When R. Kumaran of Sagito Motor (M) Sdn Bhd, Fuso’s distributor in Johor Bahru, heard that SDS Groups had bought over the Chicago bread manufacturing plant in 2009, his response was quick. He knew that SDS Groups would have an ambitious plan to expand its reach across the country. He approached the management and successfully introduced Fuso trucks to them.
Expansion of Delivery Fleet: SDS Groups Incorporate Fuso Trucks
“We started using Fuso light trucks in 2011. Fuso is safe, stable and reliable with a comfortable ride quality. Sagito is Fuso’s top performing dealer and with the excellent services the company provides, it gives us the buying confidence,” said Tan Kim Chai of SDS Groups.
Currently, the Groups has 10 big trucks including 3 delivery trucks to Singapore, 2 for stand-by in case of emergencies and 230 light trucks. Tan confirmed that the majority of the trucks were Fuso, which clearly reflected the company’s satisfaction with the brand and after-sales services.
According to Tan, Johor and Singapore were their two main markets. Other markets included Melaka, Seremban, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Pahang and Terengganu.
“We have 16 warehouses. The longest journey that our delivery trucks cover is from Johor to Ipoh and for the east coast it is up to Kelantan. Thus, it is important that the truck that we use is a reliable workhorse. Fuso has proven to be more than capable and efficient in our transport routines.”
Apart from Fuso trucks being well-known for their lowest total cost of ownership (TCO), Kumaran said Fuso also rewarded customers who placed their trust and loyalty in the brand through the Fuso Diamond Contest. SDS Groups was the lucky winner for three consecutive years; its subsidiary SDS Bakeries Sdn Bhd (which has changed its name to SDS Top Baker Sdn Bhd) won the third prize of holiday vouchers worth RM20,000 in the 2015 Fuso Diamond Contest. In 2016, the company won an all-expense paid trip to Japan and spare-parts voucher worth RM7,000 and this year, SDS Top Baker was the grand prize winner for the Fuso Diamond Grand Final Draw 2017/2018, walking away with a Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 and a fully paid trip to Japan.
From its humble beginning in a small traditional biscuit shop called Lee Hiang in 1948, Johor-grown SDS Groups expanded tremendously over the years. Today, the company is one of Malaysia’s leading confectionery manufacturers with subsidiaries brands, SDS and SDS Top Baker that are suppliers and wholesalers delivering delectable bread nationwide daily.
“Lee Hiang was founded by our father. At that time, we had 20-30 workers and concentrated only on manufacturing biscuits. In 1985, we ventured into cake making and opened 2 cake houses. The company’s name was changed to Sin Lee Hiang when my two brothers and I took over the business in 1987,” Tan said.
SDS achieved an important milestone in 1992 when the company exported its products to Singapore. “Our main focus was on the biscuits wholesale manufacturing business. It wasn’t until year 2000 that we put more attention on cakes and breads. We became the contract bread manufacturer for Giant, Gardenia and NTUC brands. We also set up SDS Bakery and Café in Johor Bahru. To-date, we have 28 outlets in Johor Bahru.”
SDS has two manufacturing plants; one in Johor Bahru where the headquarters is located and a new plant in Seremban that began operations in October 2017. The wide array of SDS confectionery and business includes breads, pastries, cakes, western food, local food, casual dining, coffee and beverages, buffet catering, festive cookies and hampers, mooncakes, and baby full-month and wedding gift sets.
Tan also revealed that the company planned to expand to Kuala Lumpur next year, which meant that it would probably need to expand its fleet. “We will partner with Sagito Motor again. Sagito Motor has been providing very good after-sales services although the company is a 2S Fuso dealer. For instance, when we encountered a problem in Kelantan, Kumaran was willing to go the extra mile to support us and he has good contacts with the Fuso’s servicing network across Peninsular Malaysia.”
Adding to Tan’s comments, Kumaran revealed that he had already bought a piece of land where the construction of a new workshop would begin soon. “We would upgrade to a 3S centre by year end and that would allow us to serve our customers better and more efficiently.”
