Manila, Philippines – Toll Group, an Australian transportation and logistics company, has announced its opening of its first office in the Philippines to effectively support Philippine-based businesses in their supply chain needs, empowering them with a suite of in-class supply chain solutions and access to regional growth opportunities.
As part of that new endeavor, Toll Group has appointed Benjamin Bathan as its country manager in the Philippines. In his new role, he will be responsible for driving go-to-market efforts and building the local team’s capabilities for future growth in-country. He brings in close to 20 years of supply chain experience, having held positions in sales and operations functions in the shipping and freight forwarding industries.
Toll Group has long maintained a presence in the Philippines since 2007, working mainly through local partners. This pivot towards a direct presence in-country provides Toll Group with more autonomy and control over operations and service quality, streamlining goods transition and coordination in line with industry best practices.
In addition, local businesses stand to gain access to Toll Group’s extensive global freight forwarding network, allowing them to tap new business opportunities that lie beyond the Philippines, such as regional manufacturing value chains.
For Bathan, the launch of a local office enables Toll Group to fill in the service gap of offering businesses in the Philippines access to their extensive global network and Asia-centric expertise to strengthen their growth prospects amid the uncertainty arising from the pandemic.
“A key objective of our direct expansion into the Philippines was to enhance access to global opportunities for local businesses. Many freight forwarders in the Philippines operate through a partner-based model and do not personally own a global or regional supply chain network, creating challenges in visibility and quality control,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rajeev Sood, senior vice president for ASEAN and Indian Subcontinent at Toll Global Forwarding, commented that a direct presence in the Philippines reaffirms Toll Group’s commitment to helping businesses across Asia navigate supply chain challenges and contributes to the continued expansion of their regional network and presence.
“The arrival of COVID-19 has made diversification of supply networks imperative for businesses not just in the Philippines but across the world. Today, uncertainties and supply chain bottlenecks have made a multimodal approach to transport and the ability to access multiple suppliers and markets critical for business continuity and resilience,” Sood stated.
