Tata Motors brings the world’s most affordable car that changed the face of global automobile industry, Tata Nano, to Thailand for the first time at the 26th Thailand International Motor Expo. On the same occasion, it will introduce the Single Cab Xenon Giant Super CNG to its commercial pickup range. Motor Expo opens on December 2, 2009 and continues until December 13 at the Challenger Hall 1-3, Impact Muang Thong Thani.
“One of the highlights for Tata Motors at this year’s Motor Expo will be the first-ever appearance of the Nano in Thailand,” said Ajit Venkataraman, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Motors (Thailand) Ltd. “It represents Tata Group’s determination to create innovations in many different aspects, while improving the quality of life of our stakeholders.
“We are also introducing the Single Cab Tata Xenon Giant Super CNG pickup. This is in response to the popularity of our CNG vehicles, and also to underline our commitment to developing new products to meet the commercial requirements of business operators.”
The Tata Xenon Giant Super CNG has a 2.1L, DOHC multipoint injection, dedicated CNG engine that delivers maximum horsepower of 115 HP and a maximum torque of 175 Nm at 3,750 rpm..
The components used in the CNG system are from leading international CNG component manufacturers. They meet world class standards of quality and safety. For example, the high pressure piping system is from the USA and the high pressure safety system is from Canada.
The engine has a compression ratio of 12:1. This is suitable for CNG combustion and assures optimum performance, excellent fuel economy, durability and ease of maintenance.
The vehicle design incorporates the CNG cylinders and the spare tyre below the load body. This enables full utilization of the large load body area.
The 230 L CNG cylinders allow storage of 38 Kg of CNG. This gives the pickup a range of more than 350 kilometres on just one fill. The flat load body walls can be dropped from three sides. This feature makes it very convenient for commercial users of pickup.
In accordance with the Motor Expo’s theme this year, Driving for Sustainability, the design concept of Tata’s exhibition area number A04 is “Innovation for Sustainable Life.” It is divided into three zones: Innovation Car, displaying the Tata Nano and the history of its development; Sustainable Life, the Super Ace light commercial truck and the Xenon Diesel pickups that can help Thai people earn a living; and CNG Zone for all of Tata’s CNG pickup models, with information on compressed natural gas.
“Tata has introduced three variants of commercial pickups in the last one year. ” said Ajit “With our expanding distribution network of 33 dealerships, we are committed to building a strong foundation for Tata Motors brand in Thailand and providing the best service to all our customers..”
For more information, please contact:
DC Consultants and Marketing Communications Ltd.
Sitthi Wattanayagorn
Tel: 02-6102384 e-mail address: Sitthi@dcconsultants.co.th
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
BAT-3K upbeat
Thai Storage Battery Plc (BAT-3K) may have its highest profit in more than a decade this year as an economic rebound lifts sales, according to executive director Veerawat Korphaibool.
Net income may be about 400 million baht, compared with a loss of 472 million last year, he said.
The company expects to sell at least 250,000 batteries a month for the rest of this year, up from a monthly average of 162,000 in the first quarter,he said.
"It's a much better environment now, as people have more confidence to spend with the economic recovery," he said."Sales have rebounded as consumers are buying new automobile parts such as batteries after deferring them during the bad economy earlier this year."
BAT-3K posted a net profit of 208 million baht in the first half, compared with a loss of 115 million a year earlier,as lower prices of lead cut production costs. However, lead prices have now risen and the company planned to raise battery prices by as much as 15%, Mr Veerawat said.
BAT-3K shares closed yesterday on the SET at 61.50 baht, unchanged,in trade worth 516,000 baht.
Net income may be about 400 million baht, compared with a loss of 472 million last year, he said.
The company expects to sell at least 250,000 batteries a month for the rest of this year, up from a monthly average of 162,000 in the first quarter,he said.
"It's a much better environment now, as people have more confidence to spend with the economic recovery," he said."Sales have rebounded as consumers are buying new automobile parts such as batteries after deferring them during the bad economy earlier this year."
BAT-3K posted a net profit of 208 million baht in the first half, compared with a loss of 115 million a year earlier,as lower prices of lead cut production costs. However, lead prices have now risen and the company planned to raise battery prices by as much as 15%, Mr Veerawat said.
BAT-3K shares closed yesterday on the SET at 61.50 baht, unchanged,in trade worth 516,000 baht.
