ASM

Customs Clearance Softwareasm.org.uk

ASM (Agency Sector Management (UK) Limited) is a UK not-for-profit, user-owned organisation that provides the Sequoia customs clearance software platform and advocacy services to freight forwarders across the United Kingdom.

Company typePrivate
Founded1986
HeadquartersAshford, United Kingdom
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingSoftware

What ASM does

ASM, legally Agency Sector Management (UK) Limited, is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ashford, Middlesex. It is owned by its user community and provides a single unified customs clearance software platform called Sequoia, which is sold directly to freight forwarders of all sizes. The Sequoia platform is positioned as a high-performance customs clearance system that connects natively to UK and EU government customs systems (HMRC's CDS, NCTS, ICS2, and GVMS, plus the HMRC Government Gateway) and to UK port community systems (CCS-UK, CNS Compass, MCP Destin8, and Pentant), with seamless integration to back-office and customer systems. Beyond software, ASM provides a 24/7 service desk, training, and ongoing customer support, and operates as a representative body advocating for freight forwarder interests with HMRC and trade associations such as BIFA.

ASM generates revenue through recurring software licences on the Sequoia platform, and as a not-for-profit any surplus is reinvested into services rather than distributed. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with a single-country (UK) operating footprint and no evidence of external funding, acquisitions, or geographic expansion. The company is privately held, employs 11-50 people, and has maintained continuous operations for over 40 years, evolving from its origins administering compensation following the Travicom customs system failure (1986) through the ACP80 and ACP90 platforms to ASM2000 in 1994 and the current Sequoia platform.

ASM firmographics

Firmographics

Name: ASM
Legal name: Agency Sector Management (UK) Limited
Website: https://asm.org.uk
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1986
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: ASM (Agency Sector Management (UK) Limited) is a UK not-for-profit, user-owned organisation that provides the Sequoia customs clearance software platform and advocacy services to freight forwarders across the United Kingdom.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

ASM industry classification

Industry

Product category: Customs Clearance Software
NAICS: Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Support Activities for Transportation (488)
SIC: Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
akta.pro primary industry: Customs Declaration & Filing (Import/Export Entry) Platforms (TLAEAOAA)
akta.pro secondary industries: Customs Brokerage Workflow & Case Management Software (TLAEAOAH), Cargo Security & Regulatory Filing Systems (ACI/AMS/ISF/ENS/ICS2) (TLAEAOAJ), Trade Compliance Management (Denied Party Screening, Licensing, Restricted Goods) (TLAEAOAB)

Keywords

Customs clearance software
Freight forwarding software
Trade compliance platform
Port community systems
Customs declaration software

Where ASM is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Ashford
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

ASM business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Software
Cost components: Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Software Licenses: ASM derives revenue from software licensing of the Sequoia platform to freight forwarders. As a not-for-profit organisation owned by its users, any surplus is reinvested into services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

ASM product offering

Product offering

Core offering

ASM develops and licenses Sequoia, a high-performance customs clearance software platform for UK freight forwarders. The platform connects to UK government customs systems (CCS-UK, CDS, NCTS, ICS2, GVMS) and port community systems (CNS Compass, MCP Destin8, Pentant), enabling preparation and submission of customs declarations, transit movements, and compliance management. As a not-for-profit organisation owned by its users, ASM also provides unbiased representation to advocate for freight forwarders' interests with government and industry bodies.

Product overview

ASM provides a single unified customs clearance software platform called Sequoia, which serves freight forwarders of all sizes. Sequoia is a comprehensive customs clearance platform that connects to government systems (CCS-UK, CDS, NCTS, ICS2) and port community systems (CNS Compass, MCP Destin8, Pentant). The platform enables freight forwarders to prepare and submit customs declarations, manage transit movements, and maintain compliance with UK and EU customs regulations. ASM operates as a not-for-profit organization owned by its users, providing representation services alongside its software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Sequoia

