A major facelift

Advertising Feature - Solomon Islands

A major facelift for Ela Motors

By Ofani Eremae

FOR any business entity to make itself accessible to its customers, it must grow and expand. This is exactly the principle that Ela Motors, a trading name for BPT (SI) Ltd, which is part of the BPT South Pacific Group, is advocating in the Solomon Islands.

Since its establishment several years back, the company, which specialises in Toyota Products, has grown and expanded its outlets even to the rural parts of the Solomons. And just recently on September 11, after a major facelift to its existing facilities at Ranadi, Honiara, Ela Motors opened its new modern Automotive and Marine Complex.

“It is one of the company’s main objec tives to continue to expand the business throughout the Solomon Islands,” General Manager William Campbell said.

Last year, Ela Motors opened new branches in Noro and Gizo in the western

part of the Solomons, and earlier this year, a new modem Tyre and Battery Centre was opened in downtown Honiara. Mr Campbell said the redevelopment of Ela Motors Automotive and Marine complex in Honiara is a positive reflection of the confidence that the BPT South Pacific Group holds for the future in the Solomon Islands.

“It represents a substantial investment in the region, and has resulted in the most modem automotive facilities in Honiara, with an attractive new sales display show room, excellent customer service and parts facilities, along with a new panel shop, bond yard, and fully air-conditioned administration centre,” Mr Campbell added. With 50 employees, mostly locals, Ela Motors, a locally-registered company, has over the years re-organised itself to provide excellent working conditions and make the business more attractive to its many customers throughout the Solomons.

With the opening of the new complex, it allows for the Service Department and

Panel shop, to be housed under one roof.

Mr Douglas Hatigeva, the Service Manager who has been with Ela Motors for the last 10 years, said: “In the old work shop area, it was really like being in a copra shed”. ■‘But in the new Service Department, the environment is far better, with more space and good ventilation system,” he added. Panel shop Manager, Edwin Kolaoi, who has been with the company for more than 10. years, and heads a team of seven, also talked highly of the new environment.

He said: “The new state of the art equip ment that the management has introduced with the opening of this new complex, has made our job much easier and motivated the workers to perform even better than before”.

Besides the wide range of Toyota prod ucts that the company is selling at its out lets in the Solomons, Ela Motors also sells other products like Mariner Outboard Motors, FRP Boats, Hankook Tyres, Echo Chainsaws, and other products.

Said Mr Campbell: “We have broad ened our base substantially over the years.

In addition to supplying the wide range of excellent Toyota motor vehicles, we are now very much a multi-franchise opera tion, with a wide selection of products and services aimed at meeting local needs”.

In addition to the new premises, Mr Campbell said they have also built up the best working team. “Our team of qualified technicians has been fully trained to inter national standards, as is required by Toyota Motor Corporation, and through the BPT South Pacific Group.

“On-going training is provided both locally and overseas, to ensure our employ ees maintain the highest possible stan dards,” he said.

Already, according to the general man ager, Ela Motors is planning to further expand its after market capabilities, to ensure that even the most remote customer in the Solomons has access to the compa ny’s after sale services.

In a country made up of many islands separated by vast waters of sea, expanding the services to as many people as possible is an important factor.

Because that means you are availing your services and products to the people.

Not all automotive companies in the Solomon Islands are expanding into the rural areas. Only Ela Motors, it appears, is taking that initiative. ■