Westlake Marketing Malaysia recently organised a dealer incentive trip to Pattaya and Rayong, Thailand. The main focus of the trip was to visit the Westlake tyre factory in Rayong. A group of 39 people, of which 31 were dealers, embarked on the trip from 8th to 11th April, 2018.
Malaysian Dealers Explore Westlake Tyre Plant in Thailand
“Last year, our dealers visited the Westlake Tyre plant in Hangzhou, China and this year we decided to bring them to the Thailand plant. The feedback from the dealers on the Thai factory was positive. They were impressed by the sheer size of the factory and the fully air-conditioned production area to ensure no contamination that generally has a negative impact on the quality,” said Tan Heong Thong, Managing Director of Westlake Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
Set up 2 years ago, he said this Thai factory was in rapid expansion to cater for the increasing market demand. “The products that they produced here include Passenger Car Radial (PCR), SUV, 4×4, MPV and Truck and Bus Tyres Radial (TBR) tyres, and they are all proven good in quality. This is a clear testament for Westlake Tyre in providing premium quality products with stringent quality control while maintaining affordable pricing. It also shows that Westlake Tyre has successfully trained the local personnel to become skilled workers and the significant investment in modern high-tech equipment has paid off.”
Currently, Tan revealed that the factory was running at full capacity due to the high demand, especially from the US.
“Westlake PCR and TBR tyres have gained increasing popularity in the market. Westlake premium UHP tyre – the Sport RS – is in good demand among drifters and competition drivers, while the TBR tyres are well received in the fleet industry. Many fleet customers are happy with the safety, durability and reliability of Westlake TBR tyres. Reasonable pricing, good performance and retreadability have attracted a consistent stream of enquiries from potential fleet customers,” he added.
Westlake is a tyre brand under Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co, Ltd, the largest tyre manufacturer in China. “We are impressed by the commitment and seriousness that Zhongce Rubber has put in the tyre business. They have 1,000 staff in their research and development centre in Hangzhou, China. This enables them to improve their existing products and develop innovative products that drive further growth.”
As Westlake Tyre’s official distributor for West Malaysia, Tan said the company would continue to improve Westlake branding by putting advertisements in newspapers and magazines as well as looking at adding more Westlake branded shop signage to increase brand visibility. Currently, he is looking for more business partners who are interested in putting up the Westlake brand signage.
Apart from the factory visit, the dealers had a chance to explore Pattaya. Among the places of interest that they visited were Wat Phra Yai Temple Big Buddha, Nong Nooch Village and Viharnra Sien.
马来西亚代理参观威狮泰国工厂
大马威狮行销于2018年4月8日至11日，为其代理主办了一个芭提雅和罗勇奖励游。此次奖励游的重点是参观威狮的泰国工厂。该公司一团39人 ，其中代理占了31人。
“去年，我们的代理参观了威狮轮胎的中国杭州工厂，而今年我们决定带代理参观他们的泰国制造厂。代理对泰国工厂持正面看法，尤其对泰国工厂的庞大规模，还有为确保产品不受污染（因为受污染的产品将影响品质）的全空调生产区留下深刻的印象。”威狮行销（马来西亚）私人有限公司董事经理陈贤通表示。
他说，为了应付不断增长的市场需求，这家两年前设立的泰国工厂迅速扩展起来。“他们所生产的轿车子午胎、SUV、四驱车、MPV及卡客车子午胎，都拥有绝佳的品质。而这正是威狮轮胎透过严格品质管理提供优质产品，同时保有实惠价格的最佳证明。它反映了威狮不论是在训练本地员工，或是投入资本方面都很有成果。”
陈贤通透露说，目前的泰国工厂已经满负荷运转，以应付市场的高需求，特别是美国。
“威狮轿车子午胎和卡客车子午胎的市场知名度不断提高。威狮的Sport RS超高性能优质轮胎相当受飘移车手和赛车手的欢迎，而其卡客车子午胎在运输车队也深获好评。许多的车队客户都非常满意威狮卡客车子午胎的安全、耐用及可靠性。此外，威狮轮胎的合理价格、良好性能及可翻新性也吸引了潜在客户连接不断的询问。”他补充。
威狮是杭州中策橡胶有限公司，中国最大轮胎制造商旗下的一个品牌。“我们对中策对轮胎业务的承诺和认真印象深刻。该公司的中国杭州研发中心有1，000名员工 ，这使他们能够改善现有产品和开发创新产品，推动未来的业务增长。”
作为威狮轮胎在马来西亚的授权经销商，陈贤通说公司将继续透过报章和杂志的广告宣传，还有增加威狮品牌门店的数量来提升品牌的知名度。目前，他正在寻找有意挂上威狮招牌的生意伙伴。
除了参观工厂，代理业有机会发掘芭提雅的美景。他们游览了Wat Phra Yai庙大佛像、东巴热带植物园及芭提雅淡浮院。
