SAGITO MOTOR AND SDS COLLABORATION!

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.”