since 1976
since 1976
After a short period of inactivity in exporting cars, PROTON resumed their export to the Middle East, marking the first time the Company has done so since formalizing its partnership with Geely. A symbolic flag-off ceremony was held at Westports Malaysia’s berthing area to commemorate the occasion, with Proton cars lined up to be driven on board the Grand Diamond cargo vessel.
Demand remains strong for Proton products
The port of arrival in the Middle East is Aqaba in Jordan and from there, the cars will be distributed to Iraq and other neighboring countries. The first shipment will consist of 453 Proton cars, which have a strong following in Middle Eastern markets. The enthusiasm for the cars is such that there are even active owners clubs in the region despite the slow-down in exports over the past few years.
"This ceremony marks a starting point for PROTON as we resume and ramp up shipments to the Middle East in the coming months. It’s also the first export shipment since the partnership with Geely commenced and we expect our export market to have a positive outlook in the future so be prepared for more such announcements from as early as August this year,” said Dato’ Radzaif Mohamed, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.
Voicing the same sentiment Eddie Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Westports, said, “We are equally excited to partner PROTON in its efforts to export cars all over the world, particularly as its last major export to Egypt was back in 2015. We believe Westports’ partnership with our customers like PROTON together with shipping agents like Sunship will further strengthen both brands, and help ensure cars sent over are in pristine condition.”
PROTON quality improvement efforts bear results
Dato’ Radzaif’s enthusiasm for PROTON to grow its export market are backed by improvements to its product quality. Ever since the Company implemented the Global Customer Product Audit (GCPA) system on its production processes, the number of demerit points registered has seen a threefold improvement. Based on a sliding scale where smaller scores equates to better quality, the current GCPA score for PROTON as at the end of June 2018 is 1763 demerit points, with a year-end target of 1500. This compares favorably with Geely and Volvo who also use GCPA and have current scores of 1200 and 850 points. The collaboration with Geely has introduced a new quality mindset along with a shared quality audit system that is also used by Volvo.
Expanding export activities with assistance from Geely
Also present at the ceremony was Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON. “The Middle East markets hold high regard for products from Islamic countries like Malaysia. The demand for cars will grow as their economies develop and will help fuel the growth of our export business. The ASEAN market however will remain as the main priority for PROTON’s export business so we are excited about the opportunities available in the region.” he said.
PROTON is also leveraging on Geely’s extensive overseas network operations to increase the cost effectiveness of its own operations.
“We are exploring all opportunities to grow export volumes for PROTON. Geely are making a big effort to support us in this initiatives and there is a lot of experience within the group so we hope to leverage on it to enable us to sell more cars outside of Malaysia,” added Dr. Li.
