Sourcing Route Analysis
Alternative sourcing regions are compared against cost, reliability, and regulatory complexity before a company commits to a new supplier relationship.
International Trade Consulting
Cross-border trade, explained plainly.
PI Haifeng Ban Ban advises companies on international sourcing, customs requirements, and logistics planning from a San Diego base with a Pacific-facing view of trade.
Cross-borderSourcing advisory
Customs-awareDocumentation guidance
Pacific RimTrade focus
Where companies actually get stuck in trade
Most cross-border problems are not about the product itself, but about documentation, timing, and unfamiliar regulatory steps.
Sourcing route analysis
Alternative sourcing regions are evaluated against cost, reliability, and regulatory complexity.
Customs documentation guidance
Clients are walked through what documentation a shipment actually needs before it moves.
Logistics planning
Shipping timelines and routes are mapped out against realistic port and customs delays.
Ongoing trade advisory
Some clients engage for a single sourcing decision, others for ongoing advisory as their trade needs evolve.
How an engagement typically starts
Whether the question is where to source from or how to move a shipment through customs, engagements tend to follow a similar early path.
01
Initial trade review
Current sourcing, shipping routes, and documentation practices are reviewed to identify where the friction actually is.
02
Options analysis
Alternative approaches are laid out with their trade-offs in cost, timing, and regulatory complexity.
03
Documentation and compliance planning
Specific customs and documentation steps are mapped out for the client's actual shipments.
04
Ongoing advisory
Clients with recurring trade activity can continue the relationship for ongoing questions as they arise.
A San Diego base with a Pacific view of trade
Operating from Hollingsworth Way in San Diego keeps the practice close to major Pacific shipping lanes and the ports that many client shipments actually move through.
Much of the work involves fairly unglamorous detail — documentation, timing, and regulatory requirements — which is exactly where most trade problems actually originate.
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Why detail work matters more than strategy slides
A sourcing decision can look great on paper and still fall apart at the border if the documentation was not planned for from the start.
That is why engagements spend real time on the unglamorous parts — paperwork, timing, and regulatory steps — rather than staying at a high strategic level only.
A San Diego vantage point
Being based in San Diego keeps the practice close to Pacific shipping lanes and the port activity that shapes a lot of client timelines.
That proximity does not replace direct research into a client's specific trade lanes, but it does make it easier to stay current on regional shipping conditions.
Sourcing, customs, and logistics advisory
Each service below addresses a specific point where cross-border trade tends to get complicated.
Customs Documentation Guidance
Clients are walked through exactly what documentation a given shipment needs, reducing the chance of delays at the border.
Logistics Planning
Shipping timelines are mapped against realistic port and customs delays, rather than best-case assumptions that rarely hold up.
What guides the advisory work
A short list of habits behind how engagements are run.
Documentation first
Paperwork and compliance steps are treated as central to the advice, not an afterthought.
Region-aware sourcing
Sourcing recommendations account for the regulatory and logistics realities of each region.
Realistic timelines
Shipping estimates are built around actual port and customs delays rather than best-case scenarios.
Long-term availability
Clients with ongoing trade activity can maintain the relationship rather than starting over each time.
Have a trade question?
Companies evaluating a new sourcing region or working through a customs issue are welcome to reach out to discuss it.