DHL's additional investment of RM50mil in the IT (information technology) Services Centre Cyberjaya (ITSC Cyberjaya) reflects its commitment and confidence in Malaysia and the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), said IT services managing director Stephen McGuckin.

The move, he said, would also create more employment and investment in IT infrastructure.

"The west wing marks the second chapter for ITSC Cyberjaya, which commenced in September 2002 when we opened the first facility with an initial investment of RM200mil.

"Barely four years later, ITSC Cyberjaya has outgrown the four-storey 100,000 sq ft east wing and the additional 99,200 sq ft of space in the new wing will provide the much needed room for growth and permit us to double the current workforce of 600, McGuckin said at the opening ceremony of the centre's new wing yesterday.

Since DHL established a presence in the MSC nine years ago, it has invested a total of more than RM1.5bil.

ITSC Cyberjaya represents a key part of the global IT infrastructure that drives DHL's global express and logistics business. It is one of four global data centres that make up DHL's IT services group, with the responsibility for the design, development, implementation and the service delivery management of its IT solutions worldwide.

The IT services group, which includes three other global data centres located in the US, Czech Republic and Germany, also provides centralised technical and application support functions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in launching the new wing that the shared services and outsourcing (SSO) industry in Malaysia continued to experience rapid growth, with 76 SSO companies in Malaysia providing jobs for almost 20,000 employees.

"Going forward, we hope to leverage on the further growth of the Asian market and develop the SSO cluster to accommodate 100,000 employees in the future, he said.

Abdullah said that Malaysia had been consistently ranked as the third most attractive destination for SSO activities, after India and China.

With Malaysia's strength in overall cost competitiveness, high quality infrastructure and highly-skilled and multilingual workforce, the country aimed at distinguishing itself as the premier destination for high-value outsourcing activities, he added.

He said a recent study by Frost & Sullivan acknowledged Malaysia's strong expertise in industries such as energy, technology, finance, manufacturing and logistics.

Source: The Star (Malaysia)