MALTA 2025 SPEAKER: Reducing Labor Costs in Freight Forwarding with OBP

MALTA 2025 SPEAKER: Reducing Labor Costs in Freight Forwarding with OBP

For many freight forwarders, labor costs are the biggest expense—and often, the biggest challenge. Even with competitive wages, finding skilled talent remains difficult in many parts of the world. Offshore Business Processing (OBP) offers a cost-effective solution.

Based in Manila, a city of 15 million people, OBP taps into a vast talent pool, recruiting and training highly skilled professionals quickly. OBP is the largest BPO for freight forwarders worldwide, trusted by top 10 global forwarders, while mostly catering to small and mid-sized businesses. “We understand freight,” says Maryann Farrugia, OBP's Managing Director.

As the largest WiseTech service partner globally, OBP’s CargoWise expertise is often greater than that of in-house teams, helping clients save on labor costs while maximizing software efficiency. 

“In the US, it's probably costing forwarders $50,000 to $60,000 for just import clerks, whereas in the Philippines, for that same kind of role, it's going to cost just $22,200,” explains Farrugia. “Plus, they don't need managers. They don't need training. We take care of that.”

For OBP, efficiency is the key to profitability. “It’s not about how many jobs you process. It’s about being as efficient as possible and keeping your costs at a minimum,” Farrugia says. “I know lots of freight forwarders that have two people that make $100,000 a month, and there's lots of forwarders that employ hundreds of people that lose money every month.”

OBP helps clients streamline CargoWise use by reducing keystrokes, automating processes, and offshoring tasks like data entry, job filings, e-docing, and ISF compliance—while keeping customer-facing roles local to maintain trust.

Farrugia explains that finding young talent willing to enter the freight forwarding industry has become increasingly difficult. As a result, many companies turn to the Philippines, where these roles are still highly valued. “I think not everybody comes to us because they want to save money. To be honest, they literally can't find anybody locally to do the work that needs to be done.”

Beyond business, OBP is committed to making a positive impact. “Most importantly for me is the effect that we have on people's lives in the Philippines,” says Farrugia. 

Farrugia is looking forward to visiting Malta—not only because it’s her second home—but also to reconnect with longtime friends and members and meet new clients. 

"I really want to help them with their business, and that's going to help me with mine. And it's going to change somebody's life in the Philippines. So that's what we're about at OBP, we always want a win-win-win,” Farrugia says.

Join us in Malta from April 7-10 to connect with top freight forwarders from around the world and discover how OBP is changing the freight forwarding industry. Don’t miss OBP’s talk on April 9 at 9 AM to learn more about reducing your labor costs. Secure your spot today!