Established in 2020, Sri Maju Cergas Logistics Sdn Bhd (SMCL) is a young and dynamic company.
Sri Maju Cergas Logistics Sees Ample Market Potential
Under the leadership of Managing Director, Khoo Sze Chyuan, the company has grown tremendously despite the pandemic.
“We started out from scratch. No experience, no customer base, nothing, not even a truck and a driver. Ample market potential is the main factor that drives us to start a logistics business. With a new approach, we believe that we are able to penetrate the market effectively,” he said.
As the second generation of his family-owned business that deals with import and export of rebuilt trucks, as well as truck parts and accessories business, Khoo has always wanted to learn more about why used trucks were rebuilt in certain ways, as well as the applications and the requirements of rebuilt truck in various sectors. “Putting these trucks in actual usage would allow us to obtain first-hand information, and this has led us to venture into the logistics sector, specilising in transporting foodstuffs and palm fruits using wooden cargo trucks.”
The success that they achieved in wooden cargo truck transportation services has further fuelled their interest in the logistics industry, but in a totally new field. This, he pointed out, gave birth to SMCL, which is mainly involved in the transportation of sand and gravel.
Investing in modern and newer trucks matters
“There’s a Chinese saying: good tools are prerequisite to the successful execution of a job. We purchased 8 units of 3-year-old used heavy duty 26-wheel tipping trailers. As compared to other players in the market, our tipping trailers are not only newer but also are high in load capacity. These we believe are the factors that help us win customers over and earn new leads. Newer tipping trailers mean less down time and increased payload, whilst fewer trips contribute to cost saving.”
In a short span of time, SMCL has experienced tremendous growth. Today, the company has a fleet of 22 trucks and a combined total of 50 trucks with its another company under the same Group that specialises in wooden cargo truck transportation.
“We bought 4 units of the Volvo FMX and 4 units of the new generation Volvo FMX before its launch last year. The new FMX puts the focus on robustness, ease of maintenance, as well as increase in loading capacity. All these trucks are new additions to our fleet to meet increasing market demand.”
The reason for selecting the Volvo FMX, Khoo said, is because it is a ‘construction giant’, capable of transporting large loads in rough conditions without getting bogged down. Additionally, it provides a secure and comfortable workplace for drivers – ensuring productivity and safety for both the driver and the loads. It is also worth mentioning that Volvo trucks have a better resale value.
Apart from that, he revealed that they also purchased 5 units of CAMC and 2 units of XCMG trucks. “We will continue to add in more vehicles, either new or used, to the company’s fleet as our business grows. However, for used vehicles, our principle is they cannot be over 4 years old, taking maintenance and uptime into consideration,” he added.
Drivers are assets
Logistics Manager Leon Ng said, truck drivers spend most of their working hours behind the wheel, therefore a safe and comfortable working environment will help to retain drivers. He noted that newer trucks are often equipped with things like automatic transmissions and other safety features, as well as cabs that are ergonomically designed and technological advancement to make truckers’ job easier.
“To keep up with the industry, we always ask ourselves what we’re missing out and what we can do better in terms of services. The same goes for driver benefits and experience, as we believe that truck driver retention is key to a healthy fleet. In fact, high turnover has hidden costs too. Too many new hires will probably affect customer confidence and reduce sales. We offer our drivers good fringe benefits as they are our assets. Therefore, we have very low driver turnover. Whenever we have a vacancy, we are able to attract quality applicants. Thus, we have never encountered driver shortages but on the contrary, there are many candidates on our waitlist. “
Currently, SMCL has two depots that are strategically located in Lukut, Negeri Sembilan and Hutan Melintang, Perak respectively. Ng pointed out that these depots allow them to create a transport footprint that most effective covers the whole of Peninsular Malaysia.
“We understand that the efficiency of a transport operator is heavily dependent on the quality and adequacy of vehicle servicing and maintenance available. Our depots are well-equipped with servicing and maintenance facilities, and we have our own 24/7 roadside assistance team to ensure minimal unplanned downtime and boost efficiency,” added Khoo.
SMCL also benefits as a member of a Company Group that is involved in diversified businesses apart from logistics with various degrees and types of synergies, as well as teamwork. The other businesses that the Group is involved in include oil palm trading, importing and rebuilt truck trading, general insurance, new and used motor vehicle spare parts as well as heavy machinery.
For instance, Khoo explained, with the Group’s involvement in new and used motor vehicle spare parts, they are able to mitigate the downtime of their trucks with not only the availability, but also the quality of spare parts for maintenance and repairs.
“When you partner with us, you have a whole team behind you, you know that you are in good hands,” Khoo stressed.
Moving forward, Khoo revealed that their future plan is to have a branch office in every state in Peninsular Malaysia to better serve their customers.
