An ISO Certified re-manufacturing and sales company focused on providing quality pre-owned trucks, machinery and equipment for commercial and industrial use by the private and public sectors, United Auctioneers Inc. (UAI) started in 1998 as a trading company for truck and car parts which was eventually transformed into a full-time auction operation.
By 2003, UAI had grown to become the Philippines’ leading auction company and began hosting auctions in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Today, UAI has sold over 125,000 units of various industrial, transport and construction machines to more than 48,000 foreign and local buyers and has conducted 120 highly successful auctions in its run. In 2017, the company has also launched its expansion program by conducting auctions in Davao City - hosting a recordbreaking 8 auctions that year.
In the next ten years, the company set its sights on establishing more auction operations in key cities nationwide and across Asia–Pacific.
“With the exponential growth in our business targets every year, UAI has to run like a well-oiled machine all the time,” says UAI Founder and CEO Dominic Sytin. “Our focus on the 4 key factors to a successful business operation — Process, System, People and Technology — have enabled UAI to operate at the most efficient, optimal capacity, ensuring timely hosting of bigger and better auctions every year.”
Weathering the Challenges
This is not to say that UAI hasn’t had its fair share of challenges, the most prominent of which was the 1997 Asian financial crisis which left 800 units of unmoving inventory of trucks and equipment - and left its employees with a pay cut.
This challenge, however, paved the way for the company to rise back on its feet. The first three auctions that UAI launched was tough and exigent but soon after, the liquidation auctions were turning out to be blessings-indisguise.
“Buyers were coming and bidding and our inventory started moving,” says Sytin. “By our third auction, trucks and equipment traders in the Philippines who were faced with the same problems had started approaching me to auction off their non-moving inventory. That’s when I started accepting trucks and equipment for sale on consignment. Consignors would send their equipment to us and we would charge a commission for selling them in our auctions.”
Another challenge was educating the Filipinos about buying and selling trucks and other equipment through auctions. The company had to provide enough budget for information dissemination and teaching potential buyers how to register and how to buy and sell through auctions.
“As fate would have it, soon buyers from as far as southern Philippine islands started to join our Manila auction in droves,” says Sytin. “Yard space and the transport of trucks and machines became a problem and hampered business operations, but by February 2001, UAI held its first three-day auction in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.”
The third problem the company faced was on logistics as the distance between the auction yard located North of Manila and the port of Manila was taking too much toll for the company. Traffic restrictions, bureaucratic paperwork and port congestion was preventing the company from mounting bigger auctions. Thankfully, when Subic Bay opened its doors for potential investors, UAI now had bigger opportunities and scale as Subic was near to the company’s port facilities.
CSR Programs and Company Culture
Apart from trading trucks and other equipment through auctions, UAI also manages its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs to the hilt. Its “Tulong at Kalinga” program recently launched a very successful Monthly Food, Medicines and Vitamins Donation for the Elderly beneficiaries of St. Joseph Community Center Foundation, Inc. (SJCCFI) in Olongapo City last June 6, 2018.
In line with its mission of helping the academe, UAI also has its “Balik Eskwela” program that repaired and restored classrooms, specifically its beneficiaries Iram II Elementary School and St. Francis Learning Center. Backpacks were donated containing much needed school supplies paired with water jugs. East West Bank also donated school uniforms, additional school supplies, rain coats and rain boots to the school.
“As early as May before the school year starts, employees of UAI teamed up to repair and repaint the classrooms and to stuff each of the bags with school supplies, each bag contains a pack of notebooks, pencils and ball pens,” says Sytin.
In cooperation with the Philippine Red Cross, UAI also conducts in-house Blood Donation activities for those who are in need, and has donated vehicles to support the humanitarian causes of the Philippine Red Cross through its Chairman Senator Richard Gordon and local farmers with the help of the Office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan.
UAI also believes in the importance of engaging the youth through sports. The company has pledged its commitment in providing full sponsorship to support and strengthen the University of the Philippines Women’s Volleyball Team (UPWVT) which recently took the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Collegiate Championship. Other beneficiaries include the UP-Los Baños Women’s Volleyball Team, UP Men’s basketball Team, and the Subic-Gapo Football Team.