Companies that use ASM

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

ASM technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature1 record

ASM partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)coreTechnology or IntegrationASM's Sequoia platform integrates with HMRC systems including CDS (Customs Declaration Service), NCTS (New Computerised Transit System), and ICS2 (Import Control System 2). These integrations enable freight forwarders to submit customs declarations directly to UK government systems.
CCS-UK (Customs Clearance Systems UK)coreTechnology or IntegrationSequoia connects to CCS-UK for customs clearance messaging, enabling forwarders to submit declarations through this channel.
CNS CompasscoreTechnology or IntegrationSequoia integrates with CNS Compass for cargo and inventory management services related to customs declarations.
MCP Destin8coreTechnology or IntegrationSequoia connects to MCP Destin8 port management system for customs and cargo processing.
PentantcoreTechnology or IntegrationSequoia integrates with Pentant (Descartes) for customs and freight management services.
BIFA (British International Freight Association)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorASM provides representation services and works with BIFA to advocate for freight forwarder interests at national and local levels with government and industry bodies.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

ASM competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

WiseTech Global (CargoWise): CargoWise is a global TMS that bundles customs declaration capabilities for freight forwarders of all sizes, competing with ASM's Sequoia as part of a much broader logistics suite targeting the same UK forwarder customers.

Direct peers

Magaya Software: Magaya provides a freight forwarding platform with customs brokerage and declaration capabilities targeting SMB and mid-market forwarders — a directly comparable product set to Sequoia for the same buyer persona.
MIC Customs Solutions: MIC offers customs declaration software (CUSTODIA) used by European freight forwarders, overlapping directly with ASM's Sequoia platform for filing CDS, NCTS, ENS, and other EU/UK customs regimes.
AEB (International Trade & Customs): AEB provides customs filing, trade compliance, and export controls software to European forwarders and brokers, directly competing with ASM's Sequoia in customs declaration workflows and denied-party screening.
Descartes Systems Group: Descartes offers a broad customs and trade compliance suite (including Visual Compliance and CustomsInfo), directly competing with ASM's Sequoia in UK/EU declaration filing. Sequoia even integrates with Descartes' Pentant platform, highlighting direct adjacency.
Customs Bridge: Customs Bridge offers a SaaS platform for customs declarations and trade compliance across multiple EU customs regimes, serving forwarders and brokers with a similar product scope to ASM's Sequoia.
ClearCustoms: ClearCustoms is a UK customs declaration software provider serving freight forwarders and customs brokers with HMRC CDS and NCTS filing — a directly comparable niche competitor to ASM's Sequoia.

Regional players

Questa Software: Questa is a UK-based supplier of freight forwarding and customs clearance software, directly competing with ASM's Sequoia for the same UK forwarder customer base with comparable EDI/cargo community messaging capabilities.

Emerging players

Netstock Software: Netstock provides freight forwarding and customs software to UK forwarders with a focus on inventory and declarations, overlapping with parts of Sequoia's functionality for SMB forwarder customers.

Others

CCT Software (MCP/Destin8 owner): CCT operates MCP Destin8, one of the core UK port community systems that Sequoia integrates with. While not a direct competitor, CCT sits in ASM's value chain and represents an adjacent ecosystem participant with potential competitive overlap in port messaging workflows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

ASM financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

ASM leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

ASM funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

ASM M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ASM

What does ASM do?

Is ASM a public or private company?

ASM is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.

When was ASM founded?

ASM was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is ASM based?

ASM is headquartered in Ashford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does ASM make money?

One revenue line is on record: software Licenses.

Who are ASM's main competitors?

WiseTech Global (CargoWise) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Magaya Software, MIC Customs Solutions, AEB (International Trade & Customs), Descartes Systems Group, Customs Bridge and ClearCustoms. Questa Software is listed as a regional player. Netstock Software is listed as an emerging player. CCT Software (MCP/Destin8 owner) is listed as an others.

Does ASM have an API?

No public API is recorded for ASM.

What industry is ASM in?

ASM's product category is Customs Clearance Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAEAOAA, Customs Declaration & Filing (Import/Export Entry) Platforms, with a secondary code of TLAEAOAH, Customs Brokerage Workflow & Case Management Software. Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.