NOL celebrates move from Shanghai to Chongqing

Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), which moved its China administration and service centre out of Shanghai into a new base in Chongqing, celebrated its official opening yesterday, reported Busines Times Singapore.

With office rentals and staff costs soaring in Shanghai, the global logistics firm scoured scores of locations in China and across Asia for an alternative site before eventually settling on the southwestern Chongqing municipality.

The new office is called the APL Chongqing Global Service Centre. The 7,000 sq m facility spanning two, eight-storey towers is NOL's biggest office outside of its Singapore headquarters, and company's group president and chief executive Ron Widdows said there was potential for it to expand in future to become its largest globally.

NOL currently has 46 offices with over 1,800 staff throughout China. The centre provides back-office operations and support to NOL's container shipping business.

"We made the decision to come to Chongqing because it's cost-effective, there's a high level of engagement among the people, as well as a pro-active government that went out of its way to provide access to facilities and help us recruit good people," Widdows said.

Located at the New North Zone high-tech industrial park near the city's main airport, the centre has already recruited more than 600 employees, mostly fresh university graduates with an average age of just 23 years. This number is expected to grow over the next few years.

With its ships calling at various ports in China, NOL's business related to Chinese imports and exports make up about 60 per cent of the group's total revenues.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)