The company also takes pride in taking care of the environment by supporting coastal clean-ups in different areas.
UAI has also organized and equipped the UVEAT (UAI Volunteer Emergency Assistance Team), composed of 42 volunteer company employees who have undergone rigorous training on first aid, basic life support, emergency rescue, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An initiative of UAI, UVEAT was established to provide rescue assistance to residents of Olongapo, Subic, and Bataan during emergency situations usually brought about by typhoons, floods, and other natural calamities.
In terms of its professional culture with familial relationship undertones, the company has been very considerate of the needs of its employees who, in turn, provide warm and appreciative service, resulting to high job satisfaction and very low turnover rate. The people work not just of the salaries but has habituated to present excellence in every way they can. Longevity is never an issue in UAI.
Celebrating Milestones
Because of its world-class and quality services, UAI also earned its distinction as the first and only industrial auction company in the world to achieve ISO 9001 Certification which focuses on perpetual improvement in all areas of operations, especially in the production of quality products and achieving total customer satisfaction.
“We will unfalteringly strive to offer and sell highly reliable products that provide the best value and benefit to our customers,” says Sytin. “Our commitment to employ best business practices will constantly enhance the enterprise value of the company for our shareholders, the quality of life of our employees, and the communities where we conduct business.”
Indeed, United Auctioneers Inc. has proven its worth in the business as the biggest and leading auction company in the Philippines.
VISION
To be the premier industrial auction company in the Philippines by being the best at quality remanufacturing of pre-owned industrial trucks and heavy equipment, through the Company’s People, Process, Systems, and Technology
MISSION
To provide our consignors and customers a professional venue to buy, sell and trade quality pre-owned remanufactured industrial trucks, heavy equipment and machines and other miscellaneous equipment that will allow our consignors, customers, owners, employees, and the community to live and work with prosperity.
CORPORATE EXCELLENCE
United Auctioneers Inc.
An ISO Certified re-manufacturing and sales company focused on providing quality pre-owned trucks, machinery and equipment for commercial and industrial use by the private and public sectors, United Auctioneers Inc. (UAI) started in 1998 as a trading company for truck and car parts which was eventually transformed into a full-time auction operation.
By 2003, UAI had grown to become the Philippines’ leading auction company and began hosting auctions in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Today, UAI has sold over 125,000 units of various industrial, transport and construction machines to more than 48,000 foreign and local buyers and has conducted 120 highly successful auctions in its run. In 2017, the company has also launched its expansion program by conducting auctions in Davao City - hosting a recordbreaking 8 auctions that year.
In the next ten years, the company set its sights on establishing more auction operations in key cities nationwide and across Asia–Pacific.
“With the exponential growth in our business targets every year, UAI has to run like a well-oiled machine all the time,” says UAI Founder and CEO Dominic Sytin. “Our focus on the 4 key factors to a successful business operation — Process, System, People and Technology — have enabled UAI to operate at the most efficient, optimal capacity, ensuring timely hosting of bigger and better auctions every year.”
Weathering the Challenges
This is not to say that UAI hasn’t had its fair share of challenges, the most prominent of which was the 1997 Asian financial crisis which left 800 units of unmoving inventory of trucks and equipment - and left its employees with a pay cut.
This challenge, however, paved the way for the company to rise back on its feet. The first three auctions that UAI launched was tough and exigent but soon after, the liquidation auctions were turning out to be blessings-indisguise.
“Buyers were coming and bidding and our inventory started moving,” says Sytin. “By our third auction, trucks and equipment traders in the Philippines who were faced with the same problems had started approaching me to auction off their non-moving inventory. That’s when I started accepting trucks and equipment for sale on consignment. Consignors would send their equipment to us and we would charge a commission for selling them in our auctions.”
Another challenge was educating the Filipinos about buying and selling trucks and other equipment through auctions. The company had to provide enough budget for information dissemination and teaching potential buyers how to register and how to buy and sell through auctions.