Double DIN car radios
Two companies are making sure that car drivers will soon be able to get their radios in the double DIN format.
Starting in June, Pioneer will sell its AVIC-F310BT, with a CD player, Bluetooth hands-free capabilities, a navigation system, a vehicle log, an SD-card and USB slots and 4 gigabytes of internal memory. It also comes with a 4.3-inch touch display that can be removed to deter theft. It will sell for 800 euros (38,713 baht)).
Meanwhile, Alpina's IXA-W404R comes without a CD drive, but sells for about 500 euros (24,196 baht) and comes with a 4.3-inch touch display. It can access music from an MP3 player or a flash card, reports the company.
Starting in June, Pioneer will sell its AVIC-F310BT, with a CD player, Bluetooth hands-free capabilities, a navigation system, a vehicle log, an SD-card and USB slots and 4 gigabytes of internal memory. It also comes with a 4.3-inch touch display that can be removed to deter theft. It will sell for 800 euros (38,713 baht)).
Meanwhile, Alpina's IXA-W404R comes without a CD drive, but sells for about 500 euros (24,196 baht) and comes with a 4.3-inch touch display. It can access music from an MP3 player or a flash card, reports the company.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
GPS to save time - and the world
GPS is helping to save the world with its latest innovation, ecoRoute, which helps drivers find more fuel-efficient routes and be more aware of fuel consumption.
The latest Garmin Nuvi 1460 GPS announced by ESRI (Thailand) comes with an updated database and new features,including ecoRoute, which calculates fuel use and the driver's carbon footprint.
The ecoRoute program helps improve driver behaviour because the driver is likely to compete with himself to achieve better "scores", said Channarong Teerarojanarat, the company's telematics department manager.
It helps optimise drivers' fuel economy and boost their green score, he said.This figure considers factors including acceleration, deceleration and speed and is marked out of 100- the higher the score, the better.
ESRI (Thailand) general manager Krairop Luanguthai said the Nuvi 1460 comes with a Thai keyboard, 2GB flash and Bluetooth wireless.
It is preloaded with the latest ESRI detail map TSM (Thailand Street Map)version10, including more than 1,000 junction views in Bangkok with additional views to indicate proper lane directions.The program also shows speed limits and notifies the driver when they are exceeded.
There are five selectable Thai voices and a new point of interest page, up to 10 route plans, and automatic routing to show the most direct journey.
Meanwhile, the company also announced the Garmin Oregon 550, which combines rugged outdoor touchscreen navigation with a 3.2-megapixel digital camera. The Oregon 550 features add high-sensitivity GPS, barometric altimeter, 3-axis electronic compass and microSD card slot.
Krairop added that the company and its partners have been testing the TMC (Traffic Messaging Centre) system which reports traffic conditions and known accidents. The TMC service is expected to be launched next year.
Channarong noted that the GPS market this year increased by 50 percent and the company expects to see 500 million baht of sales revenue.
He noted that the company will launch a website, www.gpssociety.com, a community for GPS users that encompasses dynamic features and information."This will encourage users to take part in more activities as there are also route recommendations for special festivals."
Recently, ASUS allies with Garmin announced, Novifone, a navigator phone under the brand garmin-asus.
garmin-asus Nuvifone M20 is equipped with Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, LBS (Location Based Services), mobile web browser, and navigation tools.
The phone features call function,search function and view map function which comes with preloaded Thai map.
The latest Garmin Nuvi 1460 GPS announced by ESRI (Thailand) comes with an updated database and new features,including ecoRoute, which calculates fuel use and the driver's carbon footprint.
The ecoRoute program helps improve driver behaviour because the driver is likely to compete with himself to achieve better "scores", said Channarong Teerarojanarat, the company's telematics department manager.
It helps optimise drivers' fuel economy and boost their green score, he said.This figure considers factors including acceleration, deceleration and speed and is marked out of 100- the higher the score, the better.
ESRI (Thailand) general manager Krairop Luanguthai said the Nuvi 1460 comes with a Thai keyboard, 2GB flash and Bluetooth wireless.
It is preloaded with the latest ESRI detail map TSM (Thailand Street Map)version10, including more than 1,000 junction views in Bangkok with additional views to indicate proper lane directions.The program also shows speed limits and notifies the driver when they are exceeded.
