HE studied law and successfully practised what he learnt in Kuala Lumpur, but life offers him a different path to explore.
Tan Yen Hong chose to leave his job as a lawyer to take up digital marketing in an agency. And when he heard that his father’s health became an issue four years ago, he decided to return home to Penang to help his father manage the company.
His father founded the Tact Coach & Seat Manufacturing Sdn Bhd in 1998, a company which specializes in manufacturing and repairing bus.
The young entrepreneur said his father had wanted to let go of the business when his health became an issue.
“I felt that it would be a waste to let it go because my father had put in so much effort to grow the company. So, I decided to come home to continue the business,” he said.
Tan, 31, who is currently the business director of the company, said that managing the business left by his father has its own challenges.
“A second-generation business has its own challenges. I need to prove myself and gain the trust of managing the company well.
“I studied and was practicing law before I ventured into digital marketing. Currently, I am in the automotive industry.
“I trust that the experience and skill set which I had obtained from these three different fields will help me and the company,” he told Buletin Mutiara at Tact Coach in Lorong Industri Ringan 1, Simpang Ampat, Penang, recently.
Tan said he is more of a generalist, than a specialist.
“A generalist has a wider scope of knowledge across disciplines, compared to a specialist who has deep understanding of a particular field.
“When I was a lawyer, I learned how to be diligent, I worked crazy hours, and I had to communicate, draft e-mails, and others.
“I applied my knowledge and experience to this automotive field.
“I developed a website and a social media page for the company, and I also run its digital marketing advertisements. They have generated good sales and sales leads for the company,” he said.
Tan said that he was also coping with the demands from the automotive industry, such as meeting clients, taking notes and requests, sending e-mail recaps, and follow-up commitment.
He said that the company’s core business was bus repair and manufacturing.
“When the Covid-19 pandemic came, it hit us hard. Hence, we innovate and diversify our business.
“We went into refurbishment of buses, getting old buses and transforming them into mobile showrooms, boutique buses, or motorhomes.
“In a way, I do think that Covid-19, from a more positive perspective, has accelerated innovation.
“We have to innovate, and we have to provide different solutions to our clients.
“We offer more value to our customers. They can customise their buses by adding a built-in toilet, a mini lounge, or a rest area for the second driver.
“Whether the market is ready for this innovation or not, the people will always appreciate more value. That is what we believed in – to offer more value to our customers,” he said.
He introduced the different series of buses to Buletin Mutiara during the interview.
“We have the TX-5 (single deck), TX-7 (high deck) and the TX-9 (double deck). We have not launched the TX-9 series,” he said, adding that it would take between three and five months to manufacture a bus, depending on its complexity and customisation.
Tan said the feedbacks from his clients had been great.
“Express bus service provider, Alibaba Ekspres, has supported us during the pandemic after the company decided to commission us to manufacture a new model bus.
“We have also been entrusted by property developer, M Summit Group, to convert an old double decker bus into a mobile property showroom.
“Those are positive signs of support from the public towards our company,” he said.
Tan said the company received customers from as far as Singapore.
Speaking about his father, Tan said he was grateful for his father’s support.
“My father has invested a lot in the company. All our innovations require investments, such as in research and development (R&D) and so on,” he said.
Tan said the company has no plans to open new branches yet.
“Right now, we are using fabric bus seats. We want to innovate and use PVC leather materials for better appearance.
“The use of PVC leather materials for bus seats requires a different machine. We have to invest to come up with better products,” he said.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad