Clint Agius, our Head of Domestic Operations has been recently appointed Head of Express Trailers’ Customs section.
Clint has been working at Express Trailers for over twenty years and has had the opportunity to occupy several positions within the group. From an office clerk with Emmanuel Vella & Sons Ltd way back in January 2001, he moved to a position of Accounts Executive, and subsequently the position of Finance Supervisor following the company’s merger with Express Trailers Ltd.
In 2012, Clint moved from administration to operations where he held the position of Supervisor within the Domestic Operations. A year later, he was promoted to Manager and eventually to Head of the same department.
“My role now is to make sure all customs-related formalities are delivered complete, and in time for operations. Managing a team of around 85 people is not be easy but I also know that our people all share the same professional attitude, and we are all committed to achieving success for the company by giving the most efficient service possible,” said Clint.
Customs’ natural habitat has always been Domestic Operations and after a stint under General Management, this section has now been re-routed back to its habitat. CLINT AGIUS, Head of Domestic Operations is now responsible for Express Trailers’ Customs Section.
How long have you been working at Express Trailers and what were the various positions you have occupied within the company?
I have been working at Express Trailers for over twenty years now and throughout my career, which to date, has been extremely rewarding, I have had the opportunity to occupy several positions within the Group. In fact, I had started off as an office clerk with Emmanuel Vella & Sons Ltd way back in January 2001, from where I then moved to a post of Accounts Executive, and subsequently the position of Finance Supervisor following the company’s merger with Express Trailers Ltd.
At the beginning of 2012 I was also offered the opportunity to move on from administration to operations, where I held the position of Supervisor within the Domestic Operations. A year later, I was promoted to Manager and eventually to Head of the same department.
What work falls under Domestic Operations?
I like to think of Domestic Operations as the heart of who we are and what we do. In fact, most of the ongoing operations around the islands fall under Domestic Operations. These include the loading, unloading and haulage with import and export trailers, cold chain distribution, haulage and unloading of containers, our ShipLowCost operation, managed warehousing including dispatching and collections, the hire of equipment, crane, forklift and lifting services, the removal and handling of heavy plant and machinery, the handling of breakbulk cargo and project cargo.
Now that you are also responsible for the Customs Section, how will you be merging your two roles?
Customs is not really an operation but a support service to all our local operations in general. Inbound and outbound cargo may be subject to customs formalities, and this is where this team steps in. So, my role now is to manage this team and make sure that all formalities are delivered complete, and in time for operations. This also means that I now manage a team of around 85 people which is no easy feat. But I also know that our people all share the same professional attitude, and we are all committed towards the same goal – that of achieving success for the company by giving the most efficient service possible.
What challenges are you facing at this point when it comes to Customs procedures?
This year has been particularly challenging due to the increase in Customs formalities related to Brexit. Since last January all cargo being imported or exported from and to the UK needs to be customs cleared, meaning that each shipment, irrelevant of whether it is a small package or a whole trailer, has to pass through a documentation process and cannot be delivered or released for export unless we receive the green light from Customs. This has caused a surge in data inputting for our Customs Documentation team and Customs Department alike.
ShipLowCost is being moved from its current warehouse in Luqa to Ħal Far. What is the reason for this and how will this impact / improve the overall service?
The relocation of our SLC operations to Ħal Far will provide ample efficiencies because we will no longer be segregating and double-handling this cargo, but this will now be treated as regular groupage service, handled by the same team who is already trained at our sorting and distribution facility in Luqa. Rather than dispatching separate vans and trucks, thanks also to our newly adopted IT infrastructure, this consolidation will benefit from merging the routes of our delivery trucks with that of the regular groupage service. All in all, this move is expected to result in a more efficient and effective distribution service.
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