LAUNCH OF DUCATI CENTRE MALAYSIA

SPEECH

YB DATO’ MUKHRIZ MAHATHIR

DEPUTY MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY

LAUNCH OF DUCATI CENTRE MALAYSIA

&

UNVEILING OF DUCATI 1199 PANIGALE

19 APRIL 2012 (THURSDAY)

NAZA AUTOMALL, PETALING JAYA, SELANGOR

ASSALAMUALAIKUM W.B.T, GOOD AFTERNOON AND SALAM 1MALAYSIA.

YANG BERBAHAGIA DATUK WIRA SM FAISAL TAN SRI SM NASIMUDDIN,

JOINT GROUP EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF NAZA GROUP OF COMPANIES;

HIS EXCELLENCY FOLCO DE LUCA GABRIELLI,

AMBASSADOR OF ITALY TO MALAYSIA;

MR. MIRKO BORDIGA,

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF DUCATI ASIA PACIFIC;

YANG BERBAHAGIA DATO’ SM ZULKIFLI SM AMIN,

GROUP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF NAZA GROUP OF COMPANIES;

DUCATI DISTRIBUTORS FROM ASIA PACIFIC REGION;

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA;

HONOURABLE GUESTS,

1.     FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE MANAGEMENT OF NEXT BIKE SENDIRIAN BERHAD FOR INVITING ME HERE TODAY TO OFFICIALLY OPEN YOUR IMPRESSIVE NEW DUCATI CENTRE AND LAUNCH THE LATEST DUCATI MODEL, THE 1199 PANIGALE. I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE DATUK WIRA SM FAISAL AND HIS TEAM FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN STRENGTHENING THE DUCATI BRAND IN MALAYSIA. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXTEND MY SINCERE APPRECIATION TO HIS EXCELLENCY FOLCO DE LUCA GABRIELLI FOR GRACING THIS EVENT WITH HIS ATTENDANCE.

2.     FOR MANY YEARS, THE NAZA GROUP OF COMPANIES HAS BEEN ONE OF THE DRIVING FORCES OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY GREATLY CONTRIBUTING TO ITS GROWTH. TIME AND TIME AGAIN, NAZA HAS PROVEN ITS COMPETITIVENESS AND SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED INTERNATIONALLY LOVED VEHICLES AND MOTORCYCLE BRANDS TO THE MALAYSIAN MARKET.

3.     I AM MADE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THROUGH NEXT BIKE SENDIRIAN BERHAD, NAZA OFFERS MALAYSIAN MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCT LINE-UP SUCH AS SUPERBIKES, DUAL PURPOSE BIKES, TOURING BIKES, STREET BIKES AND CLASSIC BIKES. WITH TODAY’S EVENT NAZA IS ONCE AGAIN STRENGTHENING ITS POSITION AS THE BIGGEST DISTRIBUTOR OF INTERNATIONAL BRAND BIG BIKES WITH THE LAUNCHING OF THIS AWARD WINNING MOTORCYCLE, THE DUCATI 1199 PANIGALE AND THE OPENING OF ASIA PACIFIC’S LARGEST DUCATI CENTRE RIGHT HERE IN MALAYSIA. I AM ALSO TOLD THAT THIS DUCATI CENTRE IN MALAYSIA IS A CERTIFIED 4S CENTRE WITH FEATURES SUCH AS ADVANCED AFTER SALES SERVICE, A CENTRALISED SPARE PARTS CENTRE, A DUCATI CAFE, A DUCATI APPARELS STORE AND A DUCATI PRE-OWNED SHOWROOM.

HONOURABLE GUESTS,

4.     THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA IS WELL ESTABLISHED. THE LOCAL MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY PROVIDES MORE THAN 100,000 JOBS IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, DISTRIBUTION, RETAIL, AND AFTER SALES SERVICE; AS WELL FOR THE SUPPORT SECTOR SUCH AS VENDORS. THEREFORE, UNDER THE NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE POLICY (NAP) REVIEW WHICH WAS ANNOUNCED IN 2009, THE FREEZE ON ISSUANCE OF MANUFACTURING LICENSE FOR SEVERAL INDUSTRY SEGMENTS WHICH IS DEEMED STRATEGIC AND HAS HIGH IMPACT ON MALAYSIA’S ECONOMY HAS BEEN LIFTED. THIS INCLUDES MOTORCYCLES WITH ENGINE CAPACITY OF 200 C.C, HYBRID AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES.   

5.     FOR YOUR INFORMATION THE 2011 STATISTICS TELL US THAT THE REGISTERED NUMBER OF MOTORCYCLES FROM ALL CATEGORIES AND ENGINE CAPACITY WAS 542,997 UNITS – THIS REPRESENTS THE SECOND HIGHEST VOLUME REGISTERED FOR THIS INDUSTRY. THE SALES OF BIG BIKES ABOVE 500 C.C CONTRIBUTED 5800 UNITS TO THIS INDUSTRY OF WHICH 3002 UNITS ARE CBU MODELS FROM NON-ASEAN MARKETS. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT NAZA SOLD AS MUCH AS 1,392 UNITS OUT OF THE 3002 UNITS SOLD. THIS MAKES NAZA THE BIGGEST DISTRIBUTOR OF FULLY IMPORTED NON-ASEAN BIG BIKES. CONGRATULATIONS.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

6.     AS THE GOVERNMENT TAKES FURTHER MEASURES TO BOOST THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT KEY PLAYERS IN THIS INDUSTRY BE PROACTIVE TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE MALAYSIAN COMPANIES ENGAGED IN THE LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR TO BE EVER MORE CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE TO THIS END.

7.     ACCORDING TO THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP, INNOVATION INVOLVES THE CHALLENGE OF THINKING ABOUT AND MANAGING INNOVATION’S BROAD SET OF INTER-RELATED ACTIVITIES AS A UNIFIED PROCESS. HENCE, THE VALUE CREATION OF ANY ORGANISATIONAL INNOVATION IS DETERMINED BY ITS LINKAGES WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS. COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION IS ALSO RELATED TO THE MODERN APPLICATION OF ‘SWARM CREATIVITY’ THAT COMPRISES THE CREATION OF SELF-MOTIVATED TEAMS, COLLECTIVE VISION, SHARING OF IDEAS, INFORMATION AND WORK AND COMMON GOALS. THEREFORE, THE PRACTISE OF COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION COULD OPEN THE DOOR TO A MEANINGFUL TRANSFORMATION.

8.     THE ACCEPTANCE OF COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION IS IMPORTANT AS OUR NATION EMBARKS ON A TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY AS ENVISIONED IN THE GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM (GTP) AND THE ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME (ETP) AS WE HEAD TOWARDS VISION 2020. TO MY MIND THIS PRACTISE OF COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION FITS WITH 1MALAYSIA.

9.     IN THIS CONTEXT, I AM DELIGHTED TO NOTE THE PROGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION BETWEEN NAZA AND DUCATI AND I BELIEVE BOTH ARE ON THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE RACING TRACK. AS MY MOTORCYCLE BUDDIES WOULD SAY THAT LIFE DOESN’T REALLY GET INTERESTING UNTIL IT REACHES 110 MPH.

10.                        ON THAT NOTE, I WOULD LIKE TO ONCE AGAIN THANK THE ORGANISERS FOR THEIR KIND INVITATION.

11.                        IT IS NOW MY PLEASURE TO OFFICIALLY OPEN THE DUCATI CENTRE MALAYSIA AND LAUNCH THE LATEST DUCATI MODEL, THE 1199 PANIGALE.

12.                        THANK YOU.