THE one aspect of China that we learnt in the recent past is the super quick pace of product development that factors in quality and performance at very competitive prices.
Our recent visit to Jiangmen where Zontes motorcycles are developed and built told us that China’s motorcycle industry is moving at the same supercharged pace as that in the automotive and commercial vehicle sectors.
After all, China is reported to have the second largest motorcycle industry in the world after India; in 2019, the country produced 17 million motorcycles although the highest output was in 2013, registering almost 23 million, and about 40% are exported.
Before we delve into what Zontes is all about, the company that owns the brand, Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology Co, Ltd was founded in 2003 as a Sino-foreign joint venture involving an investment of RMB2.6 billion (RM1.6bil).
The Zontes factory, which covers almost 400,000sq m, we visited was one of the five the company has.
This huge facility boasts of 4,000 employees and a quarter of them are involved in the research and development (R&D) department.
Its huge R&D investment has seen to more than 250 design patents, 121 patents for utility models and 36 patents for invention.
Due recognition came in the Technology Innovation Award in Guangdong that the company won three times.
It is virtually a factory that sees very few people above 40 or 50 years old with the majority of young faces (above 70%) being graduates holding college degrees and above.
This Jiangmen facility is also running at full steam to produce products that are in high demand in the respective markets globally.
As it were, the annual output of motorcycles from this facility alone is 600,000 vehicles, a good number of which is for global markets.
More than 50% of the factory production is focused on the Zontes Scooter while output for the newer 703 Adventure bike as well as the newly introduced sporty 703 RR is being ramped up.
Other models being manufactured include the Kiden 200 and Zontes 310; the company prefers to name its respective models based loosely on the engine displacement.
Tayo says that more than 70% of the motorcycle parts are produced in-house with external sourcing for the tyres, batteries, brake and suspension systems, among others.
While this factory might have a high employee count, Tayo highlights its self-manufacture ability with its completely automatic robotic manufacturing department.
During the factory visit, we noted the high number of robots, including a few that could do many functions at its respective station.
The sections that see robots in action include the aluminium alloy high pressure casting area, frame and silencer welding, traceless roll welding for the fuel tank, painting, aluminium alloy frame welding, among the few.
And it is also into making electric cars as well, including flying vehicles, although this is in the initial phase.
Tayo also prides itself on its management software working platform that covers everything in the company from office automation, HR and performance appraisal, workshop, warehouse, purchasing to even the canteen.
In the Asean region, Thailand is said to take a lion’s share of these Zontes products, leaving the Malaysian buyers anxiously waiting for the popular models to be delivered.
Zontes was introduced to the Malaysian market in 2019 by Eurotech Wheel Distribution Sdn Bhd and the ZT350 Scooter is said to be turning heads with its high-tech features and performance.
Next year, the new 368G Scooter would be introduced by the first quarter and the 703 Adventure tourer would follow shortly after.
The former is said to be priced around RM30,000 and the latter about RM40,000; Eurotech says these Zontes models appeal to different motorcycling needs and the customers are biking enthusiasts who usually have other motorcycle brands in their garages.