Sri Maju Cergas 物流投资于新卡车
推动业务扩展
Sri Maju Cergas 物流私人有限公司 (SMCL) 成立于 2020 年，是一家年轻而充满活力的公司。在董事经理邱思荃的领导下，尽管受到冠病大流行的冲击，该公司仍取得了显著的增长。
他说：“我们从零开始。没有经验，没有客户群，什么都没有，甚至没有卡车和司机。巨大的市场潜力是推动我们开展物流业务的主要因素。我们相信通过一种新方法，我们就能有效地打入市场。”
作为从事翻新卡车进出口，卡车零部件及配件业务的家族企业第二代，邱思荃一直都想了解更多有关二手卡车为何会进行某些方面的翻新，还有各行业对改造卡车的应用和要求。 “将这些卡车投入实际使用将使我们能够获得第一手信息，这促使我们涉足物流领域，专门使用货运卡车来运输食品和棕榈果。”
他们在卡车运输服务方面取得的成功，进一步激发了他们对物流行业的兴趣。他指出，但这是个全新的领域，并催生了主要从事砂石运输公司，也就是SMCL的成立。
投资于更新的现代化卡车很重要
“工欲善其事必先利其器。我们购买了8 台车龄为3 年的二手重型 26 轮自卸拖车。与市场上的其他运营者相比，我们的自卸拖车不仅更新，而且负载能力也很高。我们相信这些因素有助于我们赢得客户和新的潜在客户。更新的自卸拖车意味着更少的停机时间和更高的有效载荷，而更少的行程则有助于节省成本。”
SMCL在很短的时间内经历了巨大的增长。如今，该公司拥有一支由22辆卡车组成的车队。与同一集团另一家专门从事卡车运输的公司车队加起来，就有50 辆卡车。
“去年，我们购买了4 辆沃尔沃FMX和4辆新一代FMX卡车，后者更是在沃尔沃正式发布前我们就下了订单。新的 FMX 将重点放在坚固性、易于维护以及提升的负载能力上。这些卡车都是我们车队的新成员，以满足不断增长的市场需求。”
邱思荃说，选择沃尔沃 FMX 的原因是因为它是最坚固的工程车，能够在恶劣的条件下运输大负载且不会陷入困境。此外，它还为驾驶员提供了一个安全舒适的工作场所——确保驾驶员和负载的生产力和安全。值得一提的是，沃尔沃卡车具有更好的转售价值。
除此之外，他透露，他们还购买了5辆CAMC卡车和两辆徐工卡车。 他补充说：“随着业务的增长，我们将继续为公司车队增添新或二手车辆。在二手车方面，我们考虑到卡车的维护和出勤率，所以原则上它们的车龄不得超过 4 年。”
司机是资产
物流经理吴政彦表示，卡车司机的大部分工作时间都在驾驶，因此安全舒适的工作环境将有助于留住驾驶员。他指出，较新的卡车通常配备自动变速箱和其他的安全功能，以及符合人体工程学设计的驾驶室和先进的技术，使卡车驾驶员的工作更为轻松。
“为了跟上行业的步伐，我们总是在问我们错过了什么，还有在服务方面我们要如何才能做得更好。驾驶员的福利和经验也是如此，因为我们相信留住卡车驾驶员是维持一支‘健康’和强大车队的关键。事实上，高周转率也有隐藏成本。太多的新员工可能会影响客户的信心并减少销售额。我们为驾驶员提供良好的附加福利，因为他们是我们的资产。因此，我们的司机流失率非常低。每当我们有空缺时，我们都能吸引优质的应聘者。因此，我们从未遇到过司机短缺的情况，相反地，我们的司机候补名单上有很多候选人。 “
目前，SMCL 拥有两个分行，分别位于森美兰州的芦骨（Lukut）和霹雳州的Hutan Melintang。 吴政彦指出，这两大分行使他们能够有效地覆盖整个马来西亚半岛的运输。
“我们知道，运输运营商的效率在很大程度上取决于车辆维修和保养的可取得性和质量。我们的分站配备了完善的服务和维护设施，我们拥有自己的 24/7 路边援助团队，大大减少计划外的停机时间和提高效率。”邱思荃补充说。
作为该公司集团的成员，SMCL也受益于该集团除物流业外所从事的多元化业务，并获得了不同程度和类型的协同效应和团队合作。该集团的其他业务包括油棕贸易、卡车进口与改装贸易、一般保险、新旧汽车零配件以及重型机械。
邱思荃解释说，打个比方，该集团的新旧汽车备件业务，让他们能够减少卡车的停机时间和拥有充足的备件供应，确保车辆的养护和修补质量。
“当您与我们合作时，您将拥有我们的整个团队，您知道您将获得妥善的照顾。”邱思荃强调说。
他透露，他们的未来计划是在马来西亚半岛的每一州设立分公司，以更好地为客户服务。
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