PROTON EDAR DEALERS CONFERENCE 2016: REFORMASI

Dato Ahmad Fuaad Kenali leading his team for a dialogue and Q&A forum with the dealers. 

These has been missing over the past many years.

23 April 2016. PUTRAJAYA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE. PROTON EDAR held its annual dealers convention for all its 4S / 3S / 1S + 2S dealers nationwide including Sabah and Sarawak. The registration starts as early as 730am. At 830am Dato Ahmad Fuaad Kenali, Dato Radzaif Mohamed, Rohimee Shafei, the board of directors and Proton Edar management was at the door to greet and welcome all the dealers into the hall.

The conference started at 845am sharp, have to give it a thumbs up for event punctuality. The Emcee took the floor and we started with a doa selamat followed by a welcoming speech by Rohimee Shafei, the new Proton Edar Chief Executive Officer. After Rohimee's speech, the much awaited Dato Fuaad Proton Holding Chief Executive Officer began his speech. 

Dato Ahmad Fuaad's speech was well structured, organised and eloquently delivered portraying his professionalism and a person of details. He put a good word for YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir thanking Tun for all his contributions and and his appreciation for former Proton Edar Chief Executive Officer Norzahid Zahudi. Most importantly, he acknowledges and assured PEDA's issues and requests will be accommodated and plead for all dealers to be united and champion a common goal. This was the second engagement we had with Dato Ahmad Fuaad. The first engagement was barely two weeks ago and he did leave quite a good impression. We know we are in good hands.

The dealers conference took the whole day from 8am and ends at 10pm. Part of the program was the viewing of the new Perdana, Persona and Proton Saga. I fell in love with all the cars. Have it my way, I would want to own all of it. These new models were built to be faster in 0-100 acceleration, cheaper cost of ownership in term of both fuel consumption and pricing and last but not least a more awesome design. 

PROTON NETWORK CONVENTION 2013/14

Left: Liew Vee Lee, Lee Lik Sai, Taha, Rashid Musa, Armin Baniaz Pahamin, Hisham Othman, Datuk Yahya Jaafar, Siaw Siew Bee, Jeff Lim, Dato Isa Indot

7 June 2013, Istana Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Except for 3 dealers, PROTON Network which comprised of all authorized Sales dealers, After-Sales dealers, branch showroom, branch service centres, management and senior management of Proton Edar and Proton Holdings Berhad gathered for the first time at the Hotel Istana in Kuala Lumpur since DRB-Hicom took over from Khazanah Nasional. The gathering was graced by Yg Bhg Tan Sri Mohd Khamil bin Jamil himself as the Executive Chairman of Proton Holdings Berhad accompanied by Datuk Lokman, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Proton Holdings Berhad, Hisham Othman, Chief Executive Officer Proton Edar Sdn Bhd as well as other senior Management.This was my 4th Convention that I attended as the President for Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia.

The session that saw almost a 100% attendance with only 2 days notice given, began as early as 8am and was a much needed gathering given the disappointing overall sales in May. When the network expected Tan Sri Khamil to throw some if not many punches for the dismay sales, he remained calm and cool and seemed to understand the predicament we faced. In fact, he addresses various critical issues that is pertinent to the survivability of the network.

PROTON EDAR NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER HISHAM OTHMAN MEETS THE DEALERS

There were three prominent key factors conveyed by Hisham Othman, 3 weeks after his appointment as Proton Edar's Chief Executive Officer at the first engagement chaired by the new management since DRB-Hicom took over.

First being Integrity. Quoted PESB Chief Executive Officer Hisham Othman, "I am a paid employee and will never take any extra sen other than my paid salary!!". If anyone has any information on any unethical behaviour pertaining to Proton Edar Sdn Bhd, call me!! said Hisham Othman whom then gave out his personal handphone number and email address to all the dealers. This was the second time he repeated this statement. Once, was during PEDA unofficial engagement with Hisham when he adamantly stated that he just cannot comprehend anyone or any employee that tried to make any extra money from the company that feeds them.

