Triumph Motorcyles sets up Thai firm as sales rocket

Sales of Triumph motorcycles reached 254 units in 2014, but have skyrocketed to more than 1,400 so far this year.

Triumph’s history in Thailand dates back over fifty years, when the English-made motorcycles made their first appearance in the Kingdom. In 2002, a Triumph factory was set up and Britbike became Triumph Motorcycles’ partner and importer in 2007.

With the launch of Triumph Motorcycles (Thailand), the company will directly handle all aspects of the business, including sales and marketing activities, in coordination with all its distributors, including Britbike, executives said.

“Our products are marketed in over 60 countries worldwide and Thailand is considered a strategic market in the Asia- Pacific,” said Triumph Motorcycles’ Sales and Marketing director Paul Stroud. “Triumph made an important decision 13 years ago to open a production facility in the country, and we have kept enhancing and expanding this factory ever since. Managing the brand directly has indeed always been part of our long-term plan. This will enable us to bring a wider range of motorcycles and other products to Thailand, and provide strategic support to marketing, sales and after-sales services. To implement all these, we are counting on our close collaboration with our network of distributors to make the brand stand out even more.”

Triumph’s factory is located at Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate in Chon Buri, with manufacturing being spearheaded by a team of key personnel from the UK and Thailand, together with more than 1,000 employees. Over 40,000 motorcycles are produced each year at this site for local sales and export to more than 40 countries, including the UK.

Triumph Motorcycles (Thailand) general manager Jakkrapong Santirat said the brand would be present at the Motor Expo 2015. This will be the first time the company is joining the event.

“I can reassure you that bike enthusiasts can expect something really big at the show. We aim to sell a total of 1,500 motorcycles in Thailand by the end of this year,” he revealed.

Meanwhile, Britbike managing director Dom Hetrakul said: “There are new opportunities resulting from the big bike trend. If we would like to exploit this great potential, structural change is needed to capture growth, so it makes sense that a direct subsidiary has been set up to manage the business. After the transition early this year, Triumph Motorcycles (Thailand) has implemented several strategic plans resulting in an exponential increase in sales.

“During the first 10 months of 2015, we achieved record sales of 1,400 units compared to 257 units in 2014. We could not be any happier. I am very pleased to support this positive change, and our excellent relationship and cooperation can only get better as Britbike takes on its new role as Triumph Motorcycles’ major dealer in the country. We will now focus more on sales, promotional activities and after-sales service, which are also key factors in business development.”

There are currently seven Triumph Motorcycles outlets nationwide – two in Bangkok (Triumph Britbike RCA, Triumph Britbike Rangsit) and five upcountry (Triumph Britbike Chiang Mai, Triumph Khon Kaen, Triumph Ubon Ratchathani, Triumph Hat Yai and Triumph Phuket).