Executive director Hu Ying said the company’s 2016 target was to beef up the export volume of its Demak brand motorcycles to 30 per cent from less than 10 per cent in order to ride on the strong US dollar to the ringgit. The export markets for Demak motorbikes are Sri Lanka, Laos and other Aseancountries.

“For the Malaysian operations, we target to increase sales by at least 30 per cent this year from 50,000 units in 2015. We have launched four new models since December and these are boosting sales,” she told StarBiz. The new models are in the 110cc, 125cc and 250cc segments.

Hu said the implementation of goods & services tax (GST) last April had negatively impacted the sales of new motorcycles, which dropped by about 30 per cent for the whole industry last year.

She said although DNC Asiatic recorded lower sale of 20 per cent last year from 2014, Demak motorcycles had increased its market share to 11 per cent from about 9 per cent. “After a difficult 2015, we see a rebound in sales of new motorbikes this year,” she added.

DNC manufacturing plants in Selangor and Kuching have a combined production capacity of 120,000 units per annum.

Hu said DNC Asiatic would significantly ramp up its capital expenditure (capex) in the next two to three years to fuel the next stage of growth, adding that the group had set aside capex of RM20mil in 2016 to finance a localisation programme for upstream activities as well as research and development (R&D) activities.

She said about RM15mil would be invested in machinery and equipment to localise engine chassis fabrication and production of plastic cover parts for Demak’s most popular selling models. The chassis fabrication is currently done in China and Vietnam, and Demak is importing between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of the raw materials/components for the production of its various models.

With the localisation, the group would save on cost to mitigate the impact of the strong US dollar which has made imports of raw materials more costly and has squeezed on profit margins,

On DNC’s operations in Sri Lanka, Hu said the sales of Demak motorcycles doubled to over 3,000 units last year from 2014 due to a good product mix portfolio.

“Demak is the market leader in the 200cc street bike segment there. With an annual production capacity of 50,000 units in Sri Lanka, our 2016 sales target is to reach 10,000 units as there is big potential for us to grow due to improved buyer power of the locals and favourable policies. There are currently 10 Demak models,including scrambler,for the choice of buyers.

“We have launched a premium range of three new models and are phasing out the budget 100cc and below models. The premium models are selling well as they give us a good profit margin,” she added. Demak motorbikes are sold at the equivalent of between RM8,000 and RM9,000 each in Sri Lanka which recorded total sales of some 240,000 units last year, compared with some 465,000 new motorcycles registered in Malaysia in 2015. The top-selling brands of motorcycles in Sri Lanka are Indian made.

Hu said Demak currently had a nationwide marketing network in Sri Lanka, comprising 120 dealers and 12 mega 4S (showroom, sales, spare part and services) centres.

To further drive sales, she said Demak would invest more in branding and marketing network as well as product R&D to come up with new models that meet the preference of Sri Lankans and to enhance customer base.

DNC Asiatic entered the Sri Lankan market four years ago and based on projected annual growth, she said by 2018, the contribution from Sri Lanka operation was expected to increase to more than 40 per cent of the group’s total revenue.

“Sri Lanka is an ideal regional hub for Demak. We are already looking to and preparing for new markets in Europe, East and South Africa, Asean and South Asian countries for growth in the near future.

“Demak has set up an international business team to explore the export market via ETW, which is an Internet platform using cloud technology to promote the company’s products, and website in five languages – English, French, Spanish, Russia and Portugese.

“To meet the demand of these new markets, Demak is developing new product range, such as utility motorcycles,” disclosed Hu. A new three wheeler named CitiBiz and four-wheeler tractor called 4Runner are expected make their appearances under Malaysian pavilion to be hosted by Matrade during an international autoshow in Jakarta later this month.

According to Hu, CitiBiz with built-in refigeration facilities is a versatile utility motorcycle for small traders to deliver food, like pizza, and to sell groceries. The 4Runner equipped with 20-horse-power diesel engine is ideal for cargo transportation in the plantation, farming and mining industries. Both CitiBiz and 4Runner, which are expected to hit the market in three months,might be offered for around US$5,000. (RM20,310).

As a start, Demak plans to produce between 500 and 1,000 units of the CitiBiz and 4Runner for niche markets like Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines.

