Pinoy skills potential awes Daimler Group

CEBU, Philippines - The positive disposition of Filipinos and the strong skills potential of the local labor market prompted a German company to open its first shared service center in Cebu, Philippines, thus providing employment opportunities for finance and accounting professionals to back up its projected steady and exponential business growth in the country.

Last Saturday, Daimler Group Services Philippines Inc., (DGSP) inaugurated its new office at Creativo IT Center II Building in Cebu Business Park.

It is the newest and wholly-owned subsidiary of the German car and trucks manufacturer, the Daimler Group which is the maker of the popularly-known Mercedes Benz, one of the leading automotive brands in the premium cars market segment.

DGSP is a shared service entity set up to provide financial administration, accounting and consultancy services for  Daimler Group subsidiaries in the Asia Pacific region and Africa.

It started operating in Cebu in 2011 but was previously housed in its temporary office at Robinsons Cybergate in Fuente Osmeña.

DGSP board chairman Klaus Eser said that the Daimler group management is convinced that they made the “right decision” to relocate in Cebu and infuse further growth in the country given the dedicated talent of the local manpower, availability of business infrastructure needed for the operations of outsourcing companies and the highly-qualified Filipino labor market with its fluency in the English language.

“The culture and people in the Philippines fits better with us. It is easy for us, Europeans, to work with Filipinos because they are very professional, dedicated to the job, very friendly, and warm. They make everybody feel at home,” he said.

He added that they foresee a steady business growth in the Philippines and strong employment generation opportunities for skilled professionals and management individuals.

“That’s why we see a clear strategy and a strong vision towards the long-term growth of our company in Cebu and we are confident to grow in the Philippines,” he continued.

Eser shared that the decision of opening its third shared service center was originally between India and Philippines since the Daimler Group also has existing production sites in the former.

He further cited that they see a large potential of growth in Cebu since Metro Manila has already become a hotspot for foreign investors and competitors.

He added that they intend to expand into functions other than finance services for the Cebu shared service center, which includes controlling management reporting, human resource and other administrative processes.

DGSP president and chief executive officer Heiko Nitsche echoed the same sentiments as Eser, saying that their strategy to grow the company’s workforce could be addressed by hiring intelligent Filipino employees who are also gifted with the warmth and positive spirit of the people.

“We are impressed with Cebu and the skills of Filipinos. With our commitment for innovation and further growth, we know we have invested on the best people we could hire,” he stated.

Nitsche said that they plan to provide support services to five new countries such as Thailand, South Africa, Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam next year. This October, it will officially introduce its services in Japan. 

The Daimler Group also has other shared service sites in Madrid and Berlin to support its back office activities related to finance and accounting for Europe and Germany.

Founded in 1886, the global car manufacturer currently employs 275,l000 people worldwide.  113 of which are located in Cebu. Last year, it ended with US$150 billion worth of total revenues. /JOB (FREEMAN)