The relationship between Bintulu based Mindulu Tyre Sdn Bhd and Goodyear Malaysia started in 1997 and grew stronger over the years.
Mindulu Tyre Proudly Offers a Range of Goodyear Tyres
“I worked at a tyre shop in Sibu for about 5 years before venturing into business with a few friends in 1982. The discovery of oil and gas reserves in Bintulu changed it from a small fishing village to the centre of energy intensive industries. Compared to the other cities in Sarawak, Bintulu seemed more promising. We wanted to leverage on the industrial growth of Bintulu and decided to set up our business here,” said Managing Director Goh Choon Hock.
It began as a pretty small shop according to Goh. Their main business was truck tyre retailing but they also worked closely with retreaders to provide customers with tyre retread service. In 1986, together with his business partners, they set up a retread plant, which was the second such factory in Bintulu at that time.
“The retreading business was tough, so was truck tyre retailing. My partners decided to pull out and I took over both businesses. I then closed the retreading factory and started to expand into passenger car tyre retailing. This marked the beginning of our relationship with Goodyear and we carried its signage until today.”
Initially, he said, the company concentrated on tyre sales, servicing and minor auto repairs. In 2012, his two sons, Ming King and Ming Hui, joined him. “With their help, we were able to widen our offering to include tyre wholesales business. Today, Ming King is in charge of tyre retail and Ming Hui looks after our wholesales business.”
During the interview, The Tyreman witnessed how booming business at the centre was, even on a Sunday. There was a steady stream of customers all the time. Goh attributed this to the trusted and reliable quality of the Goodyear brand of tyres, the company’s expertise and knowledge on the products that were offered as well as a professional tyre service with a personal touch.
“Ming King always interacts directly with the customers, listens to their requirements and is willing to go the extra mile for them. He handles the customers with care and patience; he would ensure that they choose the right product according to their applications. We won the customers’ trust and creditability this way and manage to attract new customers through word of mouth.”
He revealed that the customers in Bintulu were mostly price sensitive; only about 10 per cent would go for the brand. Thus, a tyre centre operator played an important role in convincing the customer on which brand to buy.
To support and offer customers more convenience, the centre opens from Mondays to Saturdays, from 7.30am to 6.00pm, and on Sundays from 7.30am to 12.00pm. “As we are in the servicing line, we observe fewer public holidays such as Labour Day, Christmas, and Chinese New Year.”
The effort that the company puts in is reflected in its sales turnover, which has increased from the initial RM10,000 to the current RM50,000.
At present, the centre is staffed by 9 qualified technicians and well-equipped with advanced tyre servicing equipment. “The right equipment and tools are essential to help us improve the quality of service and enhance our professional image. Today’s customers are more demanding and these will also help to enhance their confidence in us.”
As for the wholesales business, Goh pointed out that the company covered Bintulu, Sibu and Miri.
Its main business is from the logging segment, which Goh revealed was less competitive compared to the passenger car tyre market. “Goodyear is very successful in this segment due to the durability and unrivalled performance of its tyres.”
Goh’s plan is to open another branch in Bintulu. He said the perfect location was already found. The problem was the shortage of workers and the need to find the right timing.
民都鲁轮胎以销售固特异轮胎而自豪
位于民都鲁的民都鲁轮胎有限公司和马来西亚固特异的关系始于1997年，并随着时间的推移而愈发坚固。
“我在诗巫的一家轮胎店工作5年后，才在1982年与几位朋友一起合股创业。民都鲁油气储量的发现，使民都鲁从一个小小的渔村发展成一个能源密集的工业中心。当时，民都鲁看来比砂劳越的其他地方更有前途。我们想要利用民都鲁的工业发展，因此决定在这里创业。”董事经理吴春福表示。
据吴春福表示，一开始只是间小小的轮胎店。他们的主要业务是卡车轮胎零售，但是他们与翻胎业者合作密切，为客户提供轮胎翻新服务。1986年，他与其商业伙伴们设立了民都鲁的第二家翻胎厂。
“翻胎业非常艰苦，卡车胎零售业也一样。我的商业伙伴们决定放弃，我于是接手这两盘生意。我关闭了翻胎厂，开始扩充至轿车胎零售。这标志了我们与固特异关系的开始，我们就这样挂起固特异的招牌直到今天。”
他说，最初该公司聚焦于轮胎销售、服务及小型汽车修理。2012年，他的两个儿子，吴明庆和吴明辉加入了公司。“有了他们的协助，我们能够提供更广泛的服务，包括轮胎批发业务。今天，吴明庆负责轮胎零售，而吴明辉则负责我们的轮胎批发生意。”
《轮胎世界》在星期天进行采访时，我们见证了他们轮胎服务中心的忙碌，客户总是源源不断。吴春福将这归功于固特异品牌的可靠品质、公司对产品的专门知识，以及个性化的专业轮胎服务。
“吴明庆总是直接与客户接触，聆听他们的需求，完全不介意为他们多付出一点点。他耐心地接待客户，确保客户选择适合他们应用的轮胎。我们就这样赢得了客户的信任和信誉，并透过口碑赢得新的客户。”
他透露说，大部分的民都鲁客户都对价格异常敏感，只有10% 的客户会选择品牌。因此，轮胎服务中心的运营者在说服客户使用品牌方面，扮演着重要的角色。
为了支持和为客户提供更大的方便，该中心的营业时间从星期一至星期五， 早上7时30分至傍晚6时，星期六从早上7时30分至中午12时。“由于我们是服务业，所以我们只有在重要的公共假期如劳动节、圣诞节及农历新年才会休假。”
该公司的销售额反映了他们的努力，从过去的10，000令吉发展到目前的50，000令吉。
目前，该中心设备完善，采用先进的轮胎服务设备，并拥有9名合格的技术人员。“正确的设备和工具非常重要，协助我们改善服务的品质和加强我们的专业形象。今天的客户要求苛刻，而这协助加强他们对我们的信心。 ”
至于轮胎批发业务，他指出，公司覆盖民都鲁、诗巫及美里。
据吴春福透露，公司的主要业务来自伐木业，而这个领域不像轿车轮胎市场那样竞争。“固特异凭借着耐磨和无与伦比的轮胎性能，在伐木领域取得非常好的成绩。”
吴春福的计划是在民都鲁开设另一家分行。他说，他们已经找到了适合的地点，最主要的问题在于员工短缺和鉴定正确的时机。
