It's time for kick-off for my hardware shop. This shop shall be specialised in welding products. Purposely try not to dubliacte existing traditional hardware shops. I think and hope, this is the first of its kind in KL or Malaysia. What makes my shop special is we shall have everything a welder needs. Its a tough job acually but I will try to make it happen even it may take several years.
First, I will design the shop signboard. Have to be very catching and actractive. Than fill in the shop with my stocks of welding products. I need to be an agent for industrial gas product, electrodes and some other welding consumables. I will also selling metals such as angle irons, hollow iron, wrought irons, stainless steels etc.
I have to sell hand tools, power tools, basic shop machines too in order to make my shop more friendly to users. When? Hope by mid June. Now advertise to recruit new staff.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Welding Bead - "KUMAI"
"Kumai" simply means welding bead in malay. I started my own business in the year 2001 dealing with welding products. I sell welding consumables, welding accessories and service welding machines too. My customers are governmental skill training centres such as Sekolah Teknik (SMT), Institut Latihan JTM (ILP), Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM), Politeknik and some factories arround my shop. As a start, my sales is OK but not good enough.
So I try to sell welding equipments in big quantities. This has to go tru tender exercise. My principal betrayed, I was not given protection for my effort to promote their products before the tender opened. So, someone else got the job from my big effort. I gets nothing.
I decided to divert to another brand, a competitor to the previous principal. This time from direct source. I managed to make good sales this time to schools. I sell 2 full containers of welding machines. Now, I know I can do it. But then comes the start of 'direct nego' projects where government award equipment supplies jobs without tender exercise to their 'favourite' suppliers. Normally this peoples are politically connected. Definitely its not my company. "No cable maa".
Those companies granted with 'direct nego' job was very 'eksyen' one, of course they don't deal with small companies like mine. Even though I source my equipment direct from factory in USA, there are 2 authorised distributor in the country. Thus, they don't deal with me maybe because my salesmanship skill is yet not so strong. Again frustration. So, I must make myself to be a main player in this line, so that I can deal with this people with better position.
KUMAI trademark
I tell myself that I want to have my own products with own control to what I do. So, I started to design (actually copy) a fume extraction arm and 'KUMAI' is the trade mark. With support from my engineers, we import and up-grade welding machines and OEM gas welding products from factories in China in order to enhance our product lines. Then our products range have covered electric welding machines, gas welding equipments, fume extraction system, gas manifold system and metal fabrication machines. With these ranges, I believe, only KUMAI has a more complete range of welding products, compared to our competitors especially for my major customers. With good design and installation team, we make good references to our products.
So I try to sell welding equipments in big quantities. This has to go tru tender exercise. My principal betrayed, I was not given protection for my effort to promote their products before the tender opened. So, someone else got the job from my big effort. I gets nothing.
I decided to divert to another brand, a competitor to the previous principal. This time from direct source. I managed to make good sales this time to schools. I sell 2 full containers of welding machines. Now, I know I can do it. But then comes the start of 'direct nego' projects where government award equipment supplies jobs without tender exercise to their 'favourite' suppliers. Normally this peoples are politically connected. Definitely its not my company. "No cable maa".
Those companies granted with 'direct nego' job was very 'eksyen' one, of course they don't deal with small companies like mine. Even though I source my equipment direct from factory in USA, there are 2 authorised distributor in the country. Thus, they don't deal with me maybe because my salesmanship skill is yet not so strong. Again frustration. So, I must make myself to be a main player in this line, so that I can deal with this people with better position.
KUMAI trademark
I tell myself that I want to have my own products with own control to what I do. So, I started to design (actually copy) a fume extraction arm and 'KUMAI' is the trade mark. With support from my engineers, we import and up-grade welding machines and OEM gas welding products from factories in China in order to enhance our product lines. Then our products range have covered electric welding machines, gas welding equipments, fume extraction system, gas manifold system and metal fabrication machines. With these ranges, I believe, only KUMAI has a more complete range of welding products, compared to our competitors especially for my major customers. With good design and installation team, we make good references to our products.
Promoting KUMAI
It is very-very difficult to convince my customers to buy KUMAI. They are used to famous USA, Europe and Japanese brandnames. Turning to KUMAI is not a small move for them. Even though KUMAI product is reliable and good at its class, still its not easy to be among the most acceptable brand in to my customers. I offer 2 years bold warranty to my customers so that they could switch from other brands to KUMAI inclusive of giving good after sales support. Yet many of them choose to stick to their existing brand names. Some of my close customers who have experienced our good service may have supported my products. This is good start, I know I can do it.
I take this all as challenges and surely shall not give up. Now, I am improving KUMAI's outlook, so that it looks better, more professional, more elegant, slowly enhance it's status so that my customers will accept it better. But that's not all. I have to promote in mass media, billboards and work very hard to see as many potential clients such as dealers, managers, purchasers and end users.
Soon, I will start my first sales outlet "KUMAI Welders Shop" located at Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. This outlet shall be selling wide range of welding products, hand tools, power tools, machines, industrial gases, consumables etc. I need this outlet to distribute, promote and to convince my customers to our present in the market. I hope to have at least 1 shop in every state in near future, then followed by shops in Asean countries as well. Whom who wish to be my dealers are welcome, I will help you to start "KUMAI Welders Shop" of your own.
Apart with above shop, concentration in training schools and governmental department continues. I wish to set-up a training centre in my factory in Taman Mas Puchong for "train the trainers programme" for teachers where we will provide full skill training and exposure to the actual industrial activity to enhance teachers experience and skill in order for them to be effective teachers/coach. having teachers training in my facilities could help promote my products effectively.
Manufacturing and Export
With enough volume, I wish to manufacture electric welding machine here in Malaysia for export market.
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