[ manilastandardtoday.com ] August 13, 2009
by Roderick T. dela Cruz
SAN FERNANDO City, Pampanga—Dutch logistics giant TNT Express Worldwide opened its new depot in this city yesterday in a vote of confidence to the Philippine economy and the growth potential of the Subic-Clark economic corridor.
“We believe that this is a very promising area for business. That is why we are here,” Cetin Yalcin, country general manager of TNT Philippines, told reporters.
The new depot is capable of handling 400 tons of shipments daily. It has an 800-square-meter operational area for handling, check-in, Larose label printing, data entry, scanning, bagging, consolidation and deconsolidation activities, including a multi-pallet-position selective racking facility ideal for various storage requirements. CCTV cameras are also installed, making it a 24/7 security-controlled depot.
“We are very excited to be here in the north and locators from the area have already expressed interest in TNT’s presence in the region. They like the fact that there is a dedicated service provider that is flexible to their current and future shipment needs. With further expansion and investment in mind, we are poised to drive the express and freight market in this region as well as in the rest of the Philippines,” said Yalcin.
He said TNT Philippines expected to post double-digit growth in volume handled this year, despite the global economic downturn, as it seeks new clients, including Texas Instruments, which has invested $1 billion in Clark Freeport.
He said the new depot in Pampanga was a part of the 200-million-euro investment program of TNT in the Asia-Pacific region over a five-year period. The depot aims to take advantage of the growth of the economic zones in Subic and Clark, even as other freight providers like Federal Express and UPS moved their regional hubs out of the country.
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