Hu said under a new business plan, Demak would position itself as an integrated manufacturer of motorised products with high-value addition and innovative designs for both the domestic and export markets.

She said Demak was working with Hyrax Oil Malaysia as strategic partners to launch its own lubricant series (Demaklub) this month. The lubricant oil is expected to contribute 5 per cent to Demak group revenue this year.

“I was getting a bit tired (of running the airline) so I backed off, watched football and did all those other things. I was on my way to retirement,” he said.

He founded the Caterham Formula One team, which raced in 2010 as Lotus Racing and in 2011 as Team Lotus, and became majority owner of English football club Queens Park Rangers in 2011.

His ventures made him an international face and AirAsia, a global brand. “I don’t regret it but from AirAsia’s perspective, it wasn’t the best thing to do. The airline suffered from the lack of (my) attention” Fernandes said.

He added in his typical unabashed manner: “When you have a very strong leader, which I am – not to say I am a good leader but a strong personality – and then you disappear, all the little Napoleons become much stronger and they all try and fight each other and we become disharmonious.”

He had met The Sunday Times at the Marina Mandarin on Friday after speaking at the Asean Leaders Series organised by Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School.

During a 25-minute interview, Fernandes spoke of the need for Asean integration and the biggest nightmare that hit AirAsia – the Dec 28, 2014 crash of Flight QZ8501.

An official probe into the crash found that the system which controls the rudder – a part of the plane’s tail – malfunctioned and the pilots lost control of the aircraft. The plane flying from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the Java Sea killing all 162 on board.

“QZ8501 gave me a big impetus to try and make things better,” he said.

A few years before the tragedy, the most devastating in AirAsia’s 14-year history, he had decided to take a back seat and leave the day-to-day running of the group to the different country heads and other senior management at its Kuala Lumpur head office.

But the 2014 crash and other internal matters have put him firmly back in the captain’s chair.

Fernandes said: “A leader needs to know when to step down. Sometimes, people overstay because they like the attention. I don’t need my ego massaged. At the moment, I think I’m still effective but the time will come to go,” he said, revealing that he already has a successor in mind.

Who? He did not say.

Launched in 1993 by a government-owned conglomerate, AirAsia was heavily in debt when Fernandes, 51, bought it for just 1 ringgit in 2001.

Today, the AirAsia group has more than 200 aircraft operated by eight carriers in five countries – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and India.

There is still so much to do, said Fernandes. He is resolved, after the nightmare of QZ8501, to make AirAsia the best that it can be.

Still, time has not healed any wounds, said Fernandes, who was initially reluctant to talk about the tragedy. “Earlier during the lecture, I met someone from the audience who lost a colleague in the crash. During lunch, the events were running through my head all the time,” he said.

QZ8501 changed not just Tony Fernandes the airline boss, but the man too. “You’re here one day and gone the next so make the most of every day. Be positive. Life is great. People who moan about life really irritate me. I appreciate every single day that I’m on this earth. Too many people take this for granted.

“Seeing the fragility of life through QZ8501 has made me even more determined to do the best in whatever I do and take better care of myself,” he said.

As for current pressing aviation issues, he spoke of the need for the 10-member Asean group to step up the pace towards integration.

While Indonesia, for example, has been liberal in giving carriers from other countries air rights to fly to its cities, it has yet to ratify a deal, which it was supposed to by the end of last year, to allow airlines from all 10 Asean states to fly freely within the region.

“Asean needs to forget about consensus and just move on… If Indonesia at the moment does not see the benefits of open skies, then so be it… It’s just a matter of time before it does.”

The rest of Asean can go ahead with open skies and other initiatives, he suggested.

Whether it is a common visa policy, safety rules or air traffic navigation procedures, moving as a single entity will benefit not just Asean’s air sector, but tourism as well.

For example, it would be sensible if all airlines within Asean are subject to the same safety standards and rules.

On tourism benefits with liberalisation, he said: “When people come to Asia, they want to spend two days in Singapore, three in Malaysia, maybe four in Thailand.

“Why make it difficult with so many visas to apply for?”

Where countries have let their barriers down, everyone has benefited, he explained, highlighting the opening of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur air route in 2008 as a prime example. What was once a Singapore Airlines-Malaysia Airlines duopoly is now one of the world’s busiest international air links.

