Success Stories “ It has a world-class airport located at the centre of Asia. I can’t think of a better and safer location than Hong Kong.” Alex Tak Chan, President AOC Ltd AOC’s Regional Headquarters Delivers Service Excellence and Community Care AOC Ltd has found Hong Kong’s central location, talent, free port status and strong China backing the most favourable conditions to expand its network and logistics business regionally and nationally With over 30 years of experience in the US to China logistics business, California-based company AOC established its first Asian branch in Hong Kong in 2010. In the same year, AOC Ltd expanded into the Mainland market in cooperation with AOC China Ltd and established a subsidiary in Shanghai, aiming to develop both coastal and continental cities as future bases. The office in Hong Kong has quickly grown into a 50-strong regional headquarters providing supply chain solutions with a specialisation in time-sensitive products. “Hong Kong still remains a strategic entrepôt for import/ export to Mainland China and the rest of Asia,” Alex Tak Chan, President, AOC Ltd, said. “It is always my first destination whenever I fly back from the US. It has a world-class airport located at the centre of Asia. I can’t think of a better and safer location than Hong Kong.” Regional Headquarters Chan said AOC’s Hong Kong office serves as a regional headquarters that looks after marketing, research and operations in Mainland China, India and southeast Asia. Its proximity to Mainland China, one of the world’s most important economic engines, makes it an ideal gateway to this huge market. “I believe Hong Kong will continue to be an important bridge between Mainland China and the world,” he said. What characterises a regional headquarters is also the availability of a huge talent pool across different business disciplines, according to Chan, and he is satisfied with the talent he found in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong people are more hardworking, efficient and professional than many in the US,” he added. People-oriented Management Adopting a people-oriented management approach, AOC encourages its sales staff to deepen their sector-specific knowledge by sponsoring their external training courses in areas such as wine and dangerous goods. This approach enables the provision of professional and well-targeted solutions to the company’s clients. “To differentiate ourselves from competitors, our sales staff are well-equipped with the knowledge they need to serve their clients from specific industries. Some of them have received licenses for proper handling of goods,” Chan said. Chan said the company is also implementing a number of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, for example, inviting local university students to design eye-catching cartoon wraps for four of the company’s long trucks, and providing logistics training workshops to local universities or vocational training schools. In addition, the company encourages its staff to actively engage in community service. Reaching Out to New Clients Chan found InvestHK’s services very useful as they met new clients through the joint sector receptions, especially new clients from the wine sector. “We also made use of InvestHK’s client profiles that come along with the newsletter to reach out to new customers in Hong Kong,” he added. AOC Ltd • Regional headquarters of US-based AOC Freight Corporation established in 1978 • The group has grown into an organisation of over 200 staff members • Responsible for managing two companies in Shenzhen and Shanghai, as well as marketing promotions, research and business operations in Mainland China, India and southeast Asian markets • The first logistics company in Hong Kong to introduce the innovative video surveillance service inside every truck to monitor goods conditions • Clients include PCCW, Dickson Group, Henkel and SaSa Cosmetics etc www.aochk.com investhk.gov.hk Original date of publication: July 2012 © Copyright Invest Hong Kong, April 2014. All rights reserved.