3 US firms to set up backroom units in RP

Three American firms have decided to establish their backroom operations in the country, while a fourth is exploring its options.

This was announced yesterday by Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II who identified the three firms as Western Wats, Cy Med and Navigant Integrated Services (NIS).

The fourth, Cannon Design, is still weighing its options.

Western Wats, a data collection agency that conducts market research for industries such as automotive, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), telecommunications, insurance, financial and others, will establish a P275-million outbound call center for market research in Cebu.

Western Wats will operate initially with 50 seats, eventually increasing to 300 to 500 seats and will employ 100 Filipino workers once its starts building in one of the country’s information technology (IT) parks.

Cy Med is an existing locator in the country. It plans to double its output from 220 medical transcriptions to 440 MT. Cy Med has mapped out its business plan to establish systems of medical coding and will provide jobs for medical coders.

Cy Med is looking for a suitable techno park in Metropolitan Manila. The demand for offshore medical transcription outsourcing has been growing by about 20 percent every year.

NIS is another US company offering cutting-edge technology through state-of-the-art call centers.

It is planning to undertake a larger initiative in the Philippines by getting a cooperating call center in the next few months to handle travel activities for its clients.

Navigant International Inc., the second largest travel management services provider in North America, formed NIS two years ago to serve its large-scale corporate accounts.

Cannon Design is a US-based architectural, engineering and planning firm, which is exploring the possibility of outsourcing architectural and engineering design here.

According to Roxas, the decision of the three American firms to outsource their backroom operations in the Philippines is another positive indication of business confidence in the country.

It is also a recognition, Roxas said, of the Philippines’ advantage in terms of available facilities, international connectivity, competitive labor, English proficiency as well as government incentives for business.