Doosan Infracore forklift dealer Hanbit Vietnam Trading Co wants to invest in improving its customer service.

South Korean-owned Doosan Infracore forklift dealer Hanbit Vietnam Trading Co (HVTC) is opening a pre-delivery inspection (PDI) centre in Vitenam to improve customer service for its Vietnamese forklift users.

According to HVTC, most South Korean firms operating in Vietnam shipped over forklifts bought in South Korea. HVTC's 520sqm PDI centre will change this arrangement by having the units shipped to Vietnam, inspected and stored before being delivered to end-users. Most forklift importers outsource their PDI operation.

The directly run facility will enable HVTC to complete its orders more quickly. The company is also preparing to establish a parts centre that will supply to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Regional manager Han Hee-joon says the forklift dealer wants to invest heavily in improving its customer service. "The steady increase in new forklift sales prompts us to elevate the quality of our services. The opening of the PDI centre is significant in this regard."

Han adds that no particular forklift supplier has established a strong market presence in Vietnam and that the sales potential in the South East Asian country is enormous. "We are planning diverse marketing activities including free equipment inspections to encourage them to switch over to Doosan."

For the past 10 years, about 10 new forklifts were sold in Vietnam annually. HVTC says it sold over 30 units after six months of operation. Although used forklifts are still popular in Vietnam, new forklift sales are said to be growing by about 15% or more a year.

HVTC CEO Han Kyoung-wook says: "The Vietnamese economy has been growing steadily since 1992, when Korea and Vietnam established diplomatic ties. The concurrent rise in income levels has caused people to increasingly demand new automobile and machinery models, instead of purchasing second-hand."

HVTC established an office in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2009. It started out with two employees - Han and a sales person. After six months, another office was opened in Hanoi, and HVTC's total employee number grew to 20. To provide national coverage, the dealer contracted seven sub-dealers.

HVTC says it is confident of establishing itself as the market leader in Vietnam by sticking to its strategy of providing quality performing machines backed by exceptional service. It aims to sell 150 forklifts this year and have 15 local sub-dealers by 2012.

Separately, Doosan Infracore Logistics Europe exhibited its B15R-5, B18T-5 and D25S-5 models, and the newly launched Baby GX forklift at the eighth LogiMAT exhibition in Stuttgart last week. The company says it is pleased with the feedback it received at the expo.