A European business process outsourcing (BPO) firm is set to open in Iloilo City in January 2010.
Duncan H. Cowie, Transcom vice-president and regional manager for North America and Asia Pacific, said the firm would initially employ more than 800 Ilonggos when the new facility opens next month.
“We plan to increase that capacity by 50% in the next six months. By March 2010, we expect to employ around 1,500 people and will increase to 2,000 by the end of next year,” Mr. Cowie said.
The construction of a new power plant in Iloilo was a key factor in the firm’s decision to locate here. “I consider power as a critical element of our business. And with power you have networks and the other elements that supply your infrastructure. I’m very excited that Iloilo has a new power plant coming on soon,” Mr. Cowie said.
Transcom will be located at the Amigo Plaza Mall on Iznart Street in downtown Iloilo City. The building has been accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as a special economic zone for information technology.
Manpower potentials also attracted Transcom to Iloilo City, after Metro Manila and Bacolod City. “We are not attracted by facilities or regions. We’re attracted by individuals. In other areas, our hiring rate is 20%-25% but in Iloilo it ranges from 40%-45%. Your hiring rate in Iloilo is double the national rate which speaks a lot of your manpower potentials here,” Mr. Cowie said.
Transcom began hiring and training employees more than a month ago. Chris Mason, vice-president for implementation and solutions, said the firm did not meet any difficulty in hiring employees, particularly for the management level.
“Hiring management level officers is usually the hardest process but here in Iloilo, we did not find it hard to get the people we need. It’s primarily because of the numerous universities in Iloilo,” Mr. Mason said.
Mr. Cowie said North America and Asia Pacific are the fastest-growing regions for Transcom’s operations.
“Transcom’s global growth is around 20%. In North America and Asia, the fastest-growing country is the Philippines. Our growth rate in Asia is more than 100% yearly. Two years ago, we only had 800 employees in the Philippines. This year, we already have more than 6,000 employees,” Mr. Cowie said.
Transcom’s main business areas are customer care, sales and support, credit management and additional customer-related services. It has 75 sites in 29 countries.
Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=2763
