SM’s Airspeed gears for growth

MANILA, Philippines — Integrated logistics firm Airspeed, a part of SM Investments Corp.’s portfolio investments, is gearing for future growth with the expansion of its hubs coupled with the introduction of new services and digital innovations.

Airspeed is opening three e-fulfillment locations in Cavite, Parañaque and Pasay to cater to its growing business.

E-commerce fulfillment consists of receiving and storing inventory, processing orders, picking and packing items, and shipping orders to their final destination.

Through these new hubs, Airspeed supports e-commerce or e-com enabler platforms which also support other businesses selling their products online in their back-end operations by doing their inventory management, kitting, packing and labelling for different brands they manage.

Airspeed has likewise added new offices this year in Bacolod in Negros Occidental, Cubao in Quezon City, and Carmona in Cavite to meet growing requirements in the logistics business as well as online transactions.

“Retail has shifted massively in favor of online.  Behind the scenes, there is a lot of work needed to make these critical deliveries happen which includes ensuring stocks are available and the right quantities and sizes are picked, packed securely, dispatched on-time and replenished for succeeding orders. Airspeed is making all these happen,” Airspeed chairman and president Rosemarie Rafael said.

Aside from physical expansion with the opening of new hubs, Airspeed said it has also been speeding up its digital transformation.

The company has introduced new digital functionalities in its systems like real-time order monitoring, end-to-end inventory visibility and transport management as part of its digital initiatives.

Last year, it introduced UnboxMe, a cross-border delivery platform that caters to Filipinos who shop in their favorite online stores in the US.

Through the new online service, items can now be delivered straight to   customers’ doorsteps in the Philippines.

Another innovation on the digital front is PinaSpeed, its newest nationwide online pick-up and delivery service dedicated to helping online micro-businesses in the country.

PinaSpeed also provides digital micro-enterprises with the opportunity to immediately upgrade their logistics by being an Airspeed partner.

PinaSpeed is now available to micro-businesses in NCR, Rizal, and Cavite, and will soon be adding more locations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to cover the entire archipelago.

Also under the Airspeed Group is Amazing Philippines Digital Economy Corp., which carries SpeedGifts, an online platform catering to the global Filipinos who would like to send gifts to their loved ones, business associates, and friends in the Philippines.

“I’m very optimistic about what we can do for this year and the years to come. We need to be innovative and creative and listen very closely to the pulse of the market to meet the changing needs. We remain true to our mission of providing global customers the highest quality of logistics services and innovative end-to-end solutions,” Rafael said.