Manila, 12 August 2009 – TNT, one of the world’s leading express integrators, today officially opened its new North Luzon depot in San Fernando, Pampanga. The PHP15M depot is expected to significantly increase TNT’s connectivity and presence in Region 3, particularly in the special economic zones of Subic and Clark, as well as the rest of Northern Luzon. The new depot is part of TNT’s continued investment in Southeast Asia and is integral to the company’s plans to build its presence and market reach in the Philippines, and across the region.

The depot’s proximity to Subic, Clark, Angeles, and Bataan economic zones provides the flexibility of extended pick-up and delivery cut-off times. Backed up by TNT’s established network in Europe, the Middle East and the rest of Asia, customers are easily connected from the Philippines to markets from these regions and the rest of the world.

Chris Spanjaard, operations director, TNT Asia, said: “The opening of the Pampanga depot is another key milestone in TNT’s growth strategy in South East Asia. The depot will further improve the services offered by TNT to its customers in the Philippines and will enhance the connectivity and quality of the TNT Asia air and road network.”

Capable of handling 400 tons of shipments per day, the depot boasts exceptional processing and turn-around of shipments.  As a transshipment hub, consignments from neighboring locators pass through the depot to be sorted, labeled and consolidated, ready for airline processing.  The new depot is expandable to accommodate heavy freight equipment and machinery and can provide additional warehousing to nearby locators, serving as a Forward Stock Locator (FSL) for businesses with distribution requirements. The facility is also connected to TNT’s Global Track and Trace systems giving clients the convenience of knowing the exact location and status of their shipments in real time.

Cetin Yalcin, country general manager of TNT Philippines said, “We’ve built the Pampanga depot with freight operational capability, backed up by our strong global network and ISO-certified processes. We have significantly invested in this depot with the goal of offering even greater value to our customers. We are very excited to be here in the North and locators from the area have already expressed interest in TNT’s presence in the region. They like the fact that there is a dedicated service provider that is flexible to their current and future shipment needs. With further expansion and investment in mind, we are poised to drive the express and freight market in this region as well as in the rest of the Philippines.”

The new Pampanga facility boasts an 800 square meter operational area for handling, check-in, Larose label printing, data entry, scanning, bagging, consolidation, and deconsolidation activities, including a 30 pallet-position selective racking facility ideal for various storage requirements. CCTV cameras are also installed, making it a 24/7 security-controlled depot. With the latest technology in place, TNT customers are assured of seamless and efficient processing of their shipments.