Tireler sets to change how the tyre industry works

The automotive industry is more than a 100 years old, and the tyre industry too, just as old. There have been no dramatic changes either in technology or design when it comes to tyres in the last decade - perhaps the biggest change has been the involvement of the internet as a channel.

Ler Hwee Tiong is a tyre industry veteran, and has devoted himself to the development of a consulting entity for the tyre industry in Asia. Tireler, in essence, is 'Tire' and 'Ler', his surname.

Mr. Ler's experience spans more than two decades. He has been in the tyre industry since 1995 spanning various disciplines on the ground and the corporate world, which followed up to his co-founding of Asia's first tyre portal - Tyrepac.

Tireler just celebrated its third year since its official founding. It currently interacts with the biggest tyre manufacturers and various tyre retailing channels.

The main aim of Tireler is to provide tailored solutions for the tyre industry here in Singapore, as well as the region. Its extensive consulting experience ranges from branding, management advisory, and retailing - online and offline. The exact scope is tailored to each organisation's own corporate culture and goals.

The work of Tireler doesn't just end at consultancy, either. It works with the organisation at hand, and looks at the execution, results, and making further improvements.

Some highlighted challenges in the industry that Tireler has noted on is stagnation and decline of market demand in some countries, cost of operations and the channels where tyres are sold through. The ever-increasing presence of Chinese made tyres enroaching into tier two market share poses a challenge, too.

The tyre industry, particularly in Asia, is shrouded in a self-imposed cloud of secrecy. Industry players tend to think its information is sufficient to operate in the coming decades.

Mr. Ler, when asked about shortcomings, said, "There are no shortcomings, rather a gradual pace of change that has to be carried out more dramatically and decisively." Adding on that data aggregation and transparency is necessary in the internet age.

Tyrepac is a prime example of how the tyre industry should go about retailing. Tireler is also working along with Point S, a global network retailer of tyres, which has set up an office here in Singapore.