Revolutionising the road to success
PKT Logistics Group Ceo steers his company to great heights
WITH steady growth since 1996, PKT Logistics Group is a top logistics provider known for its excellent supply chain management.
While sharing his success story, PKT Logistics Group chief executive officer Datuk Michael Tio reminisced about the hardships he had encountered since taking over the chief executive officer position from his father.
Coming from an accounting and finance background, Tio had little knowledge about logistics. After careful consideration, he figured that the best way to grow the company further was through knowledge transfer and PKT started a joint venture with Japan and South Korea, following the Look East Policy to establish a stable brand positioning.
This effort quickly paid off as PKT Logistics, which was handling the logistics of the Double Track Project, was cushioned and not affected during the Asean Currency Crisis in 1998.
In 2001, after the recession period, Tio was already a logistics specialist in the Korean segment following his successful joint venture with the Koreans in the late 90s.
By then, PKT Logistics had already secured its position as a major competitor in the logistics field.
Recognising automotive logistics as a niche market, Tio quickly moved to capitalise and diversify within the automotive logistics business into a huge supply chain, transforming PKT into what it is today.
After succeeding in his field, Tio then participated in The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) and in 2011, PKT won a total of three awards, bagging two silver and one gold. This ultimately gave PKT the extra branding it needed for greater public awareness.
Tio went on to explain his realisation of what it truly takes for a company to win the prestigious award: “To be an award-winning recipient, there are certain requirements that your company needs to meet. A company should not only be profitable if it wants to be outstanding.
“On the contrary, a company needs to inspire others and also engage in extra corporate social responsibility.
“With that in mind, PKT submitted again in 2012. By applying to all categories, we won a total of five awards and this eventually opened up good exposure for PKT.”
Tio also advised other entrepreneurs to not be afraid to apply.
“If you do not start applying, you will not know the position of your company and what steps you will need to take in order to improve it.
“A lot of people expect to win when they enter an award. But if you only enter an award when you know you are going to win, it is not considered winning an award.
“To enter an award is to set a benchmark for yourself and the mindset of a CEO is to always enter awards and never feel fearful to try again, even if you do not win this time around.”
Over the years, as PKT grew, Tio also started a mentoring programme under the “DMT study tour” brand and mentored over 150 entrepreneurs while bringing them on overseas trips that require them to do everything themselves, including carrying luggage.
Tio also congratulated all the 2018 SOBA award winners and gave advice for other entrepreneurs to try again the following year.
“Congratulations to all SME entrepreneurs who won the 2018 SOBA awards and to those who did not win this year, you are getting feedback that you need to transform and improve your company to come back in 2019 to try again,” he said.