Swedish envoy leads opening of Transcom satellite office in Davao City
DAVAO, Philippines – Her Excellency Annika Thunborg, Ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines, led a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open the new, highly-equipped satellite office of Swedish-owned BPO company Transcom Worldwide Philippines, Inc. for its Work-At-Home (WAH) agents in Davao City on March 23, 2022.
The new hub, called “T:Space”, will serve as a venue for training, collaboration, and IT equipment deployments to support WAH operations. It is also a back-up workspace for employees who are experiencing service issues that prevent them from working at home effectively.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is held at the facade of T:Space. This is led by (from left to right) Ambassador Annika Thunborg; Kenneth Juarez, Managing Director for Transcom Asia Pacific; and Manuel Ching, T:Space Building Administrator.
“I know that during the pandemic, Transcom had to adapt its work methods from office work to home office, and this was something that was not particularly easy for your line of business,” H.E. Thunborg said. “Therefore, it is especially exciting to see that Transcom is adjusting to the new normal hybrid office arrangements and I commend you on this innovative strategy as the opening of your first satellite office in Davao City implies.”
Ambassador Thunborg also emphasized the continuous collaborative work between the Embassy of Sweden, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, and the Davao City Investment Promotion Center in developing investments and businesses in the region.
Ambassador Annika Thunborg, Kenneth Juarez, and officials from the Philippine labor and employment sectors interact with members of the media during the press conference.
“It is very important for Swedish companies to look outside of Metro Manila for investment and trade opportunities and Davao should be a top priority for the sake of its strategic location, proximity to transport hubs and its support to investors,” she said.
T:Space is located in Door 1, Ground floor, Bldg. 3, Matina IT Park, McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City. Aside from being a BCP hub, it will also serve as a venue for training, IT operations, team meetings, and storage and deployment space for WAH equipment.
The new workspace was blessed, and prayers were dedicated for Transcom’s endeavors in Davao City. Aside from being a business continuity hub, T:Space will also serve as a venue for training, IT operations, team meetings, and storage and deployment location for work-at-home equipment.
“One of the things that we have seen with work-at-home environments is that it takes a toll on employees. Infrastructure sometimes goes down whether because of power outage or internet issues,” said Kenneth Juarez, Managing Director for the Asia Pacific.
He explained, “Hence, this hub was created for meetings, training and collaboration for our people. If there are power outages or calamities, the doors are open for our people to come and find a safe place to be and to work, if necessary. This is a blessing to all of us.”
In the same manner, Mark Lyndsell, CEO for the Transcom Global English Region, attested that the remote work arrangement was one of the most viable employment setups for the workforce albeit some challenges in our employees’ households.
“With T:Space, we aim to ensure business continuity and provide quality, uninterrupted service for our clients and their customers at the same time that we are offering our employees a safe and welcoming environment to work,” Lyndsell said.
Transcom first set foot in Davao City in August 2018 when it acquired Awesome OS. The Philippines and Sweden enjoy a long-standing friendship strengthened by common values practiced by Swedish companies like Transcom. In fact, Transcom is the biggest Swedish company in the Philippines with more than 12,000 employees in the country.
“Over the last four years, the average growth rate of Swedish companies in the Philippines has been 8.5 percent. This is worth noting this year as we commemorate 75 years of bilateral relations between Sweden and the Philippines,” said Ambassador Thunborg. “I look forward to close collaboration with Transcom and other Swedish companies in general on the wider sustainability agenda… to spearhead new and innovative technologies and solutions.”
The T:Space opening ceremony was also graced with the presence of Lilibeth Pantinople, Senior Labor and Employment Officer of the Public Employment Service Office (PESO); Lorraine Grace Ugsang, Davao City Employment FOCAL Person from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); Caroline Co, HR Senior Vice President for the Asia Pacific; Manuel Ching, T:Space Building Administrator; Brendan Tirador, General Contractor; and Keseree Ng, Design Architect.
With currently more than 300 clients worldwide, Transcom continues to strategically expand its local and global reach as it works with over 200 leading brands in e-commerce, services, utilities, and telecommunications industries. Over 30,000 Transcom employees work in 69 contact centers and work-at-home networks across 26 countries, driving brands through customer care, sales, content moderation and back-office services.
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