Aerospace Products International (API) announced this summer that its subsidiary in Shanghai, China, received Class-A enterprise certification from China Customs, a status that eases government restrictions on the facility.

API China is a distributor of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) aircraft parts and also provides supply chain management services, including vendor-managed inventory and third-party logistics programs. The company has 16,000 sq ft of office and distribution facilities and a climate-controlled warehouse. It also has a forward stocking location in Beijing.

Companies that perform import and export activities in China are categorized into classes by China Customs. Certifications are awarded by class based upon compliance with local laws and customs policies as well as by business performance. The class of certification awarded to a company determines the level of oversight that China Customs places on the qualifying company.

According to API, the qualifying organization must have less than 3 percent of customs clearance errors with no violations of China Customs policies and regulations. It must be in full compliance with China Customs accounting and financial reporting guidelines. Further, it must have no policy violations on record with the Central Bank of China, the Tax Bureau, the Standards Bureau and the Foreign Exchange Bureau.

API (Booth No. N1916), based in Memphis, Tenn., is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Aviation Services of Westport, Conn. The company’s focus on distribution of OEM parts and supply chain functions allows customers such as manufacturers, MRO facilities, FBOs, airlines and aircraft owners and operators to concentrate on their core competencies. API distributes products from more than 150 parts and component manufacturers and suppliers.

In late June, Purdue University selected API as logistics management supplier to support the university’s new fleet of Cirrus SR20 training aircraft.

Also earlier this year, API and Oviv Security Technologies of Merignac, France (Booth N2116), entered into a worldwide distribution agreement authorizing API to distribute Oviv’s Sentinel 100L security system.

The Sentinel 100L uses a combination of high-frequency motion detection and high-resolution CMOS cameras to provide a surveillance perimeter with 360-degree coverage around a parked aircraft. The system can be quickly deployed by pilots or ground handlers, and within minutes can notify the pilot or other designated person of an intrusion of the security perimeter.

API is covering the Canadian, Asia Pacific and Central-South American markets on an exclusive basis and the U.S., Europe and Middle East markets on a nonexclusive basis.–B.C.