Customs Clearance Ltd (CCL) delivers tailored gateway logistics services into and out of the UK and Eurozone, for businesses including global mailing, couriers, distribution businesses and freight forwarders – in fact anyone moving shipments by air, sea or road.
Set up in 1999 by Co-founders and current directors Rudee Bertie and Brian Kelly, CCL processes shipping and customs documentation and handles payment of taxes and duties promptly, helping clients comply with import regulations whilst minimising costly delays. The business provides a comprehensive suite of services for gateway clearance and shipment handling, both into the UK and Eurozone, and globally. Licenced for IATA and CASS, CCL also operates its own ETSF bonded facility, overseen by HMRC, giving clients additional freight handling options including break-bulk of consolidated cargo.
Having developed their specialist expertise in eCommerce logistics, CCL offers tailored end-to-end services and consultancy to businesses involved in eCommerce retailing and delivery. Their in-house developed automated payment system handles both DDU and DDP consignments, meaning they can collect duties and taxes from consignees prior to delivery. Onward distribution is provided via a network of associates on a same-day, timed delivery or overnight basis.
The dedicated team of 30 in the UK are focused on delivering reliable, accurate, consistent and professional services. As a result of their approach to employing and developing committed young talent, offering opportunities not usually available to entry-level logistics professionals, CCL was honoured to receive a ‘Highly Commended’ award for Staff Development at the BIFA Awards 2016
The business is headquartered at Hatton Cross, next to London Heathrow Airport and has a satellite office in Shanghai, China. Being part of the Lenton Group, they are connected to a network of offices across the world.
Mr. Bertie can you tell us more about yourself and your experience in the gateway clearing services and eCommerce sector over the years ?
I’ve spent my entire career within the customs and import/export industry beginning, on leaving school, as an import clerk – so I’ve learned the business from the bottom up! Over the years I’ve developed an extensive knowledge of customs and import/export matters and, having travelled a great deal, built a network of professional colleagues, partners and suppliers right across the globe.
Convinced there was a better way of transacting border clearance, I founded CCL in 1999 with Brian Kelly. Since then, we’ve focused on supporting businesses of all sizes importing to the UK and Eurozone with solutions which are both cost-effective and, most importantly, tailored to their specific needs and business profiles. Our aim is always to be alert to shifts, trends and opportunities, and to be ‘ahead of the game’ for our clients.
Having observed the rapid growth in online shopping over recent years, we committed to growing our eCommerce logistics business, and we have already achieved significant scale. We have established in-house developed systems and processes which are dedicated to meeting the unique demands of the eCommerce logistics supply chain. As a result, we now handle several large-scale cross-border eCommerce projects from some of the world’s biggest retailers and integrators, originating in China and the USA.
Our eCommerce logistics expertise means that, in addition to assisting substantial household name eCommerce businesses with their global distributions, we’re invited to advise and train on eCommerce and customs strategy.
Can you please describe any of your special products and services that makes CCL unique in the UK logistics field ?
CCL is a hybrid company, born out of providing an essentially niche service of specialist gateway customs clearance for the UK and Eurozone. Over time we have developed our global network and now provide a full 3PL service in a way which is cost-efficient and both independent and neutral – meaning that our clients can access our services without fear of competition.
We spotted early on, the rapid growth and potential of global eCommerce, and we dedicated ourselves to creating a set of tailored services specifically for eCommerce retailers and delivery partners. This includes services for large-scale parcel handling, including break-bulk and onward ‘final-mile’ delivery; the development of our own unique software app to automate the payment of duties and taxes by the end-customer; and a flexible solution for return logistics covering a wide range of options including customs destruction, disposal, charity donation or fulfilment for resale.
As experts in global eCommerce logistics, we are also able to provide a unique consultancy service, helping clients to identify weaknesses and gaps in their processes, develop a cost-effective eCommerce logistics strategy of their own, and grow business within eCommerce, which in the past may have been beyond their capabilities.
What are the benefits for a freight forwarder in UK or overseas, utilising your clearing, gateway and eCommerce logistics services in LHR?
These are the key benefits:
Expertise: We are specialists in our field and can advise on the optimal routes and processes for each client’s specific business needs and profile. We know what works best, and how to help ensure the clearance process is smooth and efficient.
Accuracy and compliance: We compile clear and accurate customs declarations, helping each client remain compliant. When it comes to gateway clearance, eCommerce bulk handling, and in fact any kind of clearance and onward delivery, we deliver quality, efficiency and peace of mind.
Resource: Utilising our services means that clients don’t need to employ a team of customs experts in-house. We become their team, meaning they don’t need to recruit the expertise, or allocate office space or overheads.
Network access: With connections round the world from our position within the Lenton Group and our many years of operation, we can link clients up with the best providers for their needs – businesses which are known and trusted by us.
Convenience: With our global connections, we can pick up any part of the logistics process for our clients, not just customs clearance. That includes consolidations and deconsolidations, warehousing, final-mile delivery and even returns handling. Our warehouse is located at Hatton Cross, just by LHR.
Added-value services: CC Collect is our in-house developed App for payment processing on DDU shipments. Often freight forwarders turn away this business, thinking it too complex to be profitable, but with CC Collect, we provide the means for them to accept DDU shipments and handle end-customer duty and tax payments cleanly and simply.
What are the company’s goals over the next 5 years?
For the next five years, CCL will be looking to develop its eCommerce IT and software platform, to transform the way we handle and manage gateway solutions, compliance and logistics. In turn, CCL will be carving out the global template to shape industry standards.
Describe Neutral Air Partner in a few words
Progressive, a disruptor, thought leader, market leading, exciting, ground-breaking, and forward-thinking.
What is your first impression of Neutral Air Partner and it’s NAX specialty group dedicated to the express, time critical and eCommerce sector?
I think it’s an excellent network that’s got off to a very positive start .I see NAP being superior to other forwarding networks. I hope it will concentrate on the core strengths of its members, listen continually to its members and to their requirements, and continue to build its membership through member quality, rather than quantity.
NAX is an international group of experts that advance the interests of the time sensitive industry and the e-Commerce sector
NAX is a product of Neutral Air Partner is the premier global platform of leading air cargo architects and aviation specialists . The organization was founded in Hong Kong which is home to the world’s largest cargo airport ,is aiming to inject a greater degree of advanced air cargo expertise into the logistics industry, revive specialization, and to drive airfreight and express buying power across the supply chain . The network presently consists of 130 like-minded air cargo specialists from 70 countries placing the group as one of the largest air cargo providers worldwide. Read more
Visit us at www.ccllhr.com