May 22 (SeeNews) - Finnish cargo-handling machinery maker Cargotec said on Monday it plans to open a business service centre in Sofia as the company shifts focus to building more scalable, cost-efficient and compliant business support processes.
"The planned Cargotec Business Services operations would be organised according to cross-functional processes rather than operating in functional silos. The main service centre is planned to be located in Sofia, Bulgaria, but we also expect to have regional hubs to serve different time zones and languages," a Cargotec official told SeeNews in an e-mailed statement.
The company is currently in the process of mapping future needs, building knowledge, looking into possible premises and different options to build future structures for its organisation and operation.
"More detailed planning and the work to establish the planned Cargotec Business Services operations will start soon," the Cargotec official added.
The company has performed a pre-study for several locations earlier this spring. The study has shown that Bulgaria offers foreign investors some of the most competitive business costs in Europe and that Sofia already hosts some of the most successful and well-driven business service centres in the industry.
"That offers us great opportunities to attract the right candidates when it comes to competences, service mindset and language skills," the official explained.
Cargotec said last week it is targeting 50 million euro annual cost savings starting from 2020.
About a third of the savings is planned to come from applying new technologies, such as automation, in support processes and from the planned new Cargotec Business Services operations that would start its activities in Sofia. The rest of the savings will be achieved by reductions in global indirect purchasing spend like logistics, external services and facilities.
Cargotec operates in more than 100 countries. In 2016, its sales totalled 3.5 billion euro ($3.9 billion).
($=0.8940 euro)