Early buying seen a factor in surge in imports

Fearing a space crunch aboard ocean freighters, some Long Island importers moved their orders up earlier than normal this summer, they said Friday.

Pat Moffett, chairman of the Long Island Import Export Association, said that situation, repeated around the country, could help explain national figures showing an unexpected surge in imports in June that figured in a downward revision of U.S. economic growth.

Moffett, vice president for global logistics and customs compliance at Hauppauge-based Audiovox Corp., said the ocean carriers, who were reeling from losses during the recession, kept ships out of service last year, prompting demand to soar. Some importers had their containers left behind at the dock, unable to get onto overbooked ships, he said. As a result, he said, "everybody started to buy early in anticipation of no space." As more space became available, he said, "imports started to flood in."

At Audiovox, Moffett said, the company doubled the number of regular carriers it used to ensure enough space, but, like others, it was still dealing with higher ocean freight rates and additional surcharges.

Mimi Toomey, supply chain consultant for Kamino International, a freight forwarding company based in Valley Stream, said she also had seen a "surge in imports earlier" than the normal peak season beginning in August. "Importers had to book containers earlier in advance. "I don't know how long that's going to last."

She added that exports were also "starting to pick up in 2010."

At Hauppauge-based Personal Communications Devices, a provider of wireless devices to carriers in North and South America and a major importer, U.S. demand for imported cell phones has remained strong, officials said.

P.J. Moffett, regulatory compliance director for PCD and Pat Moffett's son, said orders were consistently good this year. Citing imported phones on Google's Android platform, he said, "We're still continuing to airfreight many of these products and bring them in at a rapid rate."