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MALAYSIA
Goodway Wins Two AIG Awards
Goodway won 2 out of 11 categories of AIG Awards when competing with 200 reputable rubber product companies across Malaysia. The two categories are “Brand Development Award” on the development of GIIB Supercool and “Rubber Product Manufacturing Award” on the
manufacturing of high quality retreading materials with Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR). The participation in this award nomination organised by The Malaysian Rubber Board has bought Goodway into the public limelight as it emerged victorious in the Brand Development Award
and 1st Runner Up for Rubber Products Manufacturing Award,. This, said Goodway, is a great achievement and is a proven success as a result of unconditional support and the true passions of all global GIIBers and Supercool supporters.
MesTread Enjoys Steady Growth
As a young and dynamic company full of guts and passion, Malaysian retreader MesTread has proven to the market that it is firmly committed to tyre retreading. It added a new 18 +2 chamber about four months ago and increased its production capacity since the start of production in April last year.
“We had only one production line when we first started, but now we have 2 lines with fully equipped state-of-art equipment. At the moment, our full capacity is about 4,500 pcs of tyres per month, and we are running two shifts over 24 hours. We have not been able to expand more due to the current space constraints of the plant,” said MesTread Tyre Solutions Sdn Bhd Executive Director, Edmund Teng.
To cater for the different needs of the market, MesTread has three different variants of retreads. MesTread Executive Director Teow explained that MesTread is their top range, specially developed for those who
look for high mileage, whilst MesSave is their middle range.
“For Chinese casings as well as the second or third retreading on the same casings, we will recommend MesSave for our customers. Last but not least is our economy range-- Mes 5. In fact, many of our current customers started using our Mes 5 before they opted for our premium range because we were a new company and they were not quite convinced,” added Teow.
MesTread managed to secure these customers through delivering quality products and services. The general feedback that they received was that the quality of their premium MesTread retreads was far better than the major retread brands in the market.
“The dedication and hard work of each and every one of the company team has contributed to the success. We have a good team, comprising of professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience in
retreading and wisdom to the company. With their help, we have been able to develop our own management concept and marketing strategy to expand and grow,” said Teow.
To ensure quality, Alex Chan, who is also an Executive Director of the company said, unlike most of the retreading plants where normally they have their production people to handle the quality inspection; MesTread has set up a QA department. This QA department is independent from the production operation to provide an unbiased check and audit, making sure that the retreads delivered are of good quality.
“We always strive to save costs in production so that we can transfer the savings to our customers by offering them a more competitive price. For instance, we use Hocom curing envelops to maximise our curing output. Their curing envelopes which are manufactured in jointless moulds are made from the finest imported butyl rubber and heat resistance compounds. Hocom curing envelopes are durable and that significantly reduces our production costs. Another example is Pincott buffing blades, which also provide us with lower costs per buffed tyre,” said Chan.
MesTread has maintained a good relationship with all of its suppliers. Hocom curing envelopes and Pincott buffing blades are distributed by Dkee Greentech. “We believe in building a good and sustainable relationship with all of our suppliers.
Working closely with them will help to increase profits, reduce time-to- market and increase customer satisfaction, whilst reducing costs and keeping up with customer demands,” added Teng.
For MesTread, staff is the key asset. Although MesTread is a young company, it has also invested in staff training. Recently, it has developed a Production Enhancement Program and has its first training at the Shah Alam Club to enhance the productivity, skills and attitude of their staff.
“Hiring the right personnel is important in order to achieve success in any business.” Teng continued, “But, retaining good employees is also crucial. We recognise their contribution because most of us work harder when we feel appreciated. In addition, we welcome communication and we listen to them, as we know that we cannot afford to lose good employees. We know clearly that when we lose good employees due to dissatisfaction, we spend a great deal more due to lost productivity, sales, time, etc.”
In order to provide customers with a complete service, MesTread is also the sole distributor for Thailand’s Superstone new light truck, truck and bus bias tyres in Malaysia.
“We plan for expansion in the near future, where we will relocate to a bigger factory, which will allow us to have three production lines. We are also in the process of applying for ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification,” added Teng.
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