Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Malaysia will remain resilient and has taken steps to weather the stormy period.
Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Malaysia Reveals Strategies to Mininimise Business Disruption
It has been almost two years since the outbreak of Covid-19. Most automotive companies, especially the heavy trucks and equipment sector have been severely affected, with Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (DFCVM) being no exception.
“We have been following strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) since the Malaysian government imposed the movement control order from April 2020 to content with the Covid-19 outbreak. These procedures include daily temperature screenings, scanning Mysejahtera QR codes using the Mysejahtera contact tracing app for all employees and visitors when entering the company’s premises, the strict enforcement of wearing a mask and social distancing. Other measures include the daily sanitisation of premises, providing hand sanitiser at key locations throughout the workplace, as well as arranging government-approved clinics to do swab tests for all our employees. Additionally, we also implement a rotation of teams to work from home. We are taking all necessary precautions and measures to ensure the safety of our staff and customers at the workplace,” said General Manager KC Lim.
Sales of new vehicles have declined substantially and collections from aftersales services have also slowed, he added, meaning that there has been an issue of operational losses and cash flow constraints during the pandemic.
The work from home policy at various government agencies, he pointed out, includes the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Business (MITI), the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, the Road Transport Department (JPJ), Standard and the Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM), as well as financial institutes, which have slowed down the process of new vehicle applications and the approval and registration process.
“To make matters worse, the sea freight rates have escalated between 300 to 500 per cent, when shipping from China to Malaysia. The strengthening of the Chinese Yuan hasn’t helped either,” he added.
During these trying times, Lim is thankful for the unwavering support of the principals, shareholders, employees and their loyal customers. “Without them, we would not have been able to make it through the lockdowns and movement control orders imposed since March 2020. The challenges continue due to the daily upsurge in the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases, and we are now in the midst of a total lockdown, also referred to as full movement control order (FMCO).”
Lim understands the importance of keeping a positive mindset amidst the pandemic. He noted that heavy trucks are needed for the construction industry, logistics companies and haulage business. Despite the current adversities surrounding the heavy commercial vehicle business, he said that the market is still there.
“Booms, crises and recoveries are part and parcel of the business cycle. The recovery might be lengthy, but it is only a matter of time. We believe that the business cycle will reverse and the market will be booming again soon. This is based on our past experience within the industry.”
As the sole importer and distributor of Dongfeng heavy commercial and industrial vehicles, DFCVM has more than 10 years of experience providing solutions to the local transport industry. “We carry a wide range of Dongfeng vehicles, from mixer trucks, prime movers to rigid trucks. In 2012, we received the inaugural New Straits Times Truck of the Year Award, a recognition of DFCVM’s quality and services. Dongfeng trucks are reliable, powerful and economical workhorses for construction, logistics, haulage and other heavy industry operations. It is important to invest in the right trucks, and we are here to help to revive the above-mentioned industries during these difficult times.”
Amidst the current uncertainties, Lim stressed that DFCVM will remain resilient and has taken steps to weather the stormy period.
“We have trimmed down various expenses to the bare minimum for the time being. We will step up our aftersales service through the 24 hours breakdown services and hotlines to ensure customer business are not affected. To mitigate downtime, we have parts readily available for replacement, even though the Free On Board (FOB) cost is escalating and the shipping schedule is slow and erratic,” he revealed.
In the effort of helping their customers weather the impact of the pandemic while continuing to grow their business, Lim said that DFCVM is maintaining the popular new heavy-duty vehicles at the original affordable prices, so as to offset the sharp rise in FOB and sea freight charges, as well as the currency exchange rate changes.
Moving forward, Lim said, the company has been working with various stakeholders on the recovery plan, which will be disclosed in due time.
大马东风商用车谈如何渡过风雨
自冠病爆发以来已经快两年了,大多数的汽车公司，尤其是重型卡车和设备行业都受到了严重影响，东风商用车（马来西亚）私人有限公司（DFCVM）也不例外。
总经理林锦初表示：“自马来西亚政府于 2020 年 4 月实施行动管制令(MCO)应对新冠肺炎的爆发以来，我们一直严格遵循标准操作程序（SOP）。这些程序包括每天进行体温筛查、规定所有员工和访客在进入公司场所时使用 Mysejahtera 联系追踪应用程序扫描 Mysejahtera 二维码、严格执行戴口罩和保持社交距离、每天对场所进行消毒、在整个工作场所的关键位置提供洗手液，以及安排政府批准的诊所为我们所有的员工进行拭子检测。此外，我们还实施团队分流居家办公。简而言之，我们正在采取一切必要的预防措施，确保我们员工和客户在工作场所的安全。”
他继续说，新车销量大幅下降，售后服务的应收帐款也放缓。因此，他说，冠病大流行期间业者都面对着运营亏损和现金流受限的问题。
他指出，各个政府机构包括国际贸易及工业部（MITI）、马来西亚皇家关税局、陆路交通局（JPJ）、马来西亚标准与工业研究院（SIRIM）及金融机构等的居家办公政策，导致新车申请流程和审批登记流程放慢。
“更糟糕的是，从中国运往马来西亚的海运费上涨了 300% 至 500%，而人民币的升值更是雪上加霜。”他补充说。
在这艰难的时期，林锦初感谢制造商、股东、员工及其忠实客户的坚定支持。 “如果没有他们，我们将无法安然渡过自 2020 年 3 月以来实施的封锁和行管令。如今，我们依然面对着挑战，每天激增的冠病确诊病例，再加上我们目前正处于全面封锁，也称为全面行管令 (FMCO)的情况。”
林锦初明白在冠病大流行中保持积极心态的重要性。他指出，建筑业、物流公司和运输业都需要重型卡车。尽管目前重型商用车业务面临困境，但他表示市场仍然存在。
“繁荣、危机和复苏都是组成商业周期的重要部分。复苏可能很漫长，但这不过是时间问题。我们相信商业周期将会逆转，市场将很快再次蓬勃起来。我们如此认为是基于我们过去在行业内的经验。”
作为东风重型商用车和工业车的唯一进口商和分销商，DFCVM 拥有超过 10 年为本地运输行业提供解决方案的经验。 “我们引进了各种类型的东风车辆，从搅拌车、牵引车到整体式车架卡车。 2012 年，我们获得了首届新海峡时报年度卡车奖，这是对 DFCVM 质量和服务的认可。东风卡车是建筑、物流、运输和其他重工业的可靠、强大和经济主力。投资于合适的卡车很重要，在这个困难的时期，我们会在这里帮助上述的这些行业重振旗鼓。”
在当前的不确定性中，林锦初强调 DFCVM 将保持其灵活性，并已采取措施渡过这段风暴时期。
他透露：“我们暂时将各种费用削减到最低限度。我们也将通过24小时故障服务和热线电话加强售后服务，确保客户业务不受影响。为了减少停机时间，我们备有随时可供更换的零部件，即使船上交货 (FOB) 成本不断上升，而且运输时间缓慢且不稳定。”
为了帮助客户抵御疫情的影响，同时继续发展他们的业务，林锦初表示，DFCVM自行抵消了FOB 和大幅上涨的海运运费，以及货币汇率的变化，仍以原价出售广受市场欢迎的新重型车辆。
林锦初说，该公司目前正在与股东们制定恢复计划，并将在适当的时候披露。
