[050918.EN.SEA] Evergreen Embraces 50th Anniversary Ready To Move 'Full Steam Ahead'

EVERGREEN Group has celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Chang Yung-Fa Foundation, home of the charity established by the shipping group's founder and chairman Dr YF Chang.

Aside from the group's senior executives and employees, the event was attended by public officials, customers and business agents from both the shipping and airline industries as well as representatives of supply chain partners based in 50 countries.

The celebration commenced with a performance by the choir of the Yihsing branch of Jiahsing Elementary School from Hsinchu county. Gold medallists at the 31st Franz Schubert Choir Competition in Vienna this June, the choir's sublime singing reflected Evergreen's passion and enthusiasm to connect the world and enrich people's lives.

The event's banner was designed to reflect the group's gratitude for its past successes and expectations for a more prosperous future. The green waves that cross the 50th anniversary insignia and the rhythmic lines show the magnificent energy of the ocean to symbolize Evergreen's continuous breakthroughs and innovative achievements over the course of its history.

The compass on the banner design represents the corporate philosophy of the group's founder Dr Chang, guiding the group's employees to adhere to the company's values and to conquer obstacles along the way, sailing full steam ahead into the future. The pulsating dots signify the vitality of each business entity under Evergreen's banner.

Mr KH Chang of Evergreen International Corp delivered the welcome address. He thanked business partners and all employees for working hand in hand with Evergreen Group for the past 50 years and expressed his gratitude to the general public for their support and encouragement, which has helped Evergreen to achieve the scale of its business today.

Mr Chang encouraged all staff to remain true to Dr Chang's values: keep pace with the times and work together towards achieving the next milestone - a centennial anniversary.

Taiwanese Minister of Transportation and Communications Wu Hong-Mo noted in his remarks that Evergreen Group has built a comprehensive shipping network and opened international flight routes that provide quality transportation services to facilitate world trade and serve the general public. He also praised the group for engaging in charitable activities and giving back to society.

Looking back to the company's milestones over the past 50 years, chairman Dr YF Chang established Evergreen Marine Corporation in September 1968.

In the early years the company encountered numerous hurdles, such as a fire that ravaged Ever Island, a lack of lending support from financial institutions and competitive monopoly of freight conferences. All these obstacles were overcome under Dr Chang's leadership and with the "Evergreen Spirit" embodied in all his employees.

In 1972, Evergreen launched Taiwan's first Far East-Middle East liner service, helping local shippers transport their cargoes to the fast-developing Middle East region. In 1979, it opened the Far East to Europe full container service as an independent carrier, breaking the monopoly of the Far Eastern Freight Conference.

In 1984, carrier launched the unprecedented two-way, round-the-world container services. This turned a new page in the history of global marine transportation, establishing Evergreen as the world's largest container shipping line in 1985. Today, the company remains one of the leading brands in the global shipping industry.

After building a solid foundation in the shipping industry, Dr Chang sought to expand Evergreen's transportation service into the airline industry. On the 20th anniversary of Evergreen Marine he announced his plan to invest and build the first privately owned airline in Taiwan, EVA Air.

Dr Chang made huge investments in the creation of EVA Air, including training centres, maintenance facilities and software systems to make sure that its flight safety and service quality met the most stringent standards.

The fledgling airline took to the skies in 1991 and in just a few years, EVA managed to expand it route network to many cities across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.

The airline owed much of its successful growth to Evergreen Group's experience in marine transportation. At an early stage of EVA's development, Evergreen Marine transferred many of its skilled employees to provide the professional talents needed to build the airline.

EVA was also able to obtain many of its air traffic rights thanks to Evergreen Marine's business relations and economic contribution to the relevant countries. In the years that followed EVA has ranked among the leading international airlines and has won much recognition for its flight safety and service quality.

In addition to marine and air transportation, the group has developed into a global conglomerate across air, sea and land, expanding its business scope into aviation technologies, international hotel chains and steel production.

Source : HKSG.