Proton opens new regional parts center in Kuching to service East Malaysia – 30% off delivery time
As part of its efforts to strengthen its after-sales service in East Malaysia, Proton has opened a new regional parts center (RPC) located in Kuching, Sarawak, announced last November. According to the automaker, the all-new facility can reduce spare parts delivery times by at least 30%.
Located in the Bintawa industrial park and with a floor space of approximately 28,000 square feet, RPC can simultaneously receive up to six containers of spare parts on site and currently handles an average of 17 containers monthly, including direct shipments from abroad. As a result, Proton says RPC is using its full capacity to store up to three months of inventory.
“With increasing customer demand over the past four years, Proton’s previous warehouse facilities in East Malaysia were overwhelmed with parts and were inefficient due to space constraints. The new regional parts center in Kuching is three times larger than its predecessor and will act as a spare parts distribution center for after-sales parts and components for Sarawak as well as Sabah should the need arise. ,” said Mr. Roslan Abdullah, Deputy CEO of Proton.
“The added space also allows Proton to increase delivery volume by 50% from 3,000 orders per month to 4,500 orders per month with a maximum capacity of 6,000 orders per month if needed. This allows us to acquire more parts, and as of today, we are rapidly clearing the backlog of orders from our dealers and customers,” he added.
In the same statement, Proton said vehicle sales in East Malaysia account for 15% of the company’s total sales by 2022. This also saw market share increase from 10% in 2018 to 20% in 2022, with the introduction of the X70 contributing to this increase.
The popularity of the Saga also helps Proton gain a better foothold in East Malaysia, as it was the best-selling model there last year with 10,242 units. Next is the X50 with 4,181 units and Persona with 2,605 units.
“Proton sold 7,697 units in East Malaysia in 2018 but last year a total of 19,844 units were sold, representing a sales increase of 158%. We aim to hit even bigger numbers this year with continued improvement in after-sales service as well as the launch of new and updated models on the way,” commented Roslan.
“Customer satisfaction remains our goal and we know Proton still needs to work on improving its after-sales service level. Every positive step we take brings us closer to our goals, and we remain committed to providing high-quality products that come with the same high level of after-sales support.” he finished.
