Dato’ Roger Wong

ASEAN Business Leaders: Could you please tell us a bit on KGW and what is the role the company plays in the logistics industry in Malaysia?

Dato’ Roger Wong: After working in a logistics company for two years, I took the challenge to start up KGW in 2005 and we started mainly doing most of trans-pacific services. Hence, we do a lot of shipments to the US. In order to do that, we managed to get a local partner to ease up our operations including the necessary licences for this purpose. Furthermore, since the establishment of the company, we have managed to expand and opening offices in countries such as the US, Singapore and Vietnam. To date, KGW is well positioned in the market offering multiple services that facilitate the movements of parts and materials from suppliers to manufacturers and finished products from manufacturers to distributors and retailers. So, you can say that KGW logistics is a Malaysian based Third Party Logistics service (3PL) company with global representatives and offering a complete array of logistic services and solutions.

ASEAN Business Leaders: Could you please elaborate on the core business of the company?

Dato’ Roger Wong: The services we are currently focused on include transportation, warehousing and freight forwarding. Being an international player, the company has moved from simply traditional forwarding role into a provider of logistics and distribution services. This year is our 13th year in the making, and we have learnt how to provide excellent service while at the same time offering good value to the customers. We are not really into the local market because there is too much competition. For this reason, after years of continuous growth, we are now acting as a major player in our line of business in Asia. Moreover, KGW is always exploring how to implement new ideas, within the last two years we are also entering in the e-commerce industry. This means that we have to get on board a courier license, so KGW can clear all the e-commerce products coming in without going through traditional channels. This courier licence is different from normal logistics licence and it falls under the MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission). In a nutshell of what we do, we started with freight forwarding trans-pacific, then we grew on the hardware side and then now the future is definitely e-commerce. However, the main core of the business is still the logistics.

ASEAN Business Leaders: Can you elaborate on the services that KGW provides in the market?

Dato’ Roger Wong: These are the services that we are offering to customers of different industries such as Consumer goods, Construction, Communications, Electronics Healthcare and Commodities:

• Ocean Freight Shipping, Ocean Freight Forwarding and full container Shipping
• Freight Consolidation and Distribution
• Air freight shipping
• Customs Brokerage
• Trucking and Local Door Delivery (service by vans, flatbeds, and specialized equipment)
• LTL / Less than Truckload Freight Service
• LCL / Less tan Container Load Services
• Intermodal and Rail Shipping
• Warehousing Labour Service and Distribution
• Experience in handling Special Equipments /DG Cargoes / Overweight Oversize Cargooes
• Exhibition / Project / Oversized Cargo
• Maritime Insurance
• Removal / Relocation Services
• Tailor-made Services

ASEAN Business Leaders: How difficult is it to find qualified human capital in the logistics industry in Malaysia and can you tell us a bit on KGW’s management program?

Dato’ Roger Wong: Indeed that is one of the biggest challenges that any company is facing in Malaysia. Nevertheless, we also have collaboration with universities, to help student that study logistics and supply chain to be ready for the industry. In our company, we have a strong focus to provide all the training and pass the experience to new generations. Our people are regularly trained and developed to deliver superior service. Moreover, we are always opening to get new talents as part of our staff. So, in order to do that, we have our KGW Management Trainee Program and Internship.

KGW Management Trainee Program is a structured program aimed at grooming new talents into the organization desired corporate culture. The key objective of the Management Trainee Programme is to offer the best graduates the possibility of accelerated career development in Logistics Industry. Being a Management Trainee means building a career and acquiring knowledge and competences through a unique blend of on-the-job training and real-life work experience. Another component is our commitment with new graduates through Internship. Internship at KGW is a specialised program tailored to help groom future leaders of the industry by providing young talents an opportunity for real-world learning experience in the Logistics & Supply Chain industries.

It is gratifying to see people in my organisation grow with the company. Human resource has to be the most important asset to a company. And as the leader, it is my responsibility to help them realize their full potential. We start measuring employee performance since they start working here, and it is motivating for them to see their progress. This reflects well on the company too. I believe in giving my team a chance to develop their potential and become leaders themselves one day. Hard work is often underrated, but that what one needs to commit to in order to become a success. For me, this phenomenon of success is 90 per cent hard work and 10 per cent luck.

ASEAN Business Leaders: According to our research, one of the core businesses that the company is specialized in is in the trans-pacific trade between Malaysia and US. Could you please elaborate on that and how important is it to get partners to move the value chain of the company?

Dato’ Roger Wong: Yes correct. One of our core businesses is in international sea and air transportation in trans-pacific trade not only in the US but in Canada as well. As the CEO of the company I can say that apart from being a major player in Malaysia, we have also established a comprehensive agency network throughout the world. We maintain strong relationship with big and key players in the industry such as, Maersk, Evergreen, CMA, OOCL, MSC, Hanjin, Zim Line, Cosco and China Shipping to name a few.

Our range of services for this trade includes:

• FCL/LCL/ Air Shipment to / from USA and Canada
• Handling Ex-works (EXW), CIF, FOB, DAT, (DDU) & DDP shipments
• Freight Consolidation and Distribution
• Custom clearance in USA & Canada port/inland destinations
• Trucking and door delivery to any part of USA and Canada
• Warehousing, labour services
• Experience in handling Special Equipment s/ DG Cargoes/ overweight cargoes / oversize cargoes

ASEAN Business Leaders: How important do you consider to up-lift your brand in ASEAN and to be recognized as a trusted logistic partner?

Dato’ Roger Wong: I consider it very important to create awareness globally not only for our brand but for attracting qualified human capital. Last year the company has received two awards: First is one of the fast SME’s Moving Companies in Malaysia and second the company was awarded in The Golden Bull Awards 2017. These recognitions are important and push all of us even further to look for additional value to our customers.

ASEAN Business Leaders: In today’s competitive market the need of differentiation is fundamental. What would you say is your competitive advantage?

Dato’ Roger Wong: I am the kind of person that recognized how silly is it to believe that a leader is the key to an organization’s success. The best leaders understand that long-term results are created by all of the great people doing the work – not just the one person who has the privilege of being at the top. Moreover, our successes and growth for the past 13 years was linked to the principle that “people are our most valuable asset.” This is truer today than ever. KGW’s success as a firm, and the progress we have made in the logistics industry, is the result of the work, dedication and commitment of our employees. Our people are the ones to deliver on this commitment in the work they do every day.

This is why our people are also our best ambassadors and it is important therefore that they are proud to be a part of KGW. The business of logistics services and solutions is very much about people. Our people are regularly trained and developed to deliver superior services. By turning passionate employees into trusted brand ambassadors, we bring our strongest asset and our most vocal internal advocates in direct contact with our customer base. To date, I firmly believe that hard work beats talents every time, especially when the talents does not work hard or are not aligned with the integrity that KGW Logistics aims always to facilitate to its customers.