“As fate would have it, soon buyers from as far as southern Philippine islands started to join our Manila auction in droves,” says Sytin. “Yard space and the transport of trucks and machines became a problem and hampered business operations, but by February 2001, UAI held its first three-day auction in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.”
The third problem the company faced was on logistics as the distance between the auction yard located North of Manila and the port of Manila was taking too much toll for the company. Traffic restrictions, bureaucratic paperwork and port congestion was preventing the company from mounting bigger auctions. Thankfully, when Subic Bay opened its doors for potential investors, UAI now had bigger opportunities and scale as Subic was near to the company’s port facilities.
CSR Programs and Company Culture
Apart from trading trucks and other equipment through auctions, UAI also manages its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs to the hilt. Its “Tulong at Kalinga” program recently launched a very successful Monthly Food, Medicines and Vitamins Donation for the Elderly beneficiaries of St. Joseph Community Center Foundation, Inc. (SJCCFI) in Olongapo City last June 6, 2018.
In line with its mission of helping the academe, UAI also has its “Balik Eskwela” program that repaired and restored classrooms, specifically its beneficiaries Iram II Elementary School and St. Francis Learning Center. Backpacks were donated containing much needed school supplies paired with water jugs. East West Bank also donated school uniforms, additional school supplies, rain coats and rain boots to the school.
“As early as May before the school year starts, employees of UAI teamed up to repair and repaint the classrooms and to stuff each of the bags with school supplies, each bag contains a pack of notebooks, pencils and ball pens,” says Sytin.
In cooperation with the Philippine Red Cross, UAI also conducts in-house Blood Donation activities for those who are in need, and has donated vehicles to support the humanitarian causes of the Philippine Red Cross through its Chairman Senator Richard Gordon and local farmers with the help of the Office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan.
UAI also believes in the importance of engaging the youth through sports. The company has pledged its commitment in providing full sponsorship to support and strengthen the University of the Philippines Women’s Volleyball Team (UPWVT) which recently took the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Collegiate Championship. Other beneficiaries include the UP-Los Baños Women’s Volleyball Team, UP Men’s basketball Team, and the Subic-Gapo Football Team.
The company also takes pride in taking care of the environment by supporting coastal clean-ups in different areas.
UAI has also organized and equipped the UVEAT (UAI Volunteer Emergency Assistance Team), composed of 42 volunteer company employees who have undergone rigorous training on first aid, basic life support, emergency rescue, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An initiative of UAI, UVEAT was established to provide rescue assistance to residents of Olongapo, Subic, and Bataan during emergency situations usually brought about by typhoons, floods, and other natural calamities.
In terms of its professional culture with familial relationship undertones, the company has been very considerate of the needs of its employees who, in turn, provide warm and appreciative service, resulting to high job satisfaction and very low turnover rate. The people work not just of the salaries but has habituated to present excellence in every way they can. Longevity is never an issue in UAI.
Celebrating Milestones
Because of its world-class and quality services, UAI also earned its distinction as the first and only industrial auction company in the world to achieve ISO 9001 Certification which focuses on perpetual improvement in all areas of operations, especially in the production of quality products and achieving total customer satisfaction.
“We will unfalteringly strive to offer and sell highly reliable products that provide the best value and benefit to our customers,” says Sytin. “Our commitment to employ best business practices will constantly enhance the enterprise value of the company for our shareholders, the quality of life of our employees, and the communities where we conduct business.”
Indeed, United Auctioneers Inc. has proven its worth in the business as the biggest and leading auction company in the Philippines.
VISION
To be the premier industrial auction company in the Philippines by being the best at quality remanufacturing of pre-owned industrial trucks and heavy equipment, through the Company’s People, Process, Systems, and Technology
MISSION
To provide our consignors and customers a professional venue to buy, sell and trade quality pre-owned remanufactured industrial trucks, heavy equipment and machines and other miscellaneous equipment that will allow our consignors, customers, owners, employees, and the community to live and work with prosperity.