Fernandes said: “Some days, I can’t even get a seat on my own airline!”

Those who object to liberalisation say that bringing the walls down would benefit mainly stronger players like AirAsia.

Fernandes admits that may be the case. “But what’s wrong with that?” he retorted.

“Are we not creating jobs? We pay taxes where we operate. We employ people there. Everyone benefits. What’s the downside?

“McDonald’s has definitely taken a share of the kway teow man’s business. Starbucks has killed kopitiams. I don’t see anyone complaining about that.”

There is also more scope for airlines within the region, whether low-cost or full-service, even as they compete fiercely, to work together to drive efficiencies, for instance, in aircraft maintenance or to speak as one to lobby airports for more competitive rates and charges.

Fernandes, who has good relations with the chief executives of Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways and Garuda Indonesia, hopes to also get to know Singapore Airlines (SIA) chief Goh Choon Phong.

“I’m probably one of SIA’s best customers on the Singapore-London route. The crew are always fantastic and treat me really well. They surprised me with a birthday cake and card on one flight and the pilot even mentioned on the public announcement system that I was on board.”

Fernandes, who flew in for a day of back-to-back meetings, said at the end of the chat with The Sunday Times: “Mr Goh (of SIA) has never reached out to me, nor I him.

“Perhaps I will be inspired after this chat to change that.”

But stiff competition at home may be a bigger threat to its sustainability than the damage caused by the loss of two planes in 2014. The twin disasters of MH370 and MH17 – the first disappearing in March while in mid-flight to China and the second shot down over Ukraine in July – broke the back of the airline, which had already bled 5 billion ringgit (US$1.22 billion) from 2011, and owed a further 12 billion ringgit.

Sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional announced it would take the company private, renaming it from Malaysia Airlines System (MAS) – just a month after MH17 was shot down. It unveiled a six-year rescue package that would entail 6,000 job cuts and injecting another 6 billion ringgit.

MAB’s books are closed to the public, but with oil prices trading at a third of what it was when Khazanah took full ownership, and having cut about a third of its routes, the target of reaching profitability by 2018 could be nearer.

“It’s a golden year for the airline industry with demand growth stronger than the historical average,” Maybank aviation analyst Mohshin Aziz told The Sunday Times. “It makes things easier and (the turnaround) could be faster.”

But he cautioned that MAB cannot take its time to capitalise on Kuala Lumpur airport’s attractiveness. It was the 20th busiest airport globally until the 2014 tragedies.

The giant in Malaysian aviation is now Asia’s biggest budget carrier, AirAsia. Its main rival is Malindo Air, a relatively new Malaysian-Indonesian venture, Mohshin said.

MAB’s recent tie-up with Emirates allowed it to offer destinations not on its menu and to cut down on operations. This gave Malindo room to engage MAB’s former code-share partners.

Endau Analytics aviation analyst Shukor Yusof warns that Khazanah’s plan is only a downsizing exercise and MAB risks losing its identity as a flag carrier.

“If tomorrow MAB ends its operations, nobody will care as it isn’t providing a service that isn’t available elsewhere. Nobody will shed a tear, apart from its employees,” he said.

Chief executive Christoph Mueller seems to understand the situation, one year into his tenure.

“The biggest challenge is really to go back to the good old times when we won the best customer quality awards,” he told Bloomberg. “Our product is a little bit tired. We will do a lot of work on our product this year.”

I Foods and Beverage Co Ltd Managing Director Manop Marnnoi, said the six-month old company is keen to export its flagship brand – iBEV date juice – to Brunei.

He said the juice has been certified halal by the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand. He cited the health benefits of consuming dates which had been recommended by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

“The Quran has mentioned about the health benefits of dates. That’s why we are positive that there are markets in Brunei,” he told The Brunei Times.

Manop said the juice has high levels of potassium which can reduce stroke risk by 40 per cent.

“Dates contain multiple nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Its sweetness takes the edge off hunger,” he said, noting this is also the reason why you eat dates after you break your fast during Ramadhan.

Manop said it took the company two years to develop iBEV in a food testing laboratory in Saudi Arabia.

Apart from being halal, he said iBEV’s manufacturing process complies with Thailand’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards. It has also gone through the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) assessment in Thailand.

