Ignatius Chew Takes Over

Ignatius Chew Eng Lin the son of Chew Choon Kok, took over the running of Ban Hoe Seng in 1988.

Ignatius and Pauline, 2017

The General Manager and Sales Manager were retired. Due to the recession the sales of vehicles dropped drastically and the entire sales staff were all let go.

When Ignatius returned to Ipoh in 1982, a fresh graduate from the UK where he attained the distinction of top student in psychology he was tasked to understudy the business from the management.

His wife Pauline Hsu, a graduate of accounting was computerizing the company’s accounts system at the time.

Ignatius and Pauline overshadowed the management in the early years to learn the operation from them . 

When news that the senior management had retired was announced Ignatius was put in charge of sales while Pauline took charge of the workshop and operations at Kampar Road.

During this period of recession both Ignatius and Pauline were sent to Thailand to learn from Mitsuro Sato, the President of Asian Honda Motor Co Ltd.

Sato’s style had a profound impact on Ignatius so much so when he returned he changed Ban Hoe Seng.

He refurbished the showroom and adopted the management style that he learnt from Mitsuro Sato.

The results from the training proved itself when Ban Hoe Seng won the first Honda Dealer of the Year in 1990.

Standing left Pauline Hsu, Ignatius (4th form left) and Agnes (Ignatius sister, last). Seated :Chew Choon Kok (4th from left). Pix dated 1991 

Chew Choon Kok now gave Ignatius and Pauline a free hand to run the business in 1992.

In 1994 Chew Choon Siew died and that same year Ignatius father Choon Kok retired.

According to Ignatius Honda was a product that sold itself. He theorized that if you have a good product all you had to do was to manage and service the product and it would do well.

When the Asian Financial Crisis occurred in 1996 / 97 Ban Hoe Seng was well poised to weather the storm once again.

As had been done in the 1985 crisis Ignatius’s conservative style and prudent management once again helped the company get through the crisis.  

End

Ban Hoe Seng - The Challenging Years

The last two decades of the 20the century beginning from 1988 till 1997 was a challenging time for Ban Hoe Seng.

The subsequent Honda Civic models were well received. Similarly with the Honda Accord 1.6 cc introduced later had a waiting list of one year.

Although Honda and Ban Hoe Seng continued to do well the Malaysian economy was in a tailspin due to the drop in the tin price which occurred in 1985.  

It was reported that in the period following the collapse of the International Tin Council in 1985, Malaysia shut 30 percent of its tin mines, eliminating 5000 jobs.

Before the start of the crisis there were 32 Honda dealers but the at the end were left only 8 dealers in the country.

Ban Hoe Seng was not spared this recession. Its Genaral Manager and Sales Manager were retired at this time and entire sales staff were let go.

Chew  Choon Kok’ son Ignatius Chew who returned from overseas in 1982 was understudying the business but was abruptly tasked to oversee the operations.

When the recovery returned they appointed dealers once again. But within a few years they once again experienced another economic crisis the Asian Economic Crisis of 1996/97.

Ban Hoe Seng had been a family business all along. They had seen the crises through by being conservative, prudent and lean.

With few loans and with good maintanence of their business and their sound financial strength they had pulled through both crises and came out unscathed.

End

A New Start With All New Honda Civic

Honda Civic 1st Generation

Ban Hoe Seng’s move to Kampar Road was timely for towards the mid-seventies witnessed the popularity of Japanese vehicles for both cars and bikes.

Both cars and motorbikes were on display at the showroom

The large showroom could accommodate the display of motorcars and motorcycles under one roof. 

Honda EX-5

Additionally the yard at Ban Hoe Seng was large and received a minimum one lorry of motorcycles most days. 

The exception was the Honda EX-5 which was delivered 5 lorry loads at a time.

While the motorcycle dealership kept growing the introduction of the all new Honda Civic car towards the mid 70’s saw a new growth in the Honda franchise.

The introduction of the all new Honda Civic 1^st Generation car proved to be popular known for its reliability and economy in an era of rising fuel prices.

Unlike the earlier Honda models which were 2 cylinder, air cooled and with smaller capacity the Honda Civic had a four cylinder water cooled engine displacing 1,300cc  of power and was made available as a 2 Door, 3 and 5 door variants.

With improved business conditions so too was the corresponding services at the workshop was constantly busy and so too at the administration office.  

Ban Hoe Seng's workshop servicing the 1st Generation Honda Civic

The modern office at Kampar Road

In term of administration its staff strength had increased from 18 personel at Belfield Street to well over sixty since the shift to Kampar Road.

JAG