Flash Express, Thailand’s first unicorn company, is building its presence in the Philippines as the next major delivery service and logistics provider that aims to hire 10,000 Filipinos this year.
Company shareholder representative Tony Luo said the Philippines is one of the target markets of Flash Express, as it commenced its market research two years ago.
“Our research compared industry practice in Thailand and Malaysia. But we found out, along the way, that the Philippine, despite having numerous logistics players, still needs better logistics service. Because of its big population, e-commerce here is growing by leaps and bound. We expect Philippine e-commerce to rise steadily. That’s why we’re here,” he said during the public launch on Nov. 29.
Flash Express Philippines is an integrated e-commerce service provider established in August. Driven by its commitment to be the fastest, most reliable and cost-effective courier, the company remarkably increased its reach in a span of three months with 138 hubs nationwide.
It recently signed partnership with e-commerce player Lazada and remains open to partnerships even start-ups and micro-entrepreneurs.
Building on the strength of its mother company in Thailand, the Philippine unit is committed to ensuring fast and reliable service 24/7, 364 days a year, delivering goods and parcels even on holidays.
“Our system is not only designed for those needing delivery service. We partner with entrepreneurs and business-minded people who want to start their own business, specifically those who are selling online,” Luo said.
Despite having similar systems as with Flash Express Thailand, Luo said the company will tailor fit some services to be more consumer-sensitive in a market which has its own dynamics.
“I know our company understands that customer needs differ from country to country, that is why we are able to market our logistics service. We have a strong and confident pool of technicians who have backend and on-ground to develop a better system for the Filipinos and Philippine market,” he said.
An important segment of Flash Express’ investment in the Philippines is the integration of all services to the company website and manpower strengthening and capital expenditures on its fleet of riders.
“As you can see, we are very professional on each segment of our business. We adhere to all business and legal process. We have a strategic plan to identify first what are the key service areas to start a deal. We also ask ourselves if we have the rapidly covered all operations nationwide. And we and too happy to know that in just in a short span of three months, we are prepared,” said Flash Express Philippines general manager John de Guzman Tarampi.
Flash Express aims to become a household buzzword in delivery and courier services in the Philippines a year from now. It has detailed plans on how to be a reliable partner to all types of businesses where not only big brands are welcome but also budding entrepreneurs.
It started with one hub in Laguna with 50 service areas in the National Capital Region including the cities of Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Manila, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pateros, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig and Valenzuela.
In September, it has expanded to 25 provinces in Luzon that include Albay, Aurora, Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Oriental Mindoro, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Rizal, Sorsogon, Tarlac and Zambales.
As of October, Flash Express was servicing 128 municipalities nationwide, checking out an average of 5,000 deliveries every day.
The company is also on point on its corporate target to create a massive logistics network that will cover all 7,106 islands of the Philippines.
“We have more than 130 distribution centers and we aim to have at least 300 by the end of the year. So that speaks volumes of how we have really reached our target, at least for this year alone,” said company legal head for express operations Niquee Louise Yap-Espiritu.
“Flash Express has been very blessed to have been given this opportunity to be of service to the Filipinos. The vision of Flash Express has always been to reach out to our kababayans, to be of service to them,” she said.
Flash Express has given employment to 3,000 Filipinos in the first few months of operations in the Philippines which it plans to expand to 10,000 as it spreads its footprint nationwide.
