Use of MS Acces to maintain a database for HS code

[leongtay]

Dear all,

I am a new member here, it's been sometime since i last used Access, perhaps about 2 years ago, in which i had to use it for my final year project for my University of London-external programme , intro to IS course.

Currently, i am being tasked with a project to assign HS codes to existing and new products. I am just wondering if its possible to use Access to do it and if so how? Anyone got any template suggestion or normalised database model that i could probably borrow to kickstart my assisnment?

I am thinking of using the bill of materials for the various products my company manufacture and based upon the most used raw material, assign a HS code to them.

Hope to get some suggestion from the fellow pros over here on how i can go about designing the database.

Thank you very much.

 

[John Big Booty]

Welcome to the forum.

I presume that you are talking about Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System (HS). Working in the Customs Clearance industry, I'd suggest that you have you work cut out for you if you are attempting to Auto-magically assign HS codes to products base the bill of materials.

I know that this system has an Auto Classification system in it's tariff, however my understanding is that it works on a library of pre-classified goods/product names.

I'll be interested in what you come up with, Good luck

 

[leongtay]

Hi ,

Yes you are right i am talking about the Harmonized system coding. This is just a rough idea that i got out to assign HS codes to finished goods based on bill of materials. So if a particular product use primarily a certain sort of raw material, i could proably use the same HS code for that product.

If possible, anyone has did this sort of project before or something similar to it? Hopefully you guys can share with me the database model you come up with.

 

[John Big Booty]

Using that method I don't think you'll be able to get better than the first four digits of the code.

How would you go with say a wooden framed chair? I'm imagining that the majority of the materials will fall within chapter 44. However the final product in this case will fall to chapter 94. I doubt that foodstuffs would be any better. To be honest this is going to be a monumental task.

I would say your best bet is to get a list of all your products get solid classifications on them and work from there.

 

[leongtay]

Hi John,

Thanks so much for your reply. I understand where you are coming from now. Maybe you are right the finished product could be very different from the raw materials used.

As my company is in manufacturing of specialty chemicals such as different kinds of esters, alkoxylates, blends etc. I believe it'll be good if i get a list of all the manufactured items based on what you say and classify them accordingly to a board category first, for example, esters will belong to HS code 291570.

Is this what u meant?

 

[John Big Booty]

Sorry I don't have a lot of experience with chemicals.

However I do recall that back in the good old days there used to be a qualified chemist employed by the Customs department (here in Melbourne), I'm not sure that that is still the case as they seem to go through regular cycles of Cost cutting and down sizing, which generally consists of offering there most experienced officers (and often their best) lucrative packages to move along. Leaving only green newbies, the dead wood and the incompetent.

Sorry my point being, that I believe that chemicals are another complex area of the tariff.

Good luck none the less