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COVER STORY
Kit Loong Group: Staying True to Its Aspiration of Becoming a Ce
2021 marks the 90th anniversary of Kit Loong Group, a compa- ny known for being one of the pioneers of the tyre distribution and retreading industry in Malaysia. How- ever, with the outbreak of Covid-19, commemoration has taken precedent over any celebration. Therefore, in- stead of shying away from being 90, the Group is embracing its anni- versary by sharing its story with The Tyreman on how they come so far, as well as the power of persistence they have demonstrated over the years to propel the company towards its cen- tennial year.
Jacob Chen took the helm as Kit at Kit Loong’s 70th Anniversary gala in 2001. He received the baton from ushered in a new era for the third gen- eration to take over that has led to the development and growth of the Group to what it is today.
“In 2002, Kit Loong plunged into a crisis when Michelin restructured and ended our sole Michelin truck tyre dis- tributorship partnership. Subsequent- ly, in 2007, after 40 years of successful cooperation, our Michelin passenger car tyre distributorship also came to an end. This was a great challenge for measanewCEOasIhadbeeninthe position for a year at that point. It was also a challenge for Kit Loong as it had to tide over this noticeable business gap in the tyre business,” explained Jacob.
‘In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity’ is the famous adage of Al- bert Einstein. Of course, turning a cri- sis into an opportunity often requires thinking out of the box.
“We viewed it as an important turning our passenger car tyres and commer- groups, including in our retreading op- erations. With the change in direction, the commercial tyres and retreading
division became its own entity with a new name – Kit Loong Tyre Commercial Group, which is now owned and managed by Managing Director Kenneth Teh. The two separate entities al- lowed us to be more focused on putting more emphasis on our - ing value not only for our stake- holders but also serving our cus- tomers better,” Jacob added.
The Covid-19 impact is unprec- edented. Loss of life, business closures, trade disruption, re- duced demand and productivity results. “We have had to stream- line our organisation by main- taining the section of business
Jacob Chen became the Chief Executive of the Kit Loong Group at Kit Loong's 70th Anniversary Gala in 2001.
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