What are some of the challenges that you face in this market?Like every other business, one main challenge is timely receipt of payments from the local customers. The other challenge is ensuring that the supply chain delivery is smooth. The factory sometimes faces the issue of demand exceeding production. Hence, we need to ensure that customers receive their orders on time.What are your future plans for SEAM Tyre?We are pursuing a path of continual growth. We want to explore new markets while continuing to offer the widest range of products and the best customer service in the markets we currently serve.What do think about the long-term and short-term outlook for the tire market in the UAE?Based on current projections regarding the vehicle figures and the outlook for the aftermarket, the outlook is quite bright in the short-term. It would not be wise on my part to make long-term predictions but the government in the UAE is quite supportive in terms of trade and the automotive industry in general and is highly visionary. Hence, the chances are quite good that the tire market will continue to do well in the long term as well.The UAE is a regional hub for tire trade in the Middle East. How important is the export market for SEAM tire?The UAE serves as a key focal point for trade for the entire Middle East and Africa markets. If you have a presence in this market, you can easily extend your reach to the key countries in these markets. According to a recent report that I read, in 2018, the number of cars in the Middle East crossed 21 million. The sale of new passenger cars sales reached 1.03 million units while sale of commercial vehicles reached 270,000 units last year. Those figures are highly impressive.What do you think about the requirements for tire labelling and RFID stickers in the UAE? Do you think this has helped to reduce the sale of poor quality tires in the UAE market? Has it created any difficulties for retailers?That has been one other major challenge for us- getting the SASO and GSO certifications. It is a very time consuming and expensive process. I think, in the long-term this strictness about standards is highly beneficial for customers as they can then be sure about the quality of the tires that they purchase. Manufacturers who are serious about having a long-term presence in this market will not have any issues about complying with the standards and regulations. Those who care more about quick profits by selling substandard products will not be able to last.Can you please tell us about Tire.ae and how it started?The importance of e-commerce, especially in a market like the UAE cannot be overemphasized. Here, shopping is all about convenience. You only have to see how popular apps and sites like Careem, Uber, souq, noon etc have become to understand how big e-commerce has become in this market. I read in a recent newspaper article that the UAE's e-commerce market is estimated to be worth USD 27.1 billion by 2022. Customers just have to visit Tire.ae to choose and purchase the tires that are most suitable for their vehicle and with our wide network of retail outlets, getting the tires installed is no problem at all.Customer service is very important part of the tire purchase process. How do you ensure that your customers benefit from the highest levels of customer service?Every new customer is important to us and my focus is on not just acquiring customers but retaining them with the highest level of service possible.What is the importance of the retail trade from a tire distributor’s perspective?It is in a retail store that we come into direct contact with the customers and learn more about their requirements and preferences. We get feedback on what they really want from their tires, the tradeoff between price and quality, any special characteristics that they look out for. It is where we get feedback for when we add new tires to our growing portfolio. Retail, is therefore very important for a tire distributor.What do you like most about working with SEAM Tyre?What I like most about working here is that though we have a small team, they are all excellent at their work. The atmosphere is more like that of a family. It is not a typical 9 to 5 job and there are plenty of challenges along the way ranging from delays in shipment to expanding into a new market. I am constantly learning on the job and that gives me great joy.tiresandparts.net9
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