新利香以扶桑卡车扩展送货车队
2009年，当扶桑新山经销商Sagito汽车（马）私人有限公司的古玛兰（R.Kumaran）听到新利香（SDS）集团收购了芝加哥（Chicago）面包制造厂时，他的反应非常快。他知道SDS集团将会充满野心地扩展至全国各地，于是快速与该公司的管理层接触，成功将扶桑卡车介绍给他们。
“我们是在2011年开始采用扶桑卡车。扶桑安全、稳定及可靠，而且乘坐起来非常舒适。Sagito是扶桑卡车的顶尖代理，再加上该公司所提供的卓越服务，让我们有了购买扶桑品牌卡车的信心。”SDS集团陈金才表示。
目前，该集团拥有10辆大卡车，包括3辆送货到新加坡的卡车和两辆在紧急状况下的备用卡车和230轻型货卡。陈金才确认说，他们车队里的大多数是扶桑卡车，清楚反映了该公司对扶桑品牌和售后服务有多么地满意。
据他指出，柔佛和新加坡是他们的两大主要市场。其他市场有马六甲、芙蓉、雪兰莪、吉隆坡、霹雳、彭亨及登嘉楼。
“我们拥有16个货仓。我们货卡的最长旅途是从柔佛到怡保，东海岸则最远到关丹。因此，卡车的可靠性和重负荷非常重要。在我们日常的运输中，扶桑证实了它的高效能力。”
除了扶桑最为人熟知，可提供最低总拥有成本（TCO）外，古玛兰说扶桑也透过扶桑钻石竞赛奖励信任扶桑的忠诚客户。SDS 集团连续3年来都是该竞赛的幸运儿，其子公司SDS 烘焙私人有限公司（如今称为SDS Top烘焙私人有限公司）在2015年赢得第三奖，赢走了总值20，000令吉的旅游代金券。2016年，该公司赢得免费旅游日本和总值为7，000令吉的备件代金券，而今年SDS Top 面包是2017/2018年扶桑钻石终极竞赛大奖得主，赢走了一辆马赛地CLA 200和免费旅游日本的机会。
柔佛的SDS集团，从1948年的利香小小传统饼家，在过去几年里迅速成长起来。今天，该集团是马来西亚领先的糕饼制造商之一，SDS和SDS Top 是它旗下的两家子品牌，每日为全国供应和批发美味的面包。
“利香是我的父亲创立的。当时，我们有20至30名员工，专注于制造饼干。1985年，我们开始制造蛋糕，并开设了两家蛋糕店。我和两位哥哥在1987年接手后就将公司改名为新利香。 ”
SDS在1992年达到了重要的里程碑，将产品出口到新加坡。“我们的主要业务是饼干批发制造。我们是到了2000年才开始比较重视蛋糕和面包。我们成为巨人（Giant）超市、Gardenia及NTUC品牌的面包承包商。我们也在新山开设了SDS面包店和咖啡厅。截至目前为止，我们在新山拥有28家分店。”
SDS 拥有两家制造厂，一家在它位于新山的总部，另一家就是在2017年10月开始投入生产的芙蓉新制造厂。SDS的糕饼系列广泛，其中包括面包、糕点、蛋糕、西餐、本地美食、休闲餐饮、咖啡、饮料、自由餐承包、佳节饼干与礼篮、月饼、满月和喜饼礼盒等。
陈金才也透露说，公司计划明年扩展至吉隆坡，这意味着他们需要扩充车队。“我们将会再次与Sagito汽车合作。Sagito汽车虽然是家2S扶桑代理，但是他们却能够为我们提供非常好的售后服务。比如说，我们在吉兰丹遇到困难，古玛兰仍然愿意协助我们解决问题，他与马来西亚半岛的扶桑服务网络拥有良好的联系。”
此外，古玛兰透露说，他已经购买了一片土地，很快就会着手建设自己的修车厂。“我们将在今年底升级为3S中心，这样我们就能够更有效率地为客户服务。”
