NOL Group Moves to Phoenix
Global container transportation and logistics group Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) said it will relocate its Americas regional headquarters to the greater Phoenix, Arizona, area during the second half of 2009.
The headquarters shift is part of NOL’s global strategy to place its cost structure on a more sustainable footing in the face of the current economic downturn, while continuing to provide the highest standards of service to its customers.
NOL said the move from its current headquarters in Oakland, California, to Arizona should be completed during the third quarter of the year.
“We’re excited to announce that Arizona will be the new home for our regional headquarters,” said NOL’s Regional President for the Americas, John Bowe. “The greater Phoenix area will be a cost-effective base of operations for us and we’re going to a state that is well-known for its support and encouragement of business.”
Bowe added that cost was not the only factor in the decision to relocate the regional headquarters. “Arizona will be a very convenient location from which to manage our operations throughout the Americas,” he said. “And the civic and business community has been very welcoming. We’re looking forward to making Arizona our home.”
The Americas regional headquarters coordinates NOL’s shipping, terminals and logistics activities across North, Central and South America. While the regional headquarters office is moving, the company stressed that its shipping line – APL – will continue to call regularly at its West Coast marine terminals in Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles. APL’s global services also include vessel calls at ports up and down the U.S. East Coast as well as in Central and South America.
The relocation to Arizona is one of a series of cost-saving measures NOL has announced over recent months as global containerized trade conditions have continued to decline. Other initiatives undertaken by the group include: Reducing capacity in its major ocean trade lanes; Idling vessels; and Restructuring its Logistics business.
Relocation is the latest of those measures to be implemented. It is a necessary step for the future, Bowe said, to establish an effective long-term cost structure for the group’s Americas headquarters.
“We have always benefited from the hard work of our Oakland management and staff,” Bowe said. “We are confident that the move to our new location will be accomplished with the same professionalism and care for our customers’ business as has been the case during our years in Oakland.”
