SM-backed Airspeed expands logistics operations
SM Group-backed logistics firm Airspeed is opening three new warehouses in Southern Metro Manila and Cavite to keep up with surging e-commerce demand. Airspeed, a provider of freight management solutions, customized logistics, warehousing and customs releasing services, said it would also open new offices across the country to support its expansion.
“Retail has shifted massively in favor of online. Behind the scenes, there is a lot of work needed to make these critical deliveries happen which includes ensuring stocks are available and the right quantities and sizes are picked, packed securely, dispatched on time and replenished for succeeding orders,” Airspeed chair and president Rosemarie Rafael said in a statement on Friday.
The new warehouses, or e-fulfillment locations, will be situated in Carmona, Cavite, Asinan in Parañaque and in Pasay. E-commerce fulfillment consists of receiving and storing inventory, processing orders, picking and packing items and shipping orders to their final destination, the company explained. “Through these new hubs, Airspeed supports e-commerce or e-com enabler platforms which also support other businesses selling their products online in their back-end operations by doing their inventory management, kitting, packing and labeling for different brands they manage,” Airspeed said. Airspeed provides integrated logistics services through 82 partners in the Philippines and in 87 countries around the world, information on its website showed.
In 2018, the business captured the attention of SM Investments Corp., which acquired a minority stake in the company.
Airspeed said it also opened new offices this year in Bacolod, Negros Occidental; Cubao, Quezon City; and Carmona, Cavite. Currently, Airspeed’s headquarters is in Parañaque with branch offices in Makati, Clark in Pampanga, Cebu City, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro.
To boost its portfolio of online services, the company launched UnboxMe, a cross-border delivery platform allowing the shipment of goods in US stores to addresses in the Philippines.
It also rolled out PinaSpeed, a nationwide online pick-up and delivery service catering to online microbusinesses in the Philippines. “I’m very optimistic about what we can do for this year and the years to come,” Rafael said.
“We need to be innovative and creative and listen very closely to the pulse of the market to meet the changing needs. We remain true to our mission of providing global customers the highest quality of logistics services and innovative end-to-end solutions,” she added.
