TNT picks Malaysia for Asian debut of archive services

TNT has chosen Malaysia for the Asian debut of its archive services, with an initial investment of RM1 million in related equipment and software.

TNT Malaysia and Brunei managing director Gerry Power said TNT was the first international express company to launch a business records management service in Asia, designed to archive and manage medical records, business records and legal documents format for any length of time.

According to him, TNT Archive Services are useful for sectors that are especially documentation-heavy, including financial institutions, legal and professional services, government and manufacturing.

“The entire operations in Malaysia are computerised and all archived materials are stored under secure conditions,” he said, adding that TNT’s Asia Security Command and Control Centre in Petaling Jaya which maintains camera surveillance on all facilities 24 hours a day.

The new service was launched Friday by Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, together with the official opening of Penang’s TNT Global Express Centre, located in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone here.

Speaking at a press conference, Power said if customers required any documents, TNT will deliver them within the same day or the next business day.

“We are poised to open more archive facilities across Malaysia within next six months due to our customers’ demand. The nature of the business is such that growth is inherent to a certain extent, as existing customers continually expand the amount of the archived records,” he said.

On Penang’s TNT Global Express Centre, Power said the investment was in tandem with the rapid growth of Penang and also to serve an expanding market in Perak, Kedah and Perlis.

Built at the cost of RM8 million, the 22,000-square foot facility is part of the continuing investment in Malaysia by TNT under its RM15 million expansion plan for 2006.

Power said TNT’s expansion in tandem with Penang’s drive to be the logistics hub for the northern region and the demand of the industry to serve the Northern Corridor Economic Region, comprising Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak.

He said demand for TNT’s solutions has been strong and with the growth in volumes in the past year, it was time for TNT to scale up its operations.

“We are also attracted to Penang’s potential to become a key centre for life science and biotechnology industries and this investment underscores the synergies between TNT’s strengths and Penang’s capabilities,” he added.

Power said the centre is life science-ready for the safe handling of time and temperature-sensitive clinical specimens such as blood, vaccines and drugs which played an important role for hospitals and laboratories, and also able to handle dangerous goods.

On TNT Malaysia, Power said 2006 was strong year for the company with double-digit growth in the key areas of high technology and special services, and the Asia Road Network, the integrated road network spanning Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand which was launched in December 2005.

He said besides the expansion programmes in Penang, Johor Baharu and Kuala Lumpur, TNT will improve and expand its customer call centre and establish back office support for Asia.

TNT has a long-established presence in Malaysia of 30 years with operations consisting of three international hubs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Penang and Johor Baharu, and a network of 10 branches.