A.P. Moller - Maersk lays off 700 in China

A.P. Moller - Maersk said it will close a global service center at Guangzhou, China and eliminate about 700 jobs.

   The company said it was taking the action both because of the global economic slowdown, which has affected our business volumes, as well as our ongoing effort to improve our systems and processes, especially over the past 12 months.   Operations in Guangzhou will be closed in a phased manner, and the company said a second service center at Shenzhen will continue to operate as normal, and some employees will be transferred from Guangzhou to Shenzhen.

   This difficult decision was made to ensure that the A.P. Moller - Maersk global service center's global operations remain competitive and cost effective while meeting core business requirements,the company said. Our customers will continue to be served without disruption.   The offices prepare documentation and do back office work for Maersk Line and other A.P. Moller companies. The company also has several global service centers in India and one in the Philippines.

   A.P. Moller - Maersk is committed to do what we can to find alternative jobs for others affected by this move, including short-term secondments, cross-postings or redeployment in other business units elsewhere within our network. Those staff, to whom we cannot offer alternative employment, will be given a severance package, which is fully compliant with both Chinese law and industry best practices, and above legal requirements, the company said. 

Source: American Shipper