Secondly, the dealers should and must always be treated as the Customer! "The dealers are the customer to Proton Edar. PROTON buyer are the dealer's and the end-customer but PESB's immediate customer are the dealers. Dealers will be treated as a customer. Gone were the days when Proton dealer's were being discriminated, managed through threats and forced-allocation (of cars irrespective of bookings and demand). 

CAMWHORING AT PROTON CONVENTION WITH PAPARAZZI NOOR AFFENDI MOHD KARIM

Front Right: Ahmad Suhaimi Anuar (CEO/PESB), Hisham Othman (CEO/EON), Dato Sri Syed Zainal Abidin (GMD/PROTON), Armin Baniaz Pahamin (President/PEDA),  Abdul Rashid Musa (DRB-Hicom/PROTON)

Photos were compliment from Noor Affendi Mohd Karim.

If there was one community that was close enough to be called a family, then it must be the Proton Edar community!! When I was first born into the community via my appointment as a dealer in 1997, Proton Edar had less than 200 staff and the dealers operation department was only a two-man show managing 86 showroom and less than 100 service centres in the network. We were the number 1 biggest manufacturer and Perodua was second. Now.. Proton Edar employs more than 2,000  manpower with approximately more than 220 showroom and more than 200 service centres nationwide. The total direct employment in PROTON exceeded 12,000 employees and combined with DRB-Hicom's total workforce of 55,000 people, there are now 67,000 employment in DRB-Hicom eco-system.

Forget the 67,000 people, Proton Edar family has grown so big, that I even felt a stranger whenever I entered the Centre of Excellence complex in Subang Jaya. Once, I used to be able to walk into the building and recognise by name every single employee including the tea lady. The Proton Sales and Service Convention was one avenue that is important to foster the spirit of camaraderie within the community. As in every other years, all sales & service branches and dealers, those in regional offices nationwide as well as those attached at the Head Office were all united at the Glenmarie Ballroon, Holiday Inn, Kuala Lumpur. Click HERE for the first Blog on the Convention, this second blog is mostly picturesque blog. Again, thank you Noor Affendi Mohd Karim for the pictures (Click on picture to enlarge).

PROTON EDAR DEALERS CONVENTION 2012: HABIH RHENG

Francis Ong Wee Mun, Head of ROMS, Lee Lick Sai (VP/PEDA), Kamsani Ahmad (Group Marketing), Hisham Othman (CEO/EON), Kamarul Zaman (DRB-Hicom/PROTON), Armin Baniaz Pahmin (President/PEDA), Ahmad Suhaimi (CEO/PESB), Abdul Sidik Hamid (GM/PESB), Abu Lais Walli Mohamed

HOLIDAY INN, Glenmarie 19 May 2012. Contrary to previous convention which was either held at the Sunway Resort, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, One World Hotel or those of similar sizes, this year the dealers convention was held at a smaller grand ballroom at the Holiday Inn, Glenmarie making full use of assets under DRB-HICOM stable of companies.

That was not the only noticeable changes within the PROTON eco-system but the DRB-Hicom DNA was seen significantly visible at every corner. For a start, PROTON EDAR senior management was in the same uniform with a homogeneous neck tie... a prominent culture within DRB-Hicom (see Dato Sri Kamil and his management team's neck ties at HERE and see PESB at 2010 Convention and 2011 Convention). This is expected and more changes will be seen now that PROTON Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of DRB-HICOM. Yes, PROTON was successfully recently de-listed from the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.

The function began with Dato Sri Syed Zainal Abidin in his usual humble but very inspiring self, extended his gratefulness to the whole network for the support extended to PROTON and apologized for some policies and deliverables that was slow in execution. Dato Sri Syed Zainal, whom is probably the only automotive Manufacturer in the world that shook the hand of all his 4,500 sales advisors nationwide in a gathering earlier this year said, his only passion was to make PROTON as the number 1 people's choice and Malaysia's best selling vehicle. However, he continued in a frustrated voice, "a Kelantanese would say 'Habih Rheng' doh!!" That sentence has many meaning but let us not speculate. Dato Sri Syed Zainal's most important message is for the owners of the dealer to take charge of his dealership and make changes. There is only so much that he can do but as an owner and the no 1 in the dealership's organisation, we can do much more.