Westlake Malaysia claimed that more than 300 tyre shops and dealers in Peninsular Malaysia were currently selling its products.
Westlake to Open a Branch in Malaysia
Westlake, a tyre brand from China, entered the Malaysian market in 2016. Its current product line includes tyres that are designed for cars, buses, trucks, off-roaders, and industrial and agricultural vehicles, giving local consumers one more tyre brand to choose from.
Westlake Tire is a subsidiary of China’s Zhongce Group. Westlake Zhongce is ranked number 1 in China. This top ten tyre manufacturing company in the world employs 10,000 people.
At present, this China strategic group has the capacity to produce more than 40 million tyres per year. This was especially so in 2015 when the group set up a production line in Thailand to further increase its capacity. Therefore, the group is confident that Westlake tyres could be readily supplied to Malaysia in the future.
Westlake Malaysia would also open a branch that is responsible for everything the brand has in the local market. The company pointed out that as many as 85 per cent of the Westlake brand tyres sold in Malaysia is from Thailand’s production lines, and the remaining 15 per cent is from China, and comprises mainly off-the-road (OTR) tyres. It would introduce more different series and sizes to the Malaysian market in the future.
Westlake is currently the original tyre supplier for some models of Geely, BYD, Changan, Suzuki, Land Rover and Jaguar in China. As luxury brands such as Land Rover and Jaguar also use Westlake, this shows that the brand has a very strong presence in the Chinese market. This high visibility is recognised by many consumers and car manufacturers.
Westlake Malaysia claimed that more than 300 tyre shops and dealers in Peninsular Malaysia were currently selling its products and 22 of them were in the process of putting up Westlake signboards. Currently, two stores were in operation; one in Terengganu and the other in Sungai Petani. For the next 4 years, its target was to set up 60 outlets that carry the Westlake signboard. The company said it was also working with some local car brands to become their designated new car tyre supplier.
Westlake Dealer in Malacca
Meng Tyre & Auto Service Centre is a tyre service centre in Malacca. In addition to providing a full range of tyres and rims, it also provides general vehicle repair and maintenance services. The person in charge, Shawn Ser, is a car-loving person who developed a strong interest in cars and tyres since he was a child. By combining interest and work, he quickly learnt about servicing and repairing tyres. In 2011, he decided to start a business and opened his own tyre shop.
Shawn said: “Our first tyre centre opened in 2011 and was in business for 7 years. With the continuous increase in customer flow and the lack of tyre shop services in the vicinity, I have added one more tyre centre. After a year of market study and analysis, I decided to open a branch this year.” He continued: “Our second store, which was opened in Taman Paya Emas, has 5 employees, comprising 4 technicians and a secretary.
“I choose to be the main dealers of Westlake because of its good quality and reasonable price. In addition, we could see that Westlake Malaysia has been promoting the brand and its tyres in recent years to Malaysian consumers. After selling Westlake tyres, we found the feedback from the customers to be encouraging, especially on the tyres being good looking in tread design and durable.”
He said: “Many customers are already beginning to understand Westlake tyres and are specific about the type of tyres that they want to use, such as the SA07 for general cars or the Sport RS for performance cars.”
Shawn concluded: “The unique feature of Westlake tyres is that the company making them continue to improve the tyre quality and develop new products. Together with the quick response of the Westlake Malaysia sales team and the distribution incentives the company has introduced, I am very satisfied.”
In 2019, Shawn hopes to continue expanding publicity and attract consumers through the social media and promotional coupons.
威狮轮胎持续拓展大马轮胎代理商业务
来自中国的轮胎品牌威狮于2016年正式进军马来西亚市场，产品线包括有一系列专为轿车、巴士、货车、卡车、越野以及工农业交通工具设计之用的轮胎，让本地消费者多一个轮胎品牌的选择。
威狮轮胎是中国中策集团旗下的子公司，威狮中策在中国名列第一。这家全球十大轮胎制造公司，员工人数达10,000人。
目前，中策集团拥有年产4，000多万套轮胎的能力。2015年，该集团在泰国设立生产线后，更让中策集团的产能获得进一步提升。这样一来，该集团在未来就能更迅速地将威狮轮胎供应给大马市场。
马来西亚威狮将负责该品牌在本地市场的一切事物。马来西亚威狮指出，在我国售卖的威狮品牌轮胎有多达85%是从泰国工厂进口，剩下的15%来自中国，而且主要是工程胎（OTR）。他们将会陆续引入更多不同系列和尺寸的轮胎进入大马市场。
马来西亚威狮目前在中国是吉利、比亚迪（BYD）、长安汽车、五十铃、陆虎和捷豹部份车型的原厂轮胎供应商，连陆虎和捷豹等豪华品牌也选用威狮，足见威狮在中国市场拥有很高的知名度，并且得到许多消费者和汽车厂商的认同。
该公司声称，目前西马共有超过300间轮胎店和代理商销售威狮产品。其中有22家轮胎店商讨着挂上威狮招牌的事宜，已经挂上招牌的有2间，分别位于登嘉楼和吉打的双溪大年。同时也争取与本地一些汽车品牌合作，成为他们的指定新车轮胎供应商。
威狮马六甲代理商
Meng Tyre & Auto Service Centre为马六甲的一家轮胎服务中心，除了提供全系列的轮胎与轮辋，也包括一般汽车维修与保养服务。负责人徐福明是一名热爱汽车的人士，自小便已经对汽车、轮胎产生浓厚的兴趣。在兴趣与工作相结合之下，很快就学会有关修车与补胎的维修和服务。随后他在2011年选择创业，开设自己的轮胎店。
徐福明表示：“我们的第一家轮胎中心于 2011 年开始营业，开业至今已经有 7 年。随着客户流量不断的增加以及附近地区缺乏轮胎店服务的因素下，促使我有增设多一家轮胎店的念头，摸索和分析一年后才决定于今年开设分店。” 他继续说：“我们选择在Taman Paya Emas开设第二家分店，目前员工人数总共有5人，包括4名技师和1名书记。”
“我选择成为威狮的主要代理商，因为它的品质好，而且售价合理。除此之外，也可以看见近年来马来西亚威狮不断为展开品牌宣传活动，向大马消费者推广其产品，大大提升了 知名度。在销售威狮轮胎之后，我们发现客户的反馈也令人鼓舞，除了轮胎的花纹好看之余，也相当耐用。”
他继续表示：“目前许多客户已开始了解威狮轮胎，更能自行提出想要什么花纹的轮胎，如适合一般轿车使用的SA07或适合性能车款的Sport RS等。”
最后他表示：“威狮轮胎的主要独特之处在于其持续地改善品质和开发新产品，加上马来西亚威狮销售团队的快速回应和所推出的经销奖励计划，都令我感到十分满意。”
徐福明对于威狮轮胎的前景感到乐观，随着品牌知名度的提升，他可以预见未来的潜力。最后，他期望可以通过社交媒体和优惠券的方式，继续扩大宣传和吸引消费者的光顾。
