In­summer­ 2012, ­a­ new­ ERNI ­subsidiary ­opens ­its ­doors­ in ­Manila, ­the­ capital ­of ­the ­Philippines.­ This ­first ­location ­in ­South east ­Asia ­is ­the ­foundation ­for ­the ­company’s ­further ­development ­and ­the ­next step­ towards­ the ­vision ­“Swiss ­Engineering ­global ­local, ­100­x­100”.­

During the long and thorough evaluation process of a location in Southeast­ Asia, ­the­ responsible ­task force­at ­ERNI­ realized ­that ­the re­are ­many ­key ­factors ­in ­favor­ of ­the ­Philippines: ­The­ country ­has ­a ­functioning ­market ­of ­well-educated­ software­ engineers. ­Large­ IT-companies ­such ­as ­IBM ­and Accenture­ run ­development­ centers­ in ­Manila­ with ­20,000 ­employees­ each.­

English,­ along­ with ­Filipino, ­is ­one­ of ­the­ official­ languages.­ More­ than ­80­% ­of ­Filipinos ­are ­Roman­Catholic­ and ­share­ our­ values. ­And­ last,­ but ­not ­least: ­Manila ­offers ­sufficient ­modern­ office­ space­ and­very­ good­ security.

Next stop: Singapore

The­ next ­stop ­on ­the­ global ­expansion ­journey­ is ­Singapore:­ In­ 2013, ­the­ company­ starts ­a­ new ­Market Unit­ ­in­ the­ city-state­ that ­will­ bring­ the ­ERNI ­services ­to ­market.­

The­ list ­of­ Swiss­ corporations­ in ­Singapore­ is ­abundant ­and ­encompasses­ major ­players ­such ­as Roche, ABB, ­Novartis, ­Mettler-Toledo, ­UBS ­and­ Credit­ Suisse. ­No ­wonder­ – ­the ­island ­nation­ is­ one of the most attractive business locations in the world, with enormous growth rates, a huge technology sector and proximity to ­all ­the­ large­ Southeast­ Asian ­markets.­

Singapore­ is ­a ­leading ­destination ­for ­global­ businesses­ of ­all ­sizes. ­And­ for­ ERNI,­ entry­ into­ this market hopefully ­will ­lead­ to ­further­ expansion ­within ­Asia. ­Thus,­ the­ new­ site­ is­ the­ first ­real ­test ­for ­ERNI’s internationalization­ strategy. ­It­ provides­ the ­company­ with ­valuable­ insights­ into ­how ­a­ competitive market­ such­ as ­Singapore­ responds­ to ­its ­services ­and ­where­ we ­need ­to ­make­ further ­improvements.

ERNI Global expands to Southeast Asia – first stop: Manila