Customs innovation spurs COLL-8 to international award shortlist

COLL-8 - international award shortlist

The success of a groundbreaking customs clearance system developed by COLL-8 Logistics has led to it being shortlisted for a prestigious international supply chain award.

It is one of four companies competing in the eCommerce Rising Star category of the NeX Awards.

Organisers have described how the prize is intended to honour organisations which have made significant strides to improve e-commerce logistics “with fresh ideas and cutting-edge solutions”.

The platform created by COLL-8 at its Dublin head office is used by hundreds of leading online retailers and has been so effective that the firm is now Ireland’s leading independent customs clearance operator.

Commercial Director Dean Lycett said making the NeX award shortlist was further welcome appreciation of COLL-8’s ability to innovate in order to resolve “significant challenges” facing e-commerce brands.

“There is little doubt that the increase in administration in recent years has caused immense headaches, delay and no little cost for retailers wanting to engage with customers not just in Ireland but elsewhere across Europe.

“By being able to automate customs clearance, we have dramatically reduced those obstacles and allowed brands to deal with deliveries and returns with a minimum of fuss.

“That, in turn, has produced a tremendous amount of work for ourselves and resulted in us doubling our operational staff numbers to cope with those extra volumes.

“We are very much committed to the merits of devising solutions for issues affecting our clients and will continue to invest in the very technology which allows us to do and so keeps us ahead of our rivals.”

Mr Lycett’s comments follow the unveiling of shortlists for 13 award categories which are due to be decided at the OPENeX2024 in Hong Kong in September.

NeX is an international group of experts dedicated to advances within the cross-border e-commerce supply chain.

Organisers outlined how each of the candidates in the eCommerce Rising Star had gone “over and above and beyond” to transform international e-commerce logistics.

Prior to the creation of COLL-8’s custom clearance system, retailers were confronted with a cumbersome declaration process which even called into question the viability of shipments to Ireland for some brands.

The importance of finding an efficient and effective solution was illustrated by figures released by the Department for Business and Trade in May showing that Ireland is the UK’s sixth biggest global trading partner.

In the last financial year, two-way trade accounted for £89.3 billion – an increase of seven per cent or £5.8 billion in the last 12 months.

Ireland is particularly renowned as one of Europe’s most vibrant e-commerce markets, generating €7.4 billion (£6.5 billion) worth of online orders in 2022.

The COLL-8 customs clearance platform also helps e-tailers reclaim VAT and duties related to goods which are later returned by consumer.

It has allowed the firm to steal a march on its much larger competitors and handle more declarations than any other Irish specialist.

In the fortnight before Christmas last year, the system dealt with more than one million such documents – twice its average across the rest of 2023.

Mr Lycett stated that a six-figure investment in IT and a doubling in operational staff numbers had seen COLL-8 accommodating those extra volumes “without difficulty”.

COLL-8’s position as Irish customs clearance market leader had resulted in its opening a second Dublin depot.

Mr Lycett explained that the Rosemount Business Park site was convenient for clients moving goods either by sea via the port of Dublin or by air.

He added that the location was “the perfect complement” for the firm’s existing headquarters at Baldonnell.

Last year, the company relocated its UK head office to 15,000 square feet depot on Runcorn’s Manor Park Industrial Estate following a seven-figure investment.

COLL-8 maintains another site at Tamworth, in Staffordshire, and has enjoyed “unprecedented growth” over the last 18 months, a period during which turnover and the size of its client roster also doubled.