Fort Worth, Texas (Sept. 21, 2009) – Based on the latest Annual Report of the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to the U.S. Congress (www.ia.ita.doc.gov/ftzpage/annualreport/ar-2007.pdf), the value of foreign merchandise admitted to the Alliance Foreign-Trade Zone #196 has almost doubled from the previous year and continues to rank as the most of any Foreign-Trade Zone in the country. In FY 2007, the latest year that data was available, Alliance Foreign-Trade Zone #196 admitted $7.46 billion in foreign products, an increase of more than 85% from the FY 2006 total of $4.031 billion. In FY 2005 the Alliance Foreign-Trade Zone #196 admitted $0.3 billion in foreign products.
The increase at Alliance reflects similar growth across the United States. From FY 2005 to FY 2007, the value of foreign goods admitted to the 126 multi-purpose foreign-trade zones across the country increased 31.9% from $22.9 billion to $30.2 billion.
Major users of Foreign-Trade Zone #196 at the Alliance Global Logistics Hub include ATC Logistics & Electronics, Hyundai, Trans-Trade, KFS, LEGO, and Motorola.
“Not only is Foreign-Trade Zone #196 at the Alliance Global Logistics Hub handling more foreign goods from Asia through the West Coast ports, but shipments by truck and rail from Mexico are also increasing,” said Steve Boecking, vice president of Hillwood Properties, the developer of AllianceTexas and the operator of FTZ #196. “As more of our existing customers activate FTZ at their facilities and as we attract new companies seeking the FTZ benefits and the other advantages of the Alliance Global Logistics Hub, we expect the value of goods flowing through Foreign-Trade Zone #196 to continue the phenomenal growth of the past few years.”
TOP U.S. GENERAL PURPOSE FOREIGN TRADE ZONES By Value Of Foreign Goods Admitted
1. Fort Worth/Alliance (Texas)………………………………………. $7.460 billion
2. Newark/Elizabeth (New Jersey)……………………………………. $3.941 billion
3. Port Hueneme (California)……………………………………………. $3.176 billion
4. Harris County (Texas)…………………………………………………. $1.957 billion
5. Tacoma (Washington)…………………………………………………. $1.048 billion
The biggest factor in the growth of imported goods at the Alliance Global Logistics Hub is the BNSF Intermodal Facility that is one of the busiest links in the country for goods arriving from Asia through the West Coast ports to the central part of the United States. A recently completed $32 million capital improvement program, which included new entry and exit gates, new bridges and nearly nine miles of new track, will allow for even more growth in imported goods.
Another key component of the Alliance Global Logistics Hub is Fort Worth Alliance Airport, which houses one of FedEx’s three major U.S. sorting hubs. A runway extension project is currently underway to increase the length of the runways to 11,000 feet. The facility can currently handle any size jet, but the extended runways will allow fully loaded cargo flights to directly serve Asia and Europe on the hottest days of the year. The project is expected to be completed in 2015.
Foreign-trade zones are secure areas under the supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They are considered outside the customs territory of the United States for the purposes of duty payment. Under zone procedures, the usual formal customs entry procedure and payment of duties are not required on the foreign merchandise unless and until it enters customs territory for domestic consumption, in which case the importer normally has a choice of paying duties either on the original foreign materials or the finished product. Foreign-trade zone sites and activities remain within the jurisdiction of federal, state and local governments and agencies.
In large part due to its role in handling foreign goods, AllianceTexas has had an economic impact of $33.8 billion on the North Texas economy. In addition the development has attracted $6.5 billion in private investment, generated more than $625 million in property taxes and created 28,000 fulltime jobs.
In addition to the Alliance Global Logistics Hub, the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas development includes Alliance Town Center, the Monterra Village apartment home community, the corporate campuses of Circle T Ranch, the Vaquero estate golf community, and the Heritage and Saratoga residential communities. AllianceTexas now houses 7,200 single-family homes and 220 companies that occupy 29 million square feet. Sixty-five of the companies at AllianceTexas are ranked on the Fortune 500, Global 500 or Forbes List of Top Private Firms.
Hillwood, (www.hillwood.com) a Perot company, is ranked as one of the top commercial real estate developers in the country and the top residential developer in Dallas-Fort Worth. Close to 90 companies listed on either the Fortune 500, Global 500 or Forbes List of Top Private firms have chosen to locate Hillwood developments. In addition to the AllianceTexas project, Hillwood is best known for its development of American Airlines Center and the Victory mixed-use district near downtown Dallas and AllianceCalifornia near Los Angeles.
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