Manop, who was in the sultanate recently to join the Brunei International Trade and Consumer exhibition, has met several potential distributors during the expo.

“I have met a number of people here in Brunei who are interested to buy and sell our products. We are still in the negotiation process. Hopefully, customers in Brunei will get to buy our products within this year,” he said.

“As the emerging markets have become the primary engine of the global economy, accounting for 57 percent of global growth last year, it is here in Asia, especially the Asean countries where the strongest demand for additional power is taking place,” GE Power’s CEO, Steve Bolze, told journalists on Thursday.

Speaking at the end of a two-day Asean steam power summit, Bolze said Asean countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia were fortunate to own a wide diversity of fossil and renewable energy to secure adequate power generation. “GE power has one of the largest portfolios of steam turbines, ranging from 100 to 1,900 MW to meet the needs of Asean countries,” Bolze noted.

Of upmost importance, he added, countries like Indonesia should optimize in harnessing all of its energy resources so as not to rely too heavily on one or two resources although locally abundant.

“Energy is the national security priority for every country and the key is to provide power that is affordable, accessible, reliable and sustainable,” Bolze said.

Hence, according to GE Power chief economist Marco Annunziata, it is most important for every country to achieve an optimal degree of supply diversification, including imported energy, to reduce the risk of disruptions.

That is why, Annunziata said, even several countries in the Middle East that are enormously rich in hydrocarbon resources, such as the United Arab Emirates, are also building coal-fired power plants.

Last October during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s working visit to the US, GE Power signed three power projects with Indonesia worth almost US$1 billion that will contribute to an estimated 3 GW of capacity to the country’s ambitious plan to build more than 35 GW of additional power by 2019.

One of the contracts is with PLN Batam, a subsidiary of state-owned electricity provider PLN, which had selected GE’s aero-derivative gas turbine technology for a 500 MW fast power project.

The 20 TM2500 gas turbines will meet Indonesia’s need for quick installation, efficiency, reliability and flexibility. The units are truck-mounted, run on dual-fuel and are fully re-deployable. With almost 17,000 islands, Indonesia needs to meet unique electricity demand for smaller and more localized power-generation solutions.

GE is also currently installing four similar units in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, which will provide 100 MW of power generation capacity. Each TM2500 generator can produce more than 25 MW of power output, enough power for approximately 25,000 homes.

The other two contracts will evaluate the feasibility of developing and investing in power projects using combined cycle technology: The first, with PT Indonesia Power, another subsidiary of PLN, for a minimum power target of 500 MW, and the second, with independent power producer PT Cikarang Listrindo, for a minimum target of 1,000 MW.

Bolze conveyed good news to coal producing countries, especially Indonesia as the world’s largest seaborne-exporter of thermal coal, by forecasting that coal, which supplies 50 percent of the world’s power, will continue to be a major fuel for electricity generation.

“About 25 percent of all future capacity additions will be coal or oil-fired steam power plants,” Bolze said, adding that new technology has able to improve the efficiency and carbon emission of coal-fired power stations. GE Power, which recorded over US$30 billion in revenue globally last year, claims that GE technology is responsible for more than 20 percent of Indonesia’s electricity generation, and more than 8 GW of electricity is generated using GE gas turbines.

GE also owns a boiler manufacturing and service facility in Surabaya, a turbine service facility in Bandung, an oil and gas equipment manufacturing plant in Batam, a lightbulb manufacturing plant in Yogyakarta and a transformer and air-insulated switchgear equipment manufacturing factory in Jakarta.

In addition, the GE business group is also a major supplier of locomotives to state-owned PT Kereta Api Indonesia and healthcare technologies and services. Given the importance of health care for the country, GE relocated the headquarters of its healthcare business in Asean to Jakarta earlier this year.

The business, which allows users to take out loans of Rp 1 million (US$76) to Rp 3 million, has been operating since April last year in some regions of Indonesia, including Greater Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Solo, Magelang and Klaten.

UangTeman CEO Aidil Zulkifli said the mobile app was a necessity, since around 65 percent of its users accessed the service’s website uangteman.com using mobile devices.

The company’s product and technology director, Darmawan Zaini, said the app had similar features to the website. He added that prospective customers should ensure all administrative requirements were met in order to get approval for their loans.

