Australian logistics giant Toll Group announced on Monday, Jan. 17, the opening of a local office in the Philippines, expanding its footprint across Asia.
The Toll Group said that while it has maintained a presence in the Philippines since 2007 through local partners, the pivot towards a direct presence in-country provides with more autonomy and control over operations and service quality.
“More importantly, local businesses stand to gain access to Toll Group’s extensive global freight forwarding network, allowing them to tap new business opportunities that lie beyond the Philippines, such as regional manufacturing value chains,” the company said in a statement.
The office, located at Aseana City in Parañaque City, is strategically situated within the business district in close proximity to major sea and airports.
Based on current market trends, Toll Group is forecasting its Philippines office to achieve high double-digit growth in the next five years, with focus verticals being the industrial, retail, technology, and automotive sectors.
The Toll Group also appointed Benjamin Bathan as its country manager for the Philippines. Based in the Philippines, he will be responsible for driving go-to-market efforts and building the local team’s capabilities for future growth in-country.
Bathan brings close to 20 years of supply chain experience, having held positions in sales and operations functions in the shipping and freight forwarding industries.
Prior to joining Toll Group, he was previously the ocean general manager for a Japanese logistics firm, where he was responsible for all ocean freight activities.
“A key objective of our direct expansion into the Philippines was to enhance access to global opportunities for local businesses. Many freight forwarders in the Philippines operate through a partner-based model and do not personally own a global or regional supply chain network, creating challenges in visibility and quality control,” Bathan said.
“The launch of a local office enables Toll Group to fill this service gap, offering businesses in the Philippines access to our extensive global network and Asia-centric expertise to strengthen their growth prospects amid the uncertainty arising from the pandemic.”
Connecting local businesses to global value chains aligns with ongoing efforts at the national level to tap the Philippines’ unrealized $49 billion export potential via the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) for 2022-2027. Significant progress has been made in the area of trade facilitation, with the Philippines being ranked third in their ability to streamline trade processes and procedures based on a United Nations survey.
“The arrival of Covid-19 has made diversification of supply networks imperative for businesses not just in the Philippines but across the world. Today, uncertainties and supply chain bottlenecks have made a multimodal approach to transport and the ability to access multiple suppliers and markets critical for business continuity and resilience,” Rajeev Sood, senior vice president for Asean and Indian subcontinent at Toll Global Forwarding, said
“Having a direct presence in the Philippines reaffirms Toll Group’s commitment to helping businesses across Asia navigate supply chain challenges and contributes to the continued expansion of our regional network and presence.”