There are five selectable Thai voices and a new point of interest page, up to 10 route plans, and automatic routing to show the most direct journey.
Meanwhile, the company also announced the Garmin Oregon 550, which combines rugged outdoor touchscreen navigation with a 3.2-megapixel digital camera. The Oregon 550 features add high-sensitivity GPS, barometric altimeter, 3-axis electronic compass and microSD card slot.
Krairop added that the company and its partners have been testing the TMC (Traffic Messaging Centre) system which reports traffic conditions and known accidents. The TMC service is expected to be launched next year.
Channarong noted that the GPS market this year increased by 50 percent and the company expects to see 500 million baht of sales revenue.
He noted that the company will launch a website, www.gpssociety.com, a community for GPS users that encompasses dynamic features and information."This will encourage users to take part in more activities as there are also route recommendations for special festivals."
Recently, ASUS allies with Garmin announced, Novifone, a navigator phone under the brand garmin-asus.
garmin-asus Nuvifone M20 is equipped with Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, LBS (Location Based Services), mobile web browser, and navigation tools.
The phone features call function,search function and view map function which comes with preloaded Thai map.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
B1bn firm to target US auto parts market
A Thai-owned auto parts distributor in the United States will join with Thai aftermarket auto-parts producers to set up a holding company worth 1 billion baht to purchase 30 auto repair centres in the US within two years.
The move is part of a strategy by the Cluster of Thai Automotive Parts to expand its members' markets to improve industry performance when local demand is weak because of the slump in vehicle sales and production.
"We have been trying to enter the US market for more than 10 years, but were unsuccessful because we didn't use the right channels," said Samart Deebhijarn, the president of the cluster.
"But the current strategy, through signing a memorandum of understanding to distribute local products to a US parts distributor and to invest in garages there would help us access the US market better."
He said that owning garages would also give Thai producers a better understanding of US parts customers.
Cluster members visited the US last week on a mission that also included representatives of the Thailand Trade Representative (TTR) Office, Thailand Automotive Institute and the SME Bank.
The memorandum calls for cluster members to supply parts to US-based Autotech Engineering Co, one of the largest auto parts distributors in Los Angeles, owned by a Thai businessman.
The new company would have to purchase 500 million baht worth of Thai auto parts within one year,3 billion baht within five years and 15 billion within the next decade, said Vachara Phanchet, the Thailand Trade Representative.
Establishing a holding company would raise 1 billion baht from members of the cluster and Autotech Engineering Co to buy 30 garages within the next two years. This should generate parts sale and service income worth 3 billion baht by 2012 to the new firm.
Vallop Tiasiri, director of the Thailand Automotive Institute, said more American drivers are repairing their cars to keep them in service longer in the downturn, creating opportunities for aftermarket parts makers.
Vichaya Vitheethum, executive director of the SME Bank, said the market size in the US and the weak dollar also offered opportunities for Thai parts producers.
The bank is working out measures to support establishing the holding company. Its board is also considering changing its collateral regulations to promote Thai investment overseas.
"We used to allow overseas collateral to be used as guarantees for our lending to overseas business, but we faced problems estimating asset value so the system was scrapped. But the board is reconsidering this model in order to promote local business to invest overseas," Mr Vichaya said.
The TTR, meanwhile, is preparing to adopt similar strategies to promote access to other markets such as Germany, Australia and the Middle East.
"These markets use a lot of Asian cars form which our parts are applicable. Similar strategies such as overseas investment to win distribution channels will also be applied to promote other industries such as processed food,"Mr Vachara said.
The move is part of a strategy by the Cluster of Thai Automotive Parts to expand its members' markets to improve industry performance when local demand is weak because of the slump in vehicle sales and production.
"We have been trying to enter the US market for more than 10 years, but were unsuccessful because we didn't use the right channels," said Samart Deebhijarn, the president of the cluster.
"But the current strategy, through signing a memorandum of understanding to distribute local products to a US parts distributor and to invest in garages there would help us access the US market better."
He said that owning garages would also give Thai producers a better understanding of US parts customers.
Cluster members visited the US last week on a mission that also included representatives of the Thailand Trade Representative (TTR) Office, Thailand Automotive Institute and the SME Bank.
The memorandum calls for cluster members to supply parts to US-based Autotech Engineering Co, one of the largest auto parts distributors in Los Angeles, owned by a Thai businessman.
