East Malaysian retreader Vimax Retreading Sdn Bhd is continuing to invest in quality despite the fact that the retread industry in Sabah is facing uncertainty and hard times as well as the increasing pressure from cheap new tyre imports from China.
High Quality Retreading the Focus for Vimax
“Vimax Retreading has been in the market for about 20 years and we took over the company 4 years ago,” said Deputy General Manager Lee Chen Chong. “Since then, we have not stopped investing to enhance the current facilities. Besides reorganising the retreading process to improve efficiency, we have also deployed new retreading equipment including a new buffing machine, building machine and monorail system. All these ensure that we deliver the best quality to our customers, which we believe distinguishes us from the others.”
To ensure the high-performance standards of the retreads, Lee says that the company only uses precured treads from Maxrubber Industries, one of the tyre retread material manufacturers based in Klang, Selangor.
At present, the company only provides precure retreading services for the light truck and truck segments. “We will be expanding into the 4×4 vehicle sector in late February or early March this year,” added Lee.
With 3 trucks, the company delivers retreaded tyres to its customers comprising 90 per cent dealers and 10 per cent end users. 50 per cent of the company’s customers are from Kota Kinabalu, with the remainder from other parts of Sabah.
“All retreaders in Sabah have their own tyre retail shops except us. This is an advantage as it makes us actually free of conflict,” he stressed.
The commitment to consistent product quality and a focus on improving performance have gained the company a solid reputation in the industry, which has secured its appointment as Continental’s authorised retreader in Sabah.
“Continental Tyre PJ Malaysia Sdn Bhd Sales and Technical personnel visited our office and were convinced by our marketing strategy, facilities, technology and stringent quality control before appointing us as their authorised retreader in 2015. Since then, we have their only authorised retread partner in Sabah. To ensure that we comply with their quality requirements, Continental conduct a factory audit every quarter. For Continental casings, we use ContiTread, which is the company’s premium tread for precure retreading.” Lee revealed that the company had the intention to expand into hot cure retreading but this would be carried out at the right time.”
“We will continue to invest in people, equipment and technology, and deliver consistent quality retreads despite the current slowdown. The market has dropped about 40 per cent; instead of competing through price, we believe that this is the best way to stay competitive during tough times.”
