DHL launches express service from China
Traders in the country will now find it convenient to trade with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world through a new service of DHL world-wide Express.
DHL’s China First program picks up shipments from suppliers in China and delivers them directly to the importer anywhere in the world, said incoming country manager Mike Fitzpatrick.
“We all know that China is an attractive global manufacturing hub. And the transformation of the Chinese economy is proceeding more rapidly than almost any other nation in history. There is a big potential in the service (China First), enabling our Philippine customers to trade with China easily and more speedily,” he said during the launching of the service in Cebu at the Grand Convention Center Thursday.
Fitzpatrick said China First targets the massive growth potential of international trade with China.
China’s total import and export volume last year exceeded $400 billion. This gives China the seventh highest trade volume throughout the world, he said.
And China’s strength is projected to grow even more now that it has full membership in the World Trade Organization.
The Cebu Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s Filomeno Lim lauded DHL for its latest initiative, saying it was very timely, given the increasing trade betwen China and the Philippines.
For his part, DHL’s outgoing country manager Charles Brewer said the air express company had pledged to invest some 15 million euros (P764 million) in the country this year.
The amount is almost 50 per cent more than DHL’s P8-million Euro investments made in the country last year, he said on the sidelines of the launching.
Brewer said the firm had decided to invest more in telecommunication. In fact, two million euros of the total investment was placed in information technology infrastructure.
The rest of the investments will go to additional offices, new vehicles and additional people.
He said DHL would be hiring 30 more employees in Cebu and 420 in Manila.
DHL started operations in the Philippines 30 years ago. It was the very first DHL satellite office to be set up outside the United States and in the Asia Pacific region.
Fitzpatrick said DHL’s facilities in the Philippines are at par with the other DHL offices in other countries in the region.
“Our IT (information technology) and communications infrastructure are of global standards. We are at the forefront of technology. We offer fast, responsive and cost-effective express deliveries, e-commerce fulfillment and intelligent logistics solutions,” he said.
As regards the China First program, Fitzpatrick said packages would be delivered through a hassle-free Customs process with a single currency payment.
“Customers will have the benefit of a streamlined management of shipment transactions by receiving just one invoice to coordinate all monthly shipment details under one account,” he said.
