TCM Corp has established a sales and service joint venture company in Malaysia to boost its marketshare in the region.

Hideo Arahata, TCM president, told Nikkei that South East Asia is "calling for service that has Japanese-style attention to detail".

"Just selling products at regular prices doesn't spell success in terms of profit, so it's necessary to beef up downstream businesses," Arahata explains.

TCM Forklift (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd will be led by managing director S Yoshida who was the former managing director of TCM's Asian distributor in Thailand. Yoshida has many years' experience in the forklift export business.

TCM spokesman Naohiro Sato tells Forkliftaction.com News that 70% of TCM Malaysia's shares are owned by TCM Corp, while the rest are owned by the management of S&E, the former Malaysian distributor.

"We will reinforce after-sales activity for our customers and we believe that strong customer service will improve future sales and marketshare as customers are assured of the manufacturer's support," Sato says.

The new company has employed 34 people in sales, parts and after-sales administration.

TCM claims to have the third-largest marketshare of all manufacturers in the South East Asian forklift market.