Declarators Pte Ltd nabs the SBR National Business Awards for Declaring Agent

It was recognized for its customs permit declaration, courier service, and for thriving during the pandemic.

Declarators Pte Ltd was established in 2014 with the aim of assisting clients to reduce workload and manpower cost, whilst providing permit declaration solutions. Within 6 years, Declarators has expanded rapidly as an organization well known for its dedication and commitment to serve.

The company is renowned for its uniqueness in providing one-stop permit declarations, with side services such as local dispatch service and Carnet/COO applications as well as on-board courier service. It is for this reason why Declarators Pte Ltd has received the Declaring Agent category award in the Singapore Business Review's National Business Awards 2020.

Declarators’ Managing Director Javier Yip said that they are extremely honoured and delighted to receive the National Business Award as the first ever award for Declarators Pte Ltd.

“Hopefully this will be a kickstart for further accolades,” he added. Javier Yip, a strong believer in hard work and consistency started Declarators at his home office way back in 2014 and has been committed in working persistently to provide a reliable and noteworthy business solution to their clients. Fast forward to Aug 2020, they now have a team of almost 30 employees.

The company’s name “Declarators'' is derived from their role as a “Declaring Agent'' as defined by Singapore Customs. It is also a member of the Singapore Aircargo Agents Association (SAAA), Singapore Logistics Association (SLA), Singapore Business Federation (SBF).

As a declaring agent, its business operations were classified as “essential”, hence were allowed to operate during Circuit Breaker, Phase 1, and Phase 2. Initially, the company’s profits dropped 30% the first few weeks of circuit breaker, however demand was high for imports and also an increased request for delivery of masks, hence business picked up again.

Despite the situation with the current global environment, Declarators managed to increase job opportunities by adding manpower headcount with additional 4 full timers and several part timers. Whilst getting retrenched is scary and stressful, none of their employees were asked to go unpaid leave, hence, the company achieved zero retrenchments. Furthermore, it was able to obtain ISO9001:2015 certification during the pandemic.

The firm’s main business is Cargo Clearance Permit (CCP) declaration and handles approximately 5-figure permit declarations per month. It is one of the very few declaring agents to have lodge Banker’s Guarantee with Singapore Customs and able to declare temporary import items with value up to $1m per shipment.

Declarators has also recently digitized its courier service in 2019, allowing job bookings to be just a click away from mobile phones and computers.

In contrast to fast-mile dispatch companies, Declarators’ riders are also fully employed by the company. The firm notes that they do not engage part-time or freelance riders because their courier items involve cash, cashier order, and important original Bills of Lading.

The company said it aims to expand its business operations to Malaysia, broaden courier services to include food take-way deliveries, and restore on-board courier once the pandemic is over.