“After the loan application has been entered into the UangTeman system, one of our team members will contact the prospective customer to verify all the data. If the loan is approved, the funds will be disbursed in two hours or a maximum of 72 hours,” Darmawan told a press conference on Thursday.

To promote the new service, the company offers interest-free loans for applications made through the mobile app from March 3-9.

UangTeman is a product of PT Digital Alpha Indonesia, a subsidiary of Singapore-based technology company Digital Alpha Group operating in Southeast Asia. According to information on the website, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has not yet provided regulations for technology-based financial services such as those offered by UangTeman, but the company claims it had consulted with the OJK and was committed to obey the law.

HappyFresh announced on Thursday it would start doing business in the Philippines by the second quarter of this year.

HappyFresh Philippines is the Jakarta-based online grocer’s fifth office in Asia. It has offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.

HappyFresh allows consumers to purchase goods from supermarkets using mobile apps and its website and have them delivered to their homes. Customers can pay using cash or credit card.

The company named Isabel Barrientos managing director of HappyFresh Philippines.

“We will be able to solve a real problem for our customers,” Barrientos said.

The steady growth in the number of cars in Metro Manila can make every trip to a supermarket a half-day journey, she said.

“We expect working mothers to be our main customers. HappyFresh will allow them to make a smart choice, having us doing their grocery shopping, allowing them to spend their spare free time with their family instead of in a supermarket. In addition to that, our business operation in the Philippines also means we will be creating job opportunities for the local talents. I am very excited to bring this opportunity to Manila,” she added.

Barrientos used to be the chief operating officer of local online marketplace theshop.ph. She also previously worked for Ensogo and the Lazada Group.

The company sees the rapidly growing workforce in the Philippines making this country one of the most attractive markets for companies looking to grow their presence in the region. The country has a population of around 100 million, a high literacy rate and an economic growth trajectory seen at 6-7 percent in the next few years.

“We have been expanding our footprint in Asia over the last 12 months. During this period, we have significantly augmented our leadership team in Indonesia, added several key staff in Malaysia and strengthened our already strong platform in Thailand and Taiwan. The Philippines is an exciting market because the population’s wealth is expanding and consumer spending growth will accelerate through to 2030,” HappyFresh chief executive officer and co-founder Markus Bihler said.

Founded in 2014, HappyFresh is a pioneering online grocery platform in Southeast Asia. Last year, it completed a $12-million funding led by Vertex Venture (Vertex), the venture arm of Temasek Holdings and Sinar Mas Digital Ventures (SMDV), the venture arm of Sinar Mas Group of Indonesia.

The opening of a second branch of Maybank at Nongduang village in Sikhottabong district yesterday aimed to serve the needs of the local community as well as customers from across the region having trade and investment links in the country.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Maybank Nongduang Branch, Deputy Governor of the Bank of the Lao PDR Vatthana Dalaloy said the new branch would attract more Malaysian companies to invest in Laos in the years ahead.

“In 2012, the first branch of Maybank opened in Laos and was successful, enjoying an increase in assets and capital, so the opening of a second branch will enable the banking sector in Laos to supply the needs of customers in providing funds,” she said.

Vatthana said the new branch would also serve to boost trade between Laos and Malaysia in the years to come.

Chairman of Maybank Tan Sri Dato’ Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor, Maybank International CEO Pollie Sim, and the Ambassador of Malaysia to Laos Dr Than Tai Hing were present at the opening ceremony along with other invited guests.

According to a senior Maybank official, the newly-opened branch will further strengthen Maybank’s presence in the Indochina region and enhance its ability to meet the banking needs of customers, particularly the growing investor base.

Last year, the Lao economy saw strong inflows of foreign investment projects amounting to over US$1.26 billion, mainly in the hydropower and transportation sectors.

Meanwhile Maybank anticipates that this newly-opened branch will boost the growth in loans and deposits by over 70 percent and 100 percent respectively by the end of this year and also support the increasing trade between Asean and L aos.

Two years ago, Malaysia was ranked the ninth largest foreign investor in Laos with projects worth more than US$382.2 million. However, the latest update of investment projects operated by Malaysian investors has not yet been released.

The establishment of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) last year offers great potential for the development of the Lao economy as many investors from Asean countries are seeking ways to boost their support for Laos as one of the region’s fastest expanding economies.