA feeder system and SAP GTS interact in the processing of non-direct deliveries/regular admissions to a foreign-trade zone.

The goods receipt posting for the inbound delivery in the feeder system fills a work-list for the processing of transfers to the foreign-trade zone. You can start this processing using the Process Stock Receipts into Foreign-Trade Zone transaction (transaction code /SAPSLL/FTZ_INB_PROC). However, the corresponding program (/SAPSLL/FTZ_RECEIPTS_PROCESS) is intended for regular scheduling as a background job.

The second video explains how the feeder system and SAP GTS interact in the processing of direct deliveries to a foreign-trade zone.

Before you can create a daily admission document, you first have to post the product quantities received in the direct delivery procedure to the stock of the zone’s customs ID using the program /SAPSLL/IVMZ_STCK_RECEIPT_POST. This program is intended for daily scheduling as a background job. However, you can run this program using the Post Stock to Foreign-Trade Zone transaction (transaction code /SAPSLL/IVMZ_STCK_IN). The program must also be executed after a regular admission (non-direct delivery).

You can display the stock of a product in a foreign-trade zone using the Display FTZ Individual Stock app. In the SAP Fiori launchpad, choose the Special Customs Procedures space. You will find additional stock lists on the Foreign Trade Zone page.

If your company is the operator of a foreign-trade zone, you may want to process the physical movement of the imported goods from the place of unloading to your foreign-trade zone, either in-bond or based on a PTT in SAP GTS, instead of leaving the necessary steps to a bonded carrier or a licensed cartman. In addition to electronic communication with CBP for the admission of merchandise to foreign-trade zones, SAP GTS supports the filing of IT and requests for PTT, and of the corresponding messages for reporting the arrival of the merchandise in the zone.

For both transportation in-bond and transportation based on a PTT, you have to create a customs shipment manually. You can create this document either from a work-list for customs shipments with reference to customs waybills using the Create Customs Shipments With W/B Ref app or — depending on Customizing settings — directly from the customs declaration for admission to a foreign-trade zone as a follow-on document.

To discharge a transportation in-bond or a PTT procedure, you create a customs shipment using the Create End of Transit Operations app. The customs shipment is the basis of your communication with CBP in both procedures.