AFFINITY Express Inc., a leading provider of outsourced graphic and design services, formally launched on Monday its Philippine operations, a move that is in tune with its strategic growth plans.

The company is owned by LiveIt Solutions Inc., the holding company for Ayala Corp.’s investments in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

“A presence in Manila has long been part of our strategic plan. It made sense to accelerate efforts when Affinity Express was acquired by LiveIt in January 2007. The investment has paid off, as the capabilities, talent and commitment of our local team have resulted in the consistent satisfaction of our clients and the expansion of our business with them,” said chief executive Kenneth Swanson in a press briefing.

The company’s Manila unit currently has 250 employees and is expected to end the year with 300. This number is seen to double next year to keep pace with the industry growth.

“We established this subsidiary in the Philippines because of its large pool of talented college graduates with excellent design skills who are well-attuned to the popular culture in the US where most of our clients are based,” said Affinity Express Philippines president J. Ricardo Moran.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the company is 100-percent dedicated to graphic design and services. The services it offers include creative design for print and online advertisements, web sites and branded marketing collateral. It also maintains an operation in Pune, India.

Affinity has over 6,000 clients in the newspaper, direct mail, publishing, printing and promotional pro-ducts industries as well as major corporations. The company’s clients are mostly located in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and the Philippines.

Ayala president Fernando Zobel de Ayala is optimistic of the company’s potential to experience rapid growth in the Philippines.

“That’s because we are leveraging the very large and rich pool of talented fine arts and graphic design professionals in the Philippines and we have a unique cultural affinity with the US, where most of our customers are located,” he said.

The Ayala group expanded into BPO in mid-2006 through LiveIt and since then has invested around $120 million in various companies such as e-Telecare Global Solutions, Integreon Managed Solutions Inc. and Affinity Express.

“LiveIt’s strategy is to acquire or invest in existing US, Philippines, or India BPO companies that provide complex services and have proven management teams,” said Ayala.

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Ayala-owned design BPO opens RP office

AFFINITY Express Inc., a leading provider of outsourced graphic and design services, formally launched on Monday its Philippine operations, a move that is in tune with its strategic growth plans.

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