P&O NEDLLOYD TRANSFERS 1,300 DOCUMENTATION, BACK OFFICE JOBS TO INDIA, CHINA

P&O NEDLLOYD TRANSFERS 1,300 DOCUMENTATION, BACK OFFICE JOBS TO INDIA, CHINA    P&O Nedlloyd will transfer 1,300 documentation, accounting and other back office jobs to offices based in low-wage locations in India and mainland China.
   The carrier’s “shared service services” in Pune and Chennai, India, and Shenzhen, China, will increase their combined staff from 700 now to 2,000 at the end of 2003.
   In July, P&O Nedlloyd will transfer its Australian-based documentation activities to its China-based centralized office. In October, P&O Nedlloyd will transfer the documentation tasks of its former Canadian agent, McLean Kennedy, to India, according to sources close to the company.
   P&O Nedlloyd expects the shared service centers in India and China to lower its cost and help standardization of its processes.
   “In future I would expect to see up to 40-50 percent of P&O Nedlloyd’s activities being channelled through the shared service centers,” John Williams, general manager of the company, said in the carrier’s internal publication.
   P&O Nedlloyd also expects the specialized offshore centers to increase the quality and accuracy of its service.
   The Indian service centers are moving onto 24-hour work, thanks to a shift system, the company said.
   The Indian offices will provide back office work for western countries, whereas the Chinese center will work for P&O Nedlloyd’s Asian countries.
   P&O Nedlloyd has recently announced an overall plan to reduce its worldwide staff by 1,000.
   Singapore-based APL, which is also reorganizing its back office activities, is preparing to centralize its Asian documentation work in Shanghai.