We also see a lot of people now moving into transborder transport, says Pertz

By SHAZNI ONG / Pic By ISMAIL CHE RUS

Commercial vehicle sales are expected to remain positive despite the slowdown in selected sectors which are key markets for such transportation units.

Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo (MCVE) 2019 organiser Stefan Pertz (picture) said sectors such as logistics are not to be affected due to strong and growing demands.

“If we think about basic household goods such as rice and flour, we still need them, no matter what the situation is. Those transporting such goods are not necessarily affected by economic downturns for instance.

“We also see a lot of people now moving into transborder transport and you need to address that with transport solutions that actually match that mission,” he said at a media briefing on the expo in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Pertz said oil and gas (O&G) is another sector that would not be affected due to the sector’s strong performance recently.

“We’ve seen Petroliam Nasional Bhd for instance posting very good results. (The) O&G sector might be one of those that will continue to grow and with that, truck sales will be strong, trailers will be needed,” he said.

However, Pertz said one of the sectors that is strongly affected currently is construction due to uncertainties in some of the mega projects.

“Those that are affected at the moment are the ones that transport goods like cements and steels which you need for construction.

“What we’ve learnt is that the mega projects have an impact. What we are seeing is that it is slowing down because we need to wait for the outcome of the re-evaluation that is happening,” he said.

Nevertheless, Pertz said commercial vehicle owners are also mulling to change their old vehicles that are nearing the end of their shelf life.

“Many people have also pushed back on replacing their vehicles. But you can only fix it so often.

“You can only drag out the replacement for so long and I think we are seeing a time now where people are at the point where they have to replace vehicles and it’s no longer viable to continue using these old vehicles,” he said.

Pertz expects this year’s edition of the MCVE will see up to 8,000 visitors, on the back of interesting and exciting new products and innovations in the commercial vehicle market.

“In previous expos, we had reported between RM10 million and RM15 million worth of transactions. But we would not have known what happens in the follow-up (upcoming).

“People might come and inquire, start the ball rolling and then six months down the line, purchase from one of the exhibits. But, that’s a solid estimate based on previous shows,” he said.

The MCVE is returning for its fourth instalment for this year with the theme “The future of transportation in Malaysia”.

The event is expected to be held at the Malaysia International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) from June 20-22, 2019.

The expo, South-East Asia’s largest exhibition dedicated to commercial vehicles, attracted 60 exhibitors and more than 6,700 visitors in the previous edition.

“Continuing its success, 2019 will see about the same number of exhibitors, many of which were in the past editions of the expo and are the leading players in the industry, taking up an exhibition space of 8,000 sq m.

“We see the MCVE as not just a display of commercial vehicles. What exhibitors and delegates can expect is an expo that is multifaceted — beyond just a trade show,” he said.

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research vehicle safety and biomechanics research centre director Mohd Rasid Osman said the expo will serve as an excellent platform for all players to share and offer solutions on providing safe, efficient and sustainable transportation for Malaysia in the future.