How do I sell my manufacturing business in Singapore confidentially?
Off-market and NDA-gated. Nothing is publicly listed and nothing carries your name. Early materials use a reference code instead of your company name and address, buyers see identifying details only after signing an NDA you have approved by name, and you decide when your staff, key customers and suppliers are told. Many likely buyers are competitors or fellow suppliers to your customers, so who sees what, and when, is controlled step by step.
What is my manufacturing business worth?
It is priced off normalised earnings, meaning the accounts adjusted for owner-specific costs and one-off items, then checked against net tangible assets. For asset-heavy businesses those assets often act as a floor, at roughly 0.9 to 1.4 times their value. What moves the number most is customer concentration, the age of the machines, and qualifications in aerospace, medical or semiconductor work. Owner-operated manufacturers in Singapore typically change hands at roughly 3 to 4 times normalised EBITDA, with up to about 5 times only for larger, well-qualified businesses with competing buyers. Owned property is valued separately. We give you a written valuation under NDA, for a fixed fee credited against our success fee if you sell with us.
Who buys manufacturing and engineering businesses in Singapore?
Listed Singapore engineering and manufacturing groups adding capability or capacity, regional and Japanese manufacturers wanting a qualified Singapore base, competitors buying customers or machines, and occasionally the management team. Strategic buyers tend to pay most for qualifications and customer relationships that take years to build. Each type values the same business differently, which is why approaching several quietly usually beats accepting the first approach.
What happens to my factory or JTC property when I sell?
It is usually valued separately from the business, because property and operations are priced on different terms. You may sell it with the company, keep it and lease it to the buyer, or sell it on its own. Each route carries different tax, financing and JTC consequences. JTC generally has to approve transfers and may limit how space can be sublet, so the options need checking with your lawyer and accountant early. Deciding this before buyers are approached keeps it from becoming a late argument.
What does Clearmere charge to sell a manufacturing business?
Our sale fee is success-based and paid on completion: no sale, no fee. A written valuation is a separate fixed fee, agreed and paid before we start, and credited in full against our success fee if you sign with us within 6 months and the sale completes. The first conversation, a short questionnaire and our written recommendation on which valuation fits are free and carry no obligation.
One customer makes up most of my revenue. Is my business still sellable?
Usually yes, but expect it to shape both the price and the structure. A buyer worries that the customer will review its suppliers after a change of ownership, or move work elsewhere. That risk is often managed through deferred payments, earn-outs tied to the customer's volumes, or a longer handover. What helps most is evidence: the length of the relationship, the qualifications and approvals that make you hard to replace, and any contracts in place. We present that case early rather than let a buyer discover the concentration and reprice.
