Page 17 - The Tyreman 2020 - 4
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M onti轮胎获得住友轮胎独家大马分 销权
Monti Tyre secures exclusive distributorship for Sumitomo tyres in Malaysia
Monti Tyre courted the relationship with Sumitomo Tires through their Singapore partner’s continuance discussion with Sumitomo Asia (Tyre) Pte Ltd (SRAT) in Singapore. Choong admitted that it was not an easy journey to seal the partnership with Sumitomo as they have had to proof their capability to promote and build the brand while Sumitomo’s management team proved very dili- gent in their decision making. The discussion started in mid-2019, he said, and Monti Tyre was appointed as the sole distributor for Sumitomo Tires in Malaysia in late 2019.
With the partnership sealed, he re- vealed that Monti Tire will be chang- ing its name to Monti Automotive October.
“As we aligned the introductory strategy with SRAT, our focus is on Japan origin tyres. We believe this - ates us from the others, for making an impressive comeback for the Sumitomo brand in Malaysia. How- ever, in order to ensure we take
more of the tyre market share and vari- ous types of vehicle models in the Ma- laysian market, we will have to supple- ment certain key sizes range with tyres not produced in Japan. For example, 225/55R19 for Proton X70, 235/55R20 for Lexus RX,185/55R16 for Honda Jazz/City are all made in Thailand. Hav- ing said that, 99 per cent of our Sumi- tomo tyres are of Japanese origin and only 1 per cent is from Thailand.”
The patterns that the company brought which is well suited to high performance, luxury sports cars and sedans. The high-speed stability and control, while the advanced silica tread compound and groove design enhance wet weather performance and help reduce irregular wear. Come with it also the popular pre- mium HTR 900 steel belted radial tyres, which Choong said is Sumitomo’s new asymmetric pattern with high rigidity on the compound and new pattern design also provide for silent and comfort driv- ing, excellent wet capability, and im- proves anti irregular wear. The HTR En- hance C/X 2 for crossovers, SUVs and minivans, Encounter HT for 4X4s, with - struction. It tackles both the daily com- mute and the open road with strength, style and reliability. These patterns are all made in Japan, he said, and their lat- anti-hydroplane, excellent wet braking and reliable handling.
“The response from the market is very encouraging, our customers have been receiving good feedbacks from the end- users on the overall performance of Sumitomo products,” he added.
Choong also mentioned that a ‘New Normal’ has happened in the market- place due to the pandemic where many end users are now looking for better al- ternatives to maximise their spending. “In our case,” he said, “Sumitomo tyres imported from Japan have become a perfect choice for end users as com-
SRI Factory location and production capacity (Japan)
17 truck & bus news 2020/4
