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Posts Tagged ‘Iloilo’

Iloilo improves rank as BPO destination

January 16th, 2012

This city posted the biggest improvement among business process outsourcing (BPO) destinations in Southeast Asia as it climbed six notches, achieving a rank of 92 in the 2012 Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations report by investment and research firm Tholons.

Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog, who presented the report in his regular press conference last week, said the report tracked the performance of 12 key BPO locations in Southeast Asia, among others.

“Iloilo experienced a significant rise as aggressive development in infrastructure and capabilities development are pursued,” the Tholons report, a copy of which was furnished BusinessWorld, said.

Other Philippine cities included in the Tholons list retained their 2010 rank: Manila (4), Cebu (9) and Davao (69). Santa Rosa in Laguna improved its ranking to 86 from 88.

Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Singapore are also on the rise, improving their ranks by three and four places to 28 and 35, respectively. Penang in Malaysia climbed two notches to 77.

Hanoi in Vietnam and Jakarta in Indonesia retained their ranks at 21 and 62, respectively, while Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) went down by a notch to 17 and Bangkok, Thailand fell 10 notches to 87.

Mr. Mabilog cited recent infrastructure projects as major factors in the city’s jump in the BPO map ranking.

“The completion and operation of the coal-fired power plant in La Paz district stabilized our power supply,” he said.

“The price of electricity in Cebu might be lower but it’s only a difference of 16 centavos per kilowatt-hour, thus we are still competitive in terms of power.
“Also, recent land and building developments and widening of our roads also fueled our growth as an ideal BPO location.”

Mr. Mabilog said the Tholons ranking will be a tool in engaging and attracting more BPO locators in Iloilo City.

“We can use this recognition in attracting and inviting outsourcing companies and investors to the city. Compared to Cebu, we have more available spaces in the city and the suburbs in terms of land and commercial buildings,” he said.

“We are also looking at more prospects and future developments in basic infrastructures such as roads interlinking the city to its metro neighbors, particularly the airport.

“We also expect developments in ancillary services such as residential and recreational areas,” he added.

When asked about a pending bill in the US Congress which will cut outsourcing jobs from the said country, Mr. Mabilog said the US is not the only country that engages in outsourcing.

“There is still Europe and the rest of America and Asia. And I think outsourcing firms in the US will also try to resist the bill which might jack up their operations cost if they are forced to hire their citizens and result in more closures,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Tholons report said Manila’s or NCR’s (National Capital Region) growth as a BPO destination reinforced its reputation as the Southeast Asian region’s premier voice-based BPO hub.

The number of employees in the IT-BPO sector increased 10.6% from the previous year. Manila/NCR also remains an outsourcing hotbed as it hosts the delivery centers of major companies like HP, IBM, Dell, Convergys and Teleperformance.

“Interestingly, it was reported that the Philippines had recently surpassed India as the call center capital of the world with an estimated 400,000 call center agents compared to India’s 350,000,” the report added

Source:http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=Iloilo-improves-rank-as-BPO-destination&id=45078

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Ayala Land spending P1 billion on Iloilo outsourcing complex

June 13th, 2010

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Ayala Land, Inc. is spending some P1 billion for its business processes outsourcing (BPO) facility here. Antonino T. Aquino, Ayala Land president, said his firm wants to make a strong presence in Iloilo by putting up the Iloilo-Ayala Land TechnoHub on a two-hectare lot located at Riverside Boardwalk in Barangay San Rafael at Mandurriao district.

“Iloilo is one of the major growth centers with its rich pool of manpower. Ayala Land would like to have a strong presence here by putting up the technohub which will address the lack of BPO spaces in Iloilo City,” Mr. Aquino said during the groundbreaking ceremonies for the project last Friday.

Mr. Aquino said the project will replicate the company’s existing environment-friendly developments such as the UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub in Quezon City and One Evotech at the Nuvali project, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

The technohub will be constructed in three phases. The first building, with an initial cost of P305 million, is a four-storey structure with approximately 9,500 square meters of area for lease. It is expected to be finished by the first quarter of 2011. The construction of the next two buildings will cost Ayala Land approximately P600 million, Mr. Aquino added.

Mr. Aquino said the technohub will offer amenities needed by BPO locators such as a convenience store, backup generators, and a water reservoir.

The project straddles the Riverside Boardwalk Leisure Park and Smallville Business and Leisure Complex in Mandurriao district. “It will be sitting in a nice location with hotels, malls, restaurants and other infrastructure attractive to BPO locators. This is the best place for the technohub,” Mr. Aquino said.

Mr. Aquino also cited Iloilo’s “rich manpower potential which is the number one item that BPO locators are looking for.”

As regards the locators, Mr. Aquino said many outsourcing firms want to move to Iloilo City “but there are not enough office space for them.”

“Very often, the locators said they want to move in next month but it takes nine months to create a building like this. Hopefully by the end of the first quarter next year, the building will be complete, and if the prospects continue to be positive, we’ll follow it through with the next building,” he added.

Mr. Aquino said BPO clients such as Convergys in Metro Manila have approached the company and expressed plans to expand to areas like Iloilo.

Ayala Land is seeking accreditation with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority for the technohub to become a special economic zone for IT, which means tax and other incentives.

“The application for accreditation has been endorsed by the local government and with that strong support, we can get the accreditation by the time the first building is finished,” Mr. Aquino said.

Iloilo City Mayor-elect Jed Patrick E. Mabilog said Ayala Land is just one of many investors interested in putting up BPO facilities in the city. He said the city government is also eyeing to lease some government-owned lands to investors.

“We have lots of idle properties that are in strategic locations and suitable to the needs of the BPO sector. We can either lease these properties on a long-term basis or opt to enter into a build-operate-transfer scheme with the investors,” Mr. Mabilog said.

Source:http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=12573

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Outsourcing firm Transcom set to open third RP site in Iloilo

December 6th, 2009

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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.