Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd handed over another 5 units of Dongfeng Kinland 375 trucks to Biforst Logistics Sdn Bhd, following the first batch of 5 units that was delivered in October 2016.
Dongfeng Kinland Trucks Officially Handed Over to Biforst Logistics
“Now, we have 10 units of Kinland in our fleet. We are using the Dongfeng trucks for long hauls from Perlis up north down to Singapore and so far, we only encountered minor problems. Other than that, the trucks are performing well and have received good feedback from our drivers. The fuel consumption also meets our requirements,” said R.A. Rao, Operation Director of Biforst Logistics.
Though there are many new Chinese brands in the market, Rao pointed out that what distinguished Dongfeng from the others was its prompt and quality after-sales service and extensive workshop network. Furthermore, the Dongfeng brand was quite established in China.
“The specification that is brought to Malaysia is the right horsepower with proven Cummins engine and ZF transmission, which is suitable for transporters like us who are in the Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. We do not require heavy duty prime movers,” he added.
Another important aspect was parts availability and reliability, such as the replacement of a cabin or even an engine after an accident. “Fast moving spare-parts are not a problem, but when it comes to the abovementioned items, not many suppliers are able to help us to recover the truck in the shortest time possible. This is the commitment that we see in Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Malaysia. Long recovery period is a major problem for transporters who still need to pay the instalments and fixed costs. In addition, drivers may also resign to look for other income due to vehicle downtime,” he explained.
Rao also confirmed that the company would definitely consider buying more Dongfeng trucks in the future as it found their performance to be on par with the European brands.
Established in 2004, Biforst Logistics is a home-grown logistic company that offers fully integrated services for contract logistics, third party, fourth and fifth party logistics. The company’s current fleet comprises 530 trucks, of which 250 are prime movers.
“We are happy that Biforst tried the first 5 Dongfeng trucks and found them satisfactory. We appreciate their support and they could be rest assured that our team will do its best to provide after-sales support. Besides our headquarters in Batu Caves, we have our own service branches in Butterworth and Johor Bahru with 12 service dealers covering other parts of Malaysia,” said Lim Khoon Yee, Managing Director of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle (Malaysia).
Lim also hinted that the company would bring in new models in the second half of 2017.
