Provo company provides Access to Asian markets

Chris Boyle saw his friends facing a problem and wanted to solve it — planting the seed that led to Provo-based Access Technology Solutions, which helps secure low-cost international shipping for U.S. companies.

As an expatriate American working in Japan in the 1990s, Boyle experienced firsthand the enormous cost of shipping items from "back home" to Asia. That wasn't the only problem, though: expats also had to deal with customs delays, language barriers and challenges with local delivery and customer service.

Boyle started a website to help his friends import U.S. goods easily and cost-effectively. He later sold that business, but he knew there was potential at the other end of that market: helping U.S. companies cut their shipping time and costs to Asian markets.

Boyle approached Neways and Tahitian Noni, two Utah companies that export to Asia in high volume, and offered to cut the cost and complexity of getting their shipments to Japan.

Access Technology's systems offer companies a low-cost, low-risk way to dip a toe into the waters of international e-commerce, with the security of having a knowledgeable, experienced partner behind them.

With Access, firms essentially hire someone else to navigate country-specific import/export laws and prohibitions, calculate ever-changing taxes and duties across hundreds of international jurisdictions, harmonize product and customs classifications, and dynamically quote accurate costs in shoppers' local currencies.

To do that, the company has designed sophisticated and nimble programming and built relationships with everyone from key customs officials to streetwise delivery agents.

To maximize competitiveness, Access operates several platforms, from international "shopping carts" and forwarding services to cross-border logistical specialists. Clients pay for these services via a low-risk revenue-share partnership model: Access takes on the risk for its clients and shares the reward if it pays off.

Access has expanded its model into Korea, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia and is building a presence throughout Europe.

Clients can use the Internet to manage e-commerce operations, generate sales reports, receive system alerts and view real-time tracking data.