The new company would have to purchase 500 million baht worth of Thai auto parts within one year,3 billion baht within five years and 15 billion within the next decade, said Vachara Phanchet, the Thailand Trade Representative.
Establishing a holding company would raise 1 billion baht from members of the cluster and Autotech Engineering Co to buy 30 garages within the next two years. This should generate parts sale and service income worth 3 billion baht by 2012 to the new firm.
Vallop Tiasiri, director of the Thailand Automotive Institute, said more American drivers are repairing their cars to keep them in service longer in the downturn, creating opportunities for aftermarket parts makers.
Vichaya Vitheethum, executive director of the SME Bank, said the market size in the US and the weak dollar also offered opportunities for Thai parts producers.
The bank is working out measures to support establishing the holding company. Its board is also considering changing its collateral regulations to promote Thai investment overseas.
"We used to allow overseas collateral to be used as guarantees for our lending to overseas business, but we faced problems estimating asset value so the system was scrapped. But the board is reconsidering this model in order to promote local business to invest overseas," Mr Vichaya said.
The TTR, meanwhile, is preparing to adopt similar strategies to promote access to other markets such as Germany, Australia and the Middle East.
"These markets use a lot of Asian cars form which our parts are applicable. Similar strategies such as overseas investment to win distribution channels will also be applied to promote other industries such as processed food,"Mr Vachara said.
Magnificent seven
In the most important, most revered event since the invention of the brontosaurus trap,Microsoft shipped the most incredibly fabulous operating system ever made; the release of Windows 7 also spurred a new generation of personal computers of all sizes at prices well below last month's offers.The top reason Windows 7 does not suck: There is no registered website called Windows7Sucks.com
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Belgian triggers drift
The target is Belgium national Benoit Henry, a major player at Continental AG's tyre division.And depending on whether he cooperates or not,Motoring contemplates using methods employed by Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer to extract market share and sales volume information deemed critical in delivering this story.
By the way, Henry is vice-president marketing &sales for Asia and CEO of Continental Sime Tyre, the latter being the Malaysia-based production arm of Continental for Asia-Pacific... just in case you thought this was some cloak and dagger thriller.
You see, getting tyre makers to actually divulge their sales volume or market-share figures is on par with agent Bauer breaking a terrorist in the 24 television series.
Stepping out of my reverie I shake hands with the 47-year-old executive who looks more the part of a GQ magazine model than a manager of Continental's tyre factories in Alor Setang and Petaling Jaya, in addition to heading marketing and sales teams in all AsiaPacific markets.
So I suggested that the reasons for being tightlipped about market statistics perhaps stem from the notion that tyre makers are evading taxes, concerned about becoming a benchmark for their competition,or simply being humble!
"No. It's not correct. The game we are in is a technology game. Others are playing catch up with us.
"Our volume is Asia is still small, especially the knowledge of the Thai tyre market is limited which is why we need to get to know and grow our business here," he says.
Continental claims that some markets offer transparent information on tyre sales in the form of national statistics, while some markets do not.
"I don't know the exact numbers for Thailand, but it's about six million tyres in the replacement market.
"Numbers are not everything. It's the image. Volume is only one element, and profit is the key. High performance tyres [sold in small volumes] can be good profit makers."
Continental AG recently invested 200 million baht on a Thai sales and marketing unit to step up its presence here and perhaps send a clear message to the market.
"It [message] has nothing to do with 200 million baht. We want to grow in our own way, in both the OEM and high performance tyre segments, build a quality network with products, products and products."
Analysts have suggested the current dealership network operated by tyre distributor Stamford Tyres will eventually be phased out, and there'll be a gradual relegation of small independent distributors to megadealers or regular dealerships, just as most automakers are stepping up their Thai presence with investments in production facilities.
But Henry was quick to point out the Stamford network was here to stay, while Continental's new network will multiply tyre sales.
"We have a long relationship with Stamford. No conflict, no cannibalising. The sea is still full of fish."
The picture of Continental's tyre dealership network in Thailand isn't clear for the time being. So, why this sudden urge or commitment to Thailand?
"Thailand is a market that cannot be ignored. We are late, but Thailand is the centre of the automotive industry in the region and that is why we are here."
Continental is no slouch in the global arena as it is the world's fourth-largest tyre maker and the number one brand in Europe.
