SHANGHAI, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 1999--Circle International (Nasdaq:CRCL), taking full advantage of China's vast and vital market, is embarking on an aggressive expansion plan to strengthen its presence and offer enhanced customer service to its clients in Hong Kong and on the mainland.
China represents the largest single investment area for Circle International in the Asia Pacific region, notes David I. Beatson, Circle's chairman and CEO, who this week is touring the company's China operations and meeting with customers in his first visit to Asia since joining Circle last year.
Multi-million dollar investments over the past two years have positioned the company with solid infrastructure and resources for significant market growth. Additional investments are earmarked for the future, springboarding Circle China into the new millennium with a strong portfolio of services and a network capable of meeting the growing needs of its customers in this emerging market as it continues to fulfill its promise.
In meetings with customers in Shanghai, Beatson comments, "The China market offers enormous potential for full-service providers who can deliver single-source, door-to-door global supply chain management and logistics support. In these competitive times our Asia customers are looking to Circle for an edge in streamlined and efficient distribution operations which meet the high standards already being delivered in US and European markets."
With five offices (Beijing, Guangzhou, Schenzhen, Shanghai and Xiamen) currently on the mainland, all of which opened last year, Circle's plans for this year are ambitious and exciting.
Thomas Moopen, Circle's regional director for China and Hong Kong, says, "Not only will we be obtaining a class 'A' joint venture license in the second half of this year, we will be opening Circle offices in Tianjin, Dalian and Qingdao. This will facilitate better coverage of China and will in turn more effectively respond to our customers. Our service scope will be expanded to meet the requirements of our MNC clients and will include, traditional freight forwarding, logistics warehousing and distribution, complete supply chain management, and effective global information systems."
To provide for efficient coordination and operations management on the mainland, Circle has strategically divided its China business into three regions; northern, southern and central, which ensures efficient communication and effective control of the company's interests, and customer service performance. The diversity of industries served by Circle China include textiles and apparel to computers and electronics.
With annual global turnover in excess of U.S. $700 million last year, Circle provides logistics and supply chain management support to more than 4,000 customers throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Offering specialized services in trade facilitation and procurement, industry-specific expertise in markets such as automotive, fashion/apparel, technology/electronics and heavy equipment/construction, Circle is considered a leader in the field of international transportation, customs brokerage and integrated supply chain management.
About Circle
San Francisco-based Circle International Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:CRCL) celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1998. Today, with over $730 million in sales annually, 4,000 employees, and 340 offices in more than 100 countries, Circle provides worldwide transportation and logistics services that include air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, materials management, trade procurement, warehousing and inventory management, and global supply chain management services.
The company established a presence in the Asia Pacific over 20 years ago and today the regional operations are based in Singapore with 36 offices in 18 countries. Additional news releases and information about Circle International Group, its affiliates and worldwide operations can be found on the Internet at the Circle Web site, www.circleintl.com.
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