KUALA LUMPUR: DHL, the world's leading logistics company, expects to invest nearly RM1.5 billion between now and 2020 to further develop its IT services data centre in Cyberjaya.
This will create further opportunities for emerging IT talent in Malaysia and around the region.
The IT services data centre has provided critical IT infrastructure, business application development and support initially for the company's Asia Pacific and, subsequently, global operations over the past 20 years, with DHL investing more than RM4.7 billion in its development since 1997.
"Digitalisation plays an increasingly strategic role in helping global logistics networks achieve the speed, reliability and accuracy needed to keep pace with today's demands,” parent Deutsche Post DHL Group executive vice president and managing director Alexander Pilař said in a statement today.
“Investment we have made in Cyberjaya demonstrates our commitment towards enhancing our capabilities -- and helping our customers improve their market positions through best-in-class IT infrastructure and skilled talent," he added.
Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) chief operating officer Datuk Ng Wan Peng said the country was heartened by the continued support from DHL, which reflects its unwavering commitment to Malaysia and its digital transformation agenda.
“In addition to employment creation, this move will greatly boost and strengthen the digital infrastructure and ecosystem crucial for a thriving innovation powered socio-economy. We look forward to the journey ahead with DHL, in our quest to make the digital economy a key engine of growth for Malaysia,” Ng added.
A team of more than 1,440 employees ensure the Cyberjaya IT services centre, along with their counterparts in Prague, the Czech Republic and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, deliver 24/7 IT support across all DHL divisions -- DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Supply Chain, DHL eCommerce operations.
It serves as platform through which DHL hopes to strengthen and level the playing field for talent, particularly for women looking to succeed in IT -- which has traditionally been a male-dominated field.
While the Malaysia team includes members from 27 different nationalities, the majority (nearly 70 per cent) come from Malaysia, with women making up almost 40 per cent of the total workforce.
"We started our IT data centre in Malaysia 20 years ago, occupying a floor in a suburban shopping mall with just 120 staff, facing risks of disruption from flooding to the building's car park," said Deutsche Post DHL vice president of business relations for IT services (Asia Pacific) Yogananthan S.
"Since then, we've not only relocated to Cyberjaya but also established it as a key pillar in DHL's regional and global logistics strategy, backed up by one of the most diverse and high-performing workforces in the country and globally," he added.