"In Thailand we expect to take 5% market share in three years. The major brands like Bridgestone and Goodyear won't give their business easily."
Thailand's annual tyre market is estimated at six million replacement tyres and one million truck tyres;Continental expects to sell about 350,000 tyres in the next three years.
Falling short of a confirmation, Henry did imply that Thailand was a strong candidate for Continental's tyre production expansion.
"Our three plants in Asia-Pacific are not sufficient,and where next? The rule of thumb is that we follow our OEM customers."
As mentioned earlier, Thailand is the regional hub for automotive export production and the largest onetonne pick-up truck market in the world; hence it is home to an abundance of OEM players.
Someone informed the writer that Henry had 30
minutes to make it from Centara Hotel on Rajprasong to Soi Asoke off Sukhumvit Road; Henry's appointment was with none other than the outspoken Henk Kiks of B-Quik Thailand, a bonafide Horatio Alger story in the local tyre and automotive quick-fix industry.
By the way, Henry is vice-president marketing &sales for Asia and CEO of Continental Sime Tyre, the latter being the Malaysia-based production arm of Continental for Asia-Pacific... just in case you thought this was some cloak and dagger thriller.
You see, getting tyre makers to actually divulge their sales volume or market-share figures is on par with agent Bauer breaking a terrorist in the 24 television series.
Stepping out of my reverie I shake hands with the 47-year-old executive who looks more the part of a GQ magazine model than a manager of Continental's tyre factories in Alor Setang and Petaling Jaya, in addition to heading marketing and sales teams in all AsiaPacific markets.
So I suggested that the reasons for being tightlipped about market statistics perhaps stem from the notion that tyre makers are evading taxes, concerned about becoming a benchmark for their competition,or simply being humble!
"No. It's not correct. The game we are in is a technology game. Others are playing catch up with us.
"Our volume is Asia is still small, especially the knowledge of the Thai tyre market is limited which is why we need to get to know and grow our business here," he says.
Continental claims that some markets offer transparent information on tyre sales in the form of national statistics, while some markets do not.
"I don't know the exact numbers for Thailand, but it's about six million tyres in the replacement market.
"Numbers are not everything. It's the image. Volume is only one element, and profit is the key. High performance tyres [sold in small volumes] can be good profit makers."
Continental AG recently invested 200 million baht on a Thai sales and marketing unit to step up its presence here and perhaps send a clear message to the market.
"It [message] has nothing to do with 200 million baht. We want to grow in our own way, in both the OEM and high performance tyre segments, build a quality network with products, products and products."
Analysts have suggested the current dealership network operated by tyre distributor Stamford Tyres will eventually be phased out, and there'll be a gradual relegation of small independent distributors to megadealers or regular dealerships, just as most automakers are stepping up their Thai presence with investments in production facilities.
But Henry was quick to point out the Stamford network was here to stay, while Continental's new network will multiply tyre sales.
"We have a long relationship with Stamford. No conflict, no cannibalising. The sea is still full of fish."
The picture of Continental's tyre dealership network in Thailand isn't clear for the time being. So, why this sudden urge or commitment to Thailand?
"Thailand is a market that cannot be ignored. We are late, but Thailand is the centre of the automotive industry in the region and that is why we are here."
Continental is no slouch in the global arena as it is the world's fourth-largest tyre maker and the number one brand in Europe.
"In Thailand we expect to take 5% market share in three years. The major brands like Bridgestone and Goodyear won't give their business easily."
Thailand's annual tyre market is estimated at six million replacement tyres and one million truck tyres;Continental expects to sell about 350,000 tyres in the next three years.
Falling short of a confirmation, Henry did imply that Thailand was a strong candidate for Continental's tyre production expansion.
"Our three plants in Asia-Pacific are not sufficient,and where next? The rule of thumb is that we follow our OEM customers."
As mentioned earlier, Thailand is the regional hub for automotive export production and the largest onetonne pick-up truck market in the world; hence it is home to an abundance of OEM players.
Someone informed the writer that Henry had 30
minutes to make it from Centara Hotel on Rajprasong to Soi Asoke off Sukhumvit Road; Henry's appointment was with none other than the outspoken Henk Kiks of B-Quik Thailand, a bonafide Horatio Alger story in the local tyre and automotive quick-fix industry.
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