E-Way Group puts customers ahead of markets with seamless global liquid logistics solutions
The group will strengthen its ISO tank fleets, trucking network and warehousing as it concentrates on three growth corridors in the region
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When many companies were divesting during the pandemic, Ken Gui the founder and chairman of E-WAY Group , was aggressively expanding the global liquid logistics specialist’s inventory of tanks certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). He even opened new offices in the Philippines and Indonesia despite the lockdowns and travel bans during that time. As if by a stroke of strategic planning genius, Gui was a step ahead of the market as E-Way Group has been flooded with orders since then. Its overall revenues skyrocketed 1,371 per cent at the height of the health crisis in 2020, before tapering off to a still spectacular growth of 254 per cent in 2021 and 123 per cent last year.
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In another office down the hallway in E-Way Group’s Malaysian headquarters is Lawrence Lee , the organisation’s co-founder and CEO. If Gui is gifted with being able to see clearly into the future, his sole partner in the venture has an uncanny ability to seamlessly conduct the day-to-day operations of Asia’s largest liquid transporter. Drawing on his logistics expertise, Lee orchestrates the group’s global operations covering Asia, South America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Today, E-Way Group is reaching farther out to new clients as it plans to open new offices in the United States and Belgium, while it continues to strengthen its focus on China, India and Southeast Asia.
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“My partner and I acknowledge our unique individual strengths, and we blend those favourable qualities to create a formidable team,” Lee said. “We complement and help each other to achieve growth and success for the entire group, thus benefiting our clients worldwide.”
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Powerful synergy
The distinct chemistry between Gui and Lee is at the heart of E-Way Group’s phenomenal success. Together, the two share a synergy that has driven the dominance of the global liquid logistics provider in the end-to-end transport of hazardous and non-hazardous liquid chemicals using ISO tanks.
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Looking ahead, E-Way Group welcomes local partners in verticals such as trucking and warehousing as it expands further into new global markets. This is to serve a growing clientele that includes renowned industry players from the petroleum sector to food manufacturing.
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Nurturing trust, respect and support among all stakeholders, E-Way Group places customers at the centre of a lean organisation that is driven by its distinct brand of innovation and customer service.
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“No matter what country we are in the world, we provide total logistics solutions from the moment the product comes out of the factory until it reaches the door of the consignee,” Gui said. “Unlike most logistics providers who contract out their services to other parties, we invest in our own ISO tanks, trucks, warehouses and other resources to make sure that we have total control of the transport process from top to bottom.”
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Phenomenal success
Such dedication to utmost customer satisfaction has driven E-Way Group’s remarkable success. Gui recalls their humble beginnings when they started out from scratch with only four old ISO tanks in 2007. They leased out the units and reinvested the profits into new equipment. Since then, the group’s fleet of ISO tanks has steadily grown.
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During the pandemic, E-Way Group displayed its business acumen when it decided to buy 6,000 additional ISO tanks, thus bringing its fleet to 20,000 units today. This catapulted the group to be among the top 10 tank container operators globally as of January this year, according to the International Tank Container Organisation. This is a milestone for the global liquid logistics specialist as there are 240 tank container operators vying for the position.
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The size of its material resources has been achieved without the help of external funding, leaving the ownership of the company only between Gui and Lee. This circumstance has given the partners complete control over the strategic direction of the organisation.
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Alongside the expansion in E-Way Group’s capital resources is its broadening geographical reach. Lee remembers how they started out in Johor Baharu in Malaysia, and from there, set up offices in Singapore, Thailand, China, Indonesia, India and so on. At the height of the pandemic, the group even opened offices in the Philippines and Indonesia. It was a huge challenge because Gui and Lee were hiring people even without setting foot on these areas due to the lockdowns and travel restrictions. The new markets expanded the group’s presence around the world, which includes South America, the Mediterranean, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
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“We are in a highly strategic location in Asia compared to our competitors who are based in Europe and other continents,” Gui said. “We are in a booming market right now, especially if you consider the spectacular business growth in China, India and Southeast Asia, which account for about 60 per cent of our overall liquid cargo volume. These three areas are offering huge opportunities, particularly in the oil and gas sector.”
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Besides the energy segment, E-Way Group also plays an important role in the transport of food-grade liquid products. Accounting for as much as 40 per cent of its business, the organisation’s ISO tank solutions for this product segment have earned the trust of global food brands. Much of this success can be attributed to the organisation’s superior customer service.
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Customer care
A major attraction of E-Way Group is its excellent one-stop liquid transport solutions. It offers customers a single point of contact for all phases of the service, from consultation and booking to customs clearing, warehousing and final delivery to the doorstep of the customer. The group keeps a technical team on standby 24/7 to support clients anytime and anywhere internationally. Meanwhile, customers can see exactly where their products are as a global-positioning system device is fitted in each ISO tank.
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E-Way Group’s international presence similarly ensures the seamless movement of the cargo across varying transport modes. This set-up sees to it that the level of service quality is consistent anywhere worldwide, while reducing overall costs for clients as the use of equipment and resources is optimised.
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Finally, as the ISO tanks, trucks, warehouses and other support infrastructure are owned by the organisation and are manned by its own employees, E-Way Group boasts total control over the handling of the shipment. Such command over the whole value chain allows the global liquid logistics provider to customise each service to suit the specific requirements of every client. For instance, the group can modify the size of a customer’s ISO tank fleet to match the demands of its market at any given instance.
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Expansion plans
In addition to receiving a solid commitment to customer service, clients are bound to benefit from E-Way Group’s growth into new markets around the globe. In particular, the group is setting up offices in the US and Belgium in anticipation of the resurgence of trading activities between the two areas.
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“We foresee business activities picking up in the US as the country is bound to export and import more raw materials and other products given the recovery of its economy and those of its trading partners. At the same time, we expect a resumption in the flow of energy supplies to and from Europe,” Lee said. “Our strong presence in these two markets is crucial to clients as it could dramatically cut shipping time and costs considering the short distance between the two locations.”
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To this end, E-Way Group welcomes local partners in each of the markets. In particular, it is seeking to collaborate with trucking and warehousing companies that share its strong commitment to high service quality. However, despite the prospects in the Americas and Europe, much of the excitement will still be in Asia.
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“We strongly believe in the continued robustness of the economies in Asia as certain target countries are yet to be identified,” said Ken Goh, commercial director of E-Way Group. “There will naturally be movement in other continents, but we think our investments should continue to be strong in Asia.”
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Gui concurs with Goh. “We are investing more equipment and support for our operations in China, India and Southeast Asia,” Gui said. “We will be focusing on strengthening our ISO tank fleets, trucking network, warehousing and other resources as we concentrate on these three growth corridors in the region.”
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As important as the organisation’s investments in capital resources is its regard for employees. E-Way Group boasts of the premium it places on employee care, which will continue to be a major focus of the organisation moving forward. This is the reason why most of its people have stayed with it for a long time. Looking ahead, the group would like to continue nurturing the same quality of relationships with all stakeholders in the business.
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“We are beholden to three key principles, namely, trust, respect and support for one another,” Lee said. “We always show faith and appreciation for everybody around us – be it our employees, customers, vendors, partners and so on. We are similarly bound to support each other through thick and thin. These core corporate philosophies permeate all our engagements and define who we are at E-Way Group.”
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Thank you