L-R: (From L-R) Jaclyn Loy, Chief Operating Officer, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd (TCIE); Teong Seng Kiang, Chief Operating Officer, Tan Chong Motor Assemblies Sdn Bhd (TCMA); Fabien Riviere-Cazaux, Croner KD Project Manager / Director, Plant Coordination Asia; Tan Keng Meng, Executive Director, TCIE; Filip Van den Heede, Managing Director Hub Malaysia, UD Trucks; Daniel Ho Wai Ming, Chief Financial Officer, TCMA; Wong King Yoon, Chief Executive Officer, TCIE; Tomoharu Takigawa, Quality Manager, UD Trucks, Herve Simonin, Vice President Industrial Development & Partners, UD Trucks; Lawrence Lee Jiuun Shyan, Executive Director, TCMA officiating the factory line-off of the first unit of UD Croner at TCMA, Segambut.
UD Trucks and Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd (TCIE) have rolled out the first-ever locally-assembled completely knocked down (CKD) UD Croner medium duty truck. This is a milestone for both companies as Malaysia is the first market in the world to assemble CKD Croners. The UD Croner is assembled at the Tan Chong Motor Assemblies Sdn Bhd facility in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur.
This achievement comes two years after the successful roll out of the first locally-assembled heavy-duty UD Quester truck in 2016. The locally assembled Croner is also the first such example in Asia Pacific, outside of Japan, to be locally assembled with a private distributor partner, and comes less than a year after the medium-duty truck was launched in Malaysia.
“Our goal is to build the truck that our customers need for today and the future, and in doing so, we have taken numerous feedback from them in order to help them stay ahead of the competition. In Malaysia, cost efficiency and quality trucks are key factors to our customers. That is why, we are certain that with the availability of the locally-assembled UD Croner now, our customers will continue to enjoy all the strong features of the truck at a competitive price. In addition, they will also continue to receive thorough aftermarket service from our long-standing partner, TCIE,” added Van den Heede.
“UD Trucks and Tan Chong Group have had a solid and highly successful 40-year partnership together, where we have worked and cooperated closely to introduce new products and services that deliver smart logistics to our customers in Malaysia,” he added.
“Our locally-assembled UD Croner trucks will not only continue to represent the hallmarks of what UD Trucks stands for, but it will also give operators all that is needed to work efficiently and effectively at an affordable price range. This is very important especially in a competitive market like Malaysia. This is what we want to aim for our customers, as their satisfaction and trust in us remain our top priorities,” said Tan.
TCIE will be rolling out 150 units of the UD Croner this year comprising both manual and auto transmission options for two models i.e. Croner PKE and Croner LKE. Croner PKE caters for medium-heavy duty usage with a powerful 6-cylinder engine for regional and long haul, while Croner LKE is a multi-purpose model for in-city and city-to-city distribution focusing on transport efficiency.
According to Tan, the setting up of the assembly line with the investment of over RM1.5 million to produce locally-assembled heavy-duty UD Quester trucks two years ago was a strategic step on Tan Chong Group’s part to meet local market needs. It will also support the growth of Malaysia as an important complete knocked-down automotive market in the region.
Also, to further increase the company’s competitive edge as an automotive player, an additional investment of RM4.5 million was recently made to expand the production capacity of TCMA to include CKD Croner, where part of the investment is used for expansion of assembly facilities including body and paint.
UD Trucks had contributed to enhancing the capabilities of local engineers by sharing technology know-how and hands-on approach in training, to enable efficient management of the expanded facility and to ensure a smooth roll-out of the locally-assembled UD Croner.
Tomoharu Takigawa, UD Trucks KD Quality Manager, shared, “TCMA, with its complete knocked-down (CKD) operation fulfilling UD Trucks’ standards of quality and operational excellence, has played an important role and been for years a key part of our brand’s success in Malaysia. We believe with the dedication and support of TCIE and TCMA in upholding the quality of UD Trucks, and we will be able to continue producing more trucks that will deliver ultimate dependability to our Malaysian customers.”
Tan Chong Industrial Equipment has an extensive network of 43 services centers and dealerships nationwide. Any purchase of UD trucks will be supported by UD Extra Mile Support services which include UD Genuine Service and Parts, UD Driver Training, UD Telematics and UD Trust Service Agreements for customers.
For more information on TCIE and UD Trucks, call 03-61899832.
Keyword: UD Trucks And Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Roll Out Locally Assembled UD Croner Truck