THE Denmark-based Grundfos IS recently opened a satellite office at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City to house its information technology (IT) support services.
Grundfos is the world’s leading manufacturers of pumps.
The expansion in Manila was marked by the inauguration of its new office. The rite was led by Denmark Minister for Trade and Development Morgens Jensen.
The opening of the company’s new office for IT support is part of its globalization drive, which targets to improve presence in various countries “by using the whole world as a working place to grow the business.”
The Grundfos IT center will initially employ 90 people, but the company expects to increase its personnel to 200 in the coming years, buoyed by the company’s impressive global growth since 2000.
“Grundfos has pursued global optimization since the year 2000 when we moved the first production lines from Denmark to Hungary,” Grundfos Chairman Jens Hartmann said in a statement.
“This process has been continued to maintain our business and increase competitiveness. We have more than doubled our employees globally in that period and more than doubled our turnover.”
Grundfos has been operating a sales office in the Philippines for almost 20 years.
Hans Ole Steensig, general manager, said Grundfos chose the Philippines as the base for its IT services owing to the potential of hiring “talented and English-speaking workforce, stable economy and government support.”
He said the Filipinos’ “very good command” of the English language is their first consideration for employing local talents. “That’s aside from their being service-minded and hospitable.”
The strong local business-process outsourcing industry and government support and incentives, particularly those extended by the Philippine Export Zone Authority, were also important in their choice of the Philippines.
Grundfos produces more than 16 million pump units annually. Among its products are circulator and centrifugal pumps for heating and air conditioning.
The company also manufactures submersible pumps and electric motors.