ACS To Open Second Outsourcing Center In JamaicaACS To Open Second Outsourcing Center In Jamaica

Affiliated Computer Services said Friday that it is poised to expand its presence in Jamaica with the construction of a 65,000-square-foot Montego Bay outsourcing center to provide near-shore services to customers in the U.S.

ACS will hire about 600 local employees to staff the facility, which will be used to provide business process outsourcing services in areas such as health care, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and education. Construction is slated for completion within the year.

ACS is partnering with local developer Cathexis on construction of the facility. The company didn't disclose the extent of its financial investment in the project.

An ACS spokesman said Jamaica is becoming an increasingly popular outsourcing destination for customers not comfortable with the time and distance challenges presented by India, the world's most popular country for offshore computer and business services. "We can fly customers to and from Jamaica in a day if we need to," says the spokesman.

The facility will be ACS's second in Jamaica. The company already operates a 1,300-employee outsourcing center on the island nation, which is located less than 200 miles off the coast of Florida. "ACS's growth and success here highlight Jamaica as an attractive location for global business growth," said Phillip Paulwell, Jamaica's minister for industry, technology, energy and commerce, in a statement.