The global economy is more interconnected than ever before - the networking and concentration of trade flows continues to increase. However, globalisation is also increasing geopolitical tensions: Countries are imposing sanctions to achieve political goals or protect economic interests. Examples of this are the ongoing trade conflicts between the USA and China as well as sanctions against Russia and the reactions to them. 

The result is clear: export controls are constantly being tightened and are becoming obligations in international trade. Companies have to comply with increasingly complex regulations that differ depending on the target market. Breaches of export control regulations can have serious consequences, including heavy fines and long-term reputational damage. 

Added to this is the rapid development of new technologies. Many technologies, such as advanced semiconductors, have dual-use characteristics, meaning that they can be used for both civilian and military purposes. Control over the export of such goods is therefore crucial to ensure that they do not fall into the wrong hands and potentially contribute to threats to international security. 

The list of affected classes of goods is growing: In 2024, technologies from the fields of artificial intelligence and quantum computing in particular have increasingly become the focus of export control authorities: These technologies offer immense economic opportunities, but also harbour the risk that they can be misused for military purposes. 

For companies, this means that they must continuously adapt and improve their compliance and risk management processes to ensure that they comply with relevant regulations and minimise potential risks: This requires investment in training, IT systems and consultancy. 

Automating export control compliance processes is critical for organisations to improve efficiency and accuracy and keep pace with growing requirements - and a real competitive advantage. Unlike other systems, M.SecureTrade Export Controls helps you automate export control compliance without the need to build a separate system, copy data and sacrifice real-time checks. Fully integrated into SAP S/4HANA and SAP ERP, the software allows you to quickly and reliably check whether exports comply with current legal requirements based on commodity tariff numbers and other classifications. This reduces the risk of errors and violations that can lead to high fines and reputational damage. Requirements for documentation and traceability of decisions are met fully automatically without manual interaction, which is an advantage during audits and official inspections.

Automatisierung unterstützt Sie dabei, Ihre Compliance-Kosten zu senken und gleichzeitig die Einhaltung komplexer globaler Vorschriften sicherzustellen: und das nicht nur für Ihren Materialstamm, sondern für zahlreiche Belege im Order-to-Cash-Prozess – ganz so, wie es Ihren Prozessanforderungen entspricht. 

Companies that have demonstrably implemented strict controls and transparent processes in foreign trade can strengthen the trust of their business partners and position themselves as reliable players in global trade: A fully integrated SAP add-on for compliance with export control regulations is an important building block for this.