Evergreen Group

Evergreen Group
長榮集團
Privately held company
Industry Transport
Hotel
Founded 1968
Headquarters Taipei, Taiwan
Key people
 Dr. Chang Yung-fa (Chairman)
Products Shipping
Cargo
Freight distribution
Air transportation
Hotel
Subsidiaries Evergreen Marine
EVA Air
UNI Air
Evergreen International
Evergreen Aviation Technologies
Evergreen Air Services
Evergreen Air Cargo Services
Website www.evergreen.com.tw (in English)

The Evergreen Group (Chinese: 長榮集團) is the organizational designation used by a Taiwan-based conglomerate of shipping, transportation, and associated service companies. The Evergreen Group arose in 1975 from the diversification of the original Evergreen Marine Corporation, which was established in 1968 and currently operates as the world's fourth largest containerized-freight shipping company. Today, the Evergreen Group encompasses the Evergreen Marine Corporation, Evergreen International Corporation, EVA Air, Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation, Evergreen Air Services Corporation, Evergreen Air Cargo Services Corporation, and Evergreen International Storage and Services Corporation.[1] Additional divisions and subsidiaries exist within several Evergreen Group companies, such as Uniglory Shipping Corporation and Uni Air.

Evergreen Marine Corporation

Evergreen Marine is the fourth-largest containerized shipping company in the world, with a fleet of over 150 ships calling on 240 ports worldwide in about 80 countries. Evergreen Marine Corporation includes subsidiaries/divisions Uniglory Shipping Corporation, Hatsu Marine Ltd., and Italia Marittima S.p.A.

Evergreen International Corporation

Evergreen International Corporation includes Evergreen International Hotels, which operates the chain of Evergreen hotels and resorts worldwide, a Cultural Development Division, and the Evergreen Symphonic Orchestra.

Evergreen International Hotels

The largest division of the Evergreen International Corporation is Evergreen International Hotels, which operate nine hotels in Taiwan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and France:

Cargo container of the Evergreen Group

Taiwan

China

Thailand

Malaysia

France

EVA Air

EVA Air is the international airline of Evergreen Group, operating regular flights to over 40 destinations worldwide. EVA Air features full passenger and dedicated cargo operations to North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The parent company of EVA Air, EVA Airways Corporation, has links with the Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation, Evergreen Air Services Corporation, and Evergreen Air Cargo Services Corporation.

UNI Air

EVA Air's domestic and regional subsidiary is Uni Air, operating a network of intra-Taiwan routes and flights to several international destinations in the Southeast Asian region.

Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation

In 1998, Evergreen Group's EVA Air partnered with General Electric to form the Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation (EGAT), a heavy maintenance and aircraft overhaul service. EGAT provides safety, repair, and refit services for EVA Air and other airlines' aircraft. In 2006, Boeing awarded EGAT an exclusive contract to convert four Boeing 747-400 aircraft into ultra-large Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Dreamlifters for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner program.

Evergreen Air Services Corporation

Evergreen Air Services Corporation provides logistical and material support in the airline industry.

Evergreen Air Cargo Services Corporation

Evergreen Air Cargo Services Corporation provides logistical and material support in the air cargo industry.

History

Dr Chang Yung-fa, Chairman of the Evergreen Group, was born in Taiwan in 1927. After graduating from Taipei Commercial High School at the age of 18, he went to work in the Taipei office of a Japanese shipping line.

After World War II, he joined the seagoing staff of a local shipping company as 3rd officer. His subsequent career was spent with various local companies and he progressed smoothly through the ranks to 2nd officer, chief officer and eventually to captain.

Foundation of Evergreen Marine Corporation

In 1961, Chang and some friends jointly established a shipping company and having helped this company to develop, he decided to branch out on his own, establishing Evergreen Marine Corporation on September 1, 1968 with just one secondhand 15,000 dwt vessel, Central Trust.

Over the next four years, Chang built his fleet up to 12 vessels, running them empty when necessary to convince his customers his services were both as regular as clockwork and as reliable as the sunset. Within a year, he had expanded to the Middle East. Within three, Chang was dispatching Evergreen ships to the Caribbean.

Back in 1975, Chang realized that containerisation was the way forward. He built four advanced S-type container ships and launched his US East Coast service. Fifteen months later, he added the US West Coast to his network, just at a time when Americans were developing a real taste for the economical, well-made products fast pouring out of Asian factories.

Europe followed in 1979 and Evergreen quietly prospered much to the consternation of the established lines from Europe and the United States who could not match his prices and service.

By 1984 he started his most ambitious service yet - two 80-day round-the-world services, one circling the globe in an easterly direction, the other westward. Departing every 10 days, the 20 G-type container ships he employed had a capacity of 2,728 containers each and could travel at a speed of 20.5 knots.

The name "Evergreen" stands for life and vitality in Chinese culture. Green also happens to be Chang's favourite colour. All his containers are painted green, and even his headquarters in Taipei is covered with green tiles. There has been modifications on their container fleet, from a green container with white "EVERGREEN" type, it has changed to a white container, with a green "EVERGREEN" type.

Expansion and formation of Evergreen Group

Evergreen cargo ship Ever Logic at Los Angeles.

The Evergreen Group has expanded beyond the shipping industry to encompass operations in energy development, air transport, hotels and resort services.

The country’s first private international airline, EVA Airways Corporation was established on March 8, 1989 and on July 1, 1991, formally inaugurated its first flight and began a new era of national commercial aviation.

In line with the development of its airline industry, Evergreen has become the first Taiwanese enterprise to gain a worldwide foothold in the hotel industry.

In 1998, Evergreen purchased the Italian shipping line Lloyd Triestino renaming as Italia Marittima S.p.A on 1 March 2006, thus providing it with a firm foothold in the European Union. It consolidated this position in 2002 with the establishment of Hatsu Marine in London, a UK-flag shipping company that today operates some of the largest and most sophisticated vessels in the Evergreen Group fleet.

The Evergreen Group, with over 18,000 employees and more than 240 offices/agents worldwide, now comprises over 50 major corporations worldwide, three of which are listed on the Taipei Stock Exchange.

In 2006 the Kuomintang sold its former headquarters to Evergreen Group for $2.3 billion New Taiwan dollars (96 million United States dollars).[2] In 2010, Evergreen Group announced that it would buy 10 ships each from Samsung Heavy Industries and CSBC Corporation as part of an ambitious plan to double its current fleet of 81 ships.[3][4]

References

  1. ↑ www.evergreen.com.tw/
  2. ↑ Mo, Yan-chih. "KMT headquarters sold for NT$2.3bn." Taipei Times. Thursday March 23, 2006. Page 1. Retrieved on September 29, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Taiwan shipping giant buys 10 ships from Samsung". AFP. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  4. ↑ "Taiwan's Evergreen buys 10 vessels from CSBC". AFP. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
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