Yusen Group Newsletter

Board Meeting Held at YUSEN PHILIPPINES

On February 14, 2005 at 1000H, the Board of Directors, Yusen Philippines Management and some TDG Observers formed part of the first Board Meeting of the company for the year . Held at the Yusen Conference Room, Atty. Art Tugade-YPH President and Mr. Takatomo Ito-YPH Executive Vice President welcomed the arrival of no less than the TDG Chairman himself Mr. Jose Roberto Delgado and Chief Finance Officer Socorro Z. Niro and guests.

Performances under review were the months of November and December 2004 including January 2005. The Board of Directors congratulated Yusen Phils for its impressive 2004 performance and further expressed their confidence in the capabilities of the entire Yusen Phils team under the management and guidance of Messrs. APT and Ito such that 2005 will again be another successful year.

The visit of the Board of Directors to the YAS Phils office was also taken as an opportunity for them to be shown one of the innovative projects of the company which is the Yusen Phils photo gallery which depicts the company’s history and highlighted in the form of a video presentation.

Indeed, Feburary 14, 2005 marked another highpoint in the history of Yusen Phils particularly because it was the first time ever that its board meeting is held in its office.

By: Tina Panes / Admin

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Sayonara SHIMADA-SAN
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*“One of the important rewards in my stay in the Philippines, I was able to work with excellent staff and I was very happy”.* For Katsuhiro Shimada, Sales Manager –Manila North Area, he wishes to express his gratitude not only to the management and staff of Yusen Philippines but also with clients he has met. Indeed, Shimada-san was a very pleasant man! He has been and always remains to be an inspiration for all Japanese representatives, especially those whom he had worked with during his stint in Manila. His professionalism, proactive attitude, and cheerful disposition will be surely missed when his tour of duty ends last February 1, 2005. Born June 18, 1960 in Osaka, Japan, Mr. Shimada is the youngest among the brood of two. He finished his college education at Kwansan University with the degree in Economics. Prior to his transfer here in the Philippines, he was the Sales Manager at Yusen Osaka. He also had valuable experience working overseas as Manager in Yusen’s Seoul representative office from January 1992 to June 1996. Mr. Shimada joined Yusen Philippines on March 2000. He admits that he had a good impression of the Philippines barely one month after he arrived. His first assignment was in Yusen Cebu as Assistant Branch Manager. He was very enthusiastic when he took his new post for he considers Cebu a paradise, though, he missed doing his favorite hobby snowboarding he had learn more water sports activities. A very flexible person as he is, who easily shifts one job to another, he was transferred to Manila and assumed the position of Assistant to the General Manager on May 2002. His dedication and excellent skills really showed off when he was assigned to handle the Sales Manager position for Manila North Area on May 2003. For Shimada-san, *“he treats every new assignment as a challenge”.* “The event unforgettable for me is when I go to the United States five (5) times a month and the belt conveyer of the Detroit Airport stopped because of my baggage…At that time I carry more than 170 cartons”…when he was asked on what was his unforgettable experiences he had in Yusen Philippines. The hospitality and the genuine smile are just some of the traits he really loved most about the Filipinos and he will surely be missed. There is so many things left unsaid, but one outstanding quality that earned him the respect and love by the staff and management was his sincere and genuine concern for the success of the company which was duly recognized by his Yusen Phils family. Before he left to take his new post at Kobe, Shimada-san leave a very remarkable message to all…*”I will do my best to the expansion of our business. So please send a sales lead without any hesitation and if you have a chance to visit* *Kobe, please call me. I will do the maximum support that your business trip may succeed. Let’s meet in Kobe!”* We can only say good luck and more success. This is our best way of expressing to you our deepest appreciation for everything you have done for us. *Sayonara Shimada-san...* By: Tina Panes / Admin

When EVP Mr. Takatomo Ito announced that no less than MR. SHUNICHI YANO will be visiting Yusen Philippines on Jan. 24, we were all excited at the prospect of meeting the Vice President of Yusen Air & Sea Service Co. Ltd.

Yusen Phils holds Mancom meetings at 7:00 AM every Monday. Jan.24 being a Monday, Mr. Yano honored us with his presence in that day’s scheduled Mancom. At 6:59 a.m., all the Mancom attendees held their breath when Mr. Yano entered the conference room. He gave a pleasant smile to everybody’s delight and introduced himself. Mr. Yano informed us that he had worked with NYK for more than 30years and had taken up his post as VP of Yusen Air & Sea Service Co. Ltd. only last year. He explained that his visit to Yusen Phils was part of his goal to visit all YAS network stations, to gain first hand information on their business conditions and day to day operations.

The said Mancom was highlighted by a presentation by the Finance Division Manager, Ms. Cita Tan, on the Financial Ratios ( 2004 vs. 2003) and the 2004 Monthly Comparative Direct Cost Analysis; Manila and North Area Manager presented the Best Practices of Yusen Phils; our Japanese Sales Managers Messrs. Yasushi Ishikawa, Masataka Itonaga and Katsuhiro Shimada likewise reported on the Updates on Automotive Industry Accounts; Customer Service Managers Mr. Yoshinao Tanaka and Ms. Francis Tejones explained the results of the Quarterly Customer Evaluation Survey; and Air Export Operations Manager Ms. Irene Cabrito presented the Quarterly Truckers Evaluation Results and Recommendations.

After actively participating during the MANCOM discussion, Mr. Yano remarked that he was very delighted to know that worldwide, it is only in the Philippines where Nippon Express was outranked in the top position of the list of Top Forwarders. Also, he commented that our customer evaluation survey was a good feedback mechanism and inquired on what Yusen Phils needs to be able to expand its business. Finally, he expressed his appreciation on the special gift by Yusen Phils for him, handpicked by APT, which was a mother of pearl dessert set.

After the meeting, he was whirled off by a helicopter to attend the Blessing Rites of our South Laguna Office and had lunch at Tagaytay Highlands hosted by Transnational Diversified Group Inc. (TDGI) Chairman Mr. Jose Roberto Delgado. His business for the day ended with a courtesy call to one of our top clients Epson Precision Philippines. In the evening, Atty. Tugade and Mr. Ito hosted a sumptuous dinner at the Shang Palace. The following day, Mr. Yano flew to Cebu and visited our major accounts Cebu Mitsumi and Pentax together with Sogawa-san, our Cebu Branch Sales Manager.

His trip was very brief but nonetheless considered by Yusen Phils as a very special occasion. We, at Yusen Phils take pride in our motto of establishing and enhancing personal relationships both from within and outside the Yusen Group and we were given that opportunity for a great starts in 2005!

By: Andi Homecillo / Executive Office

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