Patrick Tan is the visionary behind Tumpang Malaysia, a unique local transportation service that specialises in moving large quantities of goods over long distances. Having acquired close to two decades of expertise in logistics, particularly in the areas of forwarding and haulage operations, Patrick boasts an extensive understanding and profound admiration for the intricacies of this dynamic industry.
Patrick and his team aim to become the top choice for transporting large-scale and bulk shipments over long distances in Malaysia. Additionally, they want to expand their services to other parts of Asia in the near future.
In this exclusive interview, Patrick shares his insights and strategies for running his business. Read more below.
What are some of the common hurdles in logistics faced in Malaysia?
Based on my market analysis, there are three parties hugely impacted by logistical challenges in Malaysia.
- Customers: They usually find transport partners through social platforms or personal contacts, which can be a lengthy process. For individual customers, prices are typically higher, and transporters may not always service their requested route.
- Manufacturers: Building a transportation team is not only costly, but it can also be difficult to manage. As a result, insufficient cargo volume becomes a major problem for the public.
- Transportation partners: Based on Tumpang Malaysia’s research, we have found that 70% of transport partners have empty vehicles or unused space because they lack the necessary resources to attract more customers.
How do you plan and optimise transportation routes for goods distribution?
Tumpang Malaysia’s business concept is built to optimise transportation routes: our customers submit their delivery requests and our partner transporters, who are already heading in the same direction, promptly provide quotes directly to the customers. This approach enables customers to save on vehicle chartering costs by sharing space with transporters traveling in the same direction.
Our goal is to create an ecosystem that brings together all our transportation partners. Through advanced tech, we can ensure the best match between customer needs and available partner vehicles. This allows us to maximise the usage of empty space in partner vehicles, resulting in significantly lower freight costs for our customers.
What strategies have you used to reduce logistics costs while maintaining service quality?
We provide a number of high-value features that are cost-effective for our customers.
- Insurance Option: Customers have the flexibility to choose insurance for their shipments directly on the payment page. They can opt for insurance coverage for goods, with a maximum insured value of 10k.
- Advanced Security Measures: To guarantee the precise delivery of goods, senders are required to provide a pickup code to the driver upon loading, while recipients must provide a dropoff code during unloading. This method ensures that both parties will work together smoothly, avoiding errors and extra costs.
- In-App Chat Feature: To facilitate seamless communication and ensure both parties are on the same page regarding shipment details, our platform offers an in-app chat feature. This feature provides an open and cost-effective way for customers and transporters to communicate before making a booking decision.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?
I wish I had started this business earlier. I had the idea for over a decade. With that being said, I strongly encourage anyone who has a dream to start their own business to go for it while they can! Conduct market research, propose a solution that you believe will have a positive impact on the target market, and implement it. The earlier you start, the better the outcome!
Final Thoughts
If you’re interested to giving Tumpang Malaysia a try, all new users can use the promo code “TRYTUMPANG” to get a discount of RM10 on their bookings via the Tumpang Delivery app. Tumpang Malaysia also gives discounts during festive seasons to thank their customers for their support. Keep an eye out for them!
You can follow them on social media to stay up to date with their latest happenings!
0 Comments