Greater Detroit Foreign-Trade Zone, Inc. (GDFTZ) is the grantee (administrator) of Foreign-Trade Zone No. 70. As the overseer of the regional U.S. foreign-trade zone program, GDFTZ is committed to ensuring the efficiency and competitiveness of the companies in its grant area. GDFTZ does this by helping domestic and international companies in Southeast Michigan benefit from the use of storage/distribution and manufacturing foreign-trade zones. Zone No. 70 covers seven counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Monroe, Lenawee, and Livingston.
Being a foreign-trade zone has allowed us to retain a lot of business because we’re able to pass our savings along. It has allowed us to bring in another parts customer, one we’d been pursuing for 15 years.
— Joshua Casillas, FTZ Administrator, Panther Global Technologies
It’s a competitive edge. With zone status, we can offer our customers savings in commingling product, duty deferral, import compliance, and drawback contingency. Our FTZ status is part of every presentation we make to new and existing customers.
— Leslie Ajlouny, Vice President, Business Development, Evans Distribution Systems
The Detroit foreign-trade zone is important because it provides FTZ benefits in the heart of our manufacturing, assembly, and warehouse sectors in Southeast Michigan.
— Peter Anastor, Managing Director, Logistics & Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Savings in hard cash and improved opportunity costs have made it more economical for many industries to consolidate raw materials and components for manufacture on U.S. soil by utilizing the benefits a foreign-trade
zone can offer.
— Cindy Beregsasy-Wasczenski, Vice President & General Manager, W.F. Whelan Co.
