In 2016, our exports
to Thailand reached a new level with a possession quantity of 1,800 coaches in
the Thai market. We have taken a step ahead in creating the gold brand of “Made
in China” in exported coaches. King Long would never make such a remarkable
achievement in the Thai market without customer acceptance of the products and
support from the local government.
On April 24,
Chamreon Tipayapongthad, governor of Phuket, Thailand, led a delegation and
visited King Long Xiamen plant, and learnt about the operation of the company
and experienced the coach products exported to Phuket, Thailand and other
regions. Ding Mingbin, deputy director of King Long overseas marketing
department, warmly received Chamreon Tipayapongthad and the delegation, and
chaired the meeting. Both sides exchanged views on the coach export status in
the Thai market and the needs of policy support.
Xiamen City and Phuket Province just signed
a Letter of Intent on Establishment of Sister City Relations when the
delegation of Phuket visited our company. Xiamen and Phuket are both coastal
tourist cities and share Bougainvillea as the city flower. The two cities have
been working closely together. After signing the Letter of Intent, both cities
will cooperate on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and jointly promote
the prosperity and development of both sides. Moreover, they will cooperate in
various fields in accordance with their respective national government
policies.
After the welcoming
remarks to Phuket delegation at the meeting, Ding Mingbin said that King Long
overseas exports maintained a steady growth of 3.7% in 2015. In 2016, the first
year of China’s “13th Five Year Plan”, with the support of the “Belt
and Road” Initiative, the company has been working hard at the competitiveness
of export products and new markets development. The export performance in
Thailand is particularly significant. In the first half of this year, luxury
tourist coaches exported to Thailand will reach 515. It will also provide a
strong travel guarantee for the development of Phuket tourism. At the same
time, the company will further strengthen the coach sales and after-sales
service in Phuket for “good sales and better operation” of its vehicles.
After listening to
our report on the business conditions in Thailand, Chamreon Tipayapongthad,
governor of Phuket congratulated the outstanding performance of the company in
recent years and said that he was accustomed to seeing King Long coaches
running in Thailand. “KING LONG” is a well-recognized Chinese coach brand in
Thailand. The Sino-Thai friendly diplomatic relations and the sister city
relations established between Xiamen and Phuket create a favorable environment
for bilateral trade cooperation. Both sides may seek richer models of
cooperation. Phuket government will provide a variety of resources to support
the overseas development of King Long.
During the free communication at the meeting, the responsible person of Prince
of Songkla University from the delegation raised the expectation that students
of Phuket Campus may go to our offices in Thailand for internship and practical
training. King Long can also develop its reserve of local human resources and
promote the deepening development of its businesses in Thailand. Other
delegation members also exchanged views on how we manage after-sales service
and vehicle customization for Thai customers. After learning that our company
had set up long-term service outlets in Thailand and established 4 parts warehouses to
ensure 24-hour parts supply, the delegation members all thumbed up.
At the end of the visit, accompanied by deputy director Ding Mingbin, Chamreon
Tipayapongthad and the delegation experienced the XMQ6128SD model exported to
Thailand. Given the local road conditions, the technical staff conducted targeted debugging and calibration
of the exported models dynamic performance and braking performance. According
to the actual operational requirements of customers, the company creatively
researched and developed a series of customized and user-friendly designs like
luggage access by luggage compartment sliding rails. It was praised by all the
Phuket delegation members.
Phuket Province is located in the southwest of Thailand. It is the biggest
island of Thailand and also a world famous tropical tourist resort, known as
the “Pearl of Thailand”. The strong demand of the local tourism will no doubt
bring more opportunities to King Long that has already had brand advantage in
Thailand.