Logistics firm DHL Global Forwarding has set aside Euros 25 million (roughly P1.2 billion) for the expansion of its Philippine operations, an official said.
Stephen Ly, managing director of DHL Global Forwarding Philippines, Inc., said the budget covers all their business units in the country. In the past 18 months, he said they have put up three new facilities in Batangas, Subic and Cebu.
“The Philippine economy has been doing well. Our confidence in the market is quite significant,” he said.
The Philippines was among the first markets in Asia that DHL tapped. The first DHL Express office opened in the country in 1972, Ly said.
Ly and other top executives were here for the inauguration Monday of the forwarding company’s regional headquarters in Lapu-Lapu City. The new office serves the Visayas and Mindanao area.
Ly said, however, that the Philippines lacks infrastructure to support the growing forwarding industry.
Although this is not discouraging for the company, it is for their customers, he added.
“By far, there is no other company that can compete, although there is always room for improvement,” he said.
He said DHL is finding new ways to improve its services in order to be able to serve clients better.
The company’s competitive edge lies in the size of its network, net sales and well-trained and equipped management, said Andreas Baller, head of sales and marketing.
“The company is very good at talking to its partners,” he said.
Nonie Abcede, Airfreight head, said the company gives back to the community through its scholarship program that benefits the children of company workers, among others.
Globally, DHL has a partnership with Teach for All, an international organization working to provide education in high-need areas around the world.
DHL Global Forwarding is part of Deutsche Post DHL, an international postal and logistics service group with operations in over 220 countries.