A LAUNCHING CEREMONY WITH A DIFFERENCE

By Nor Faridah Abd Rashid

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 (Bernama) -- What has an electrifying and a sleek
performance by an electronic violinist got to do with a 41-foot orange-coloured
truck? A strange combination indeed if one may say so.

But it kind of "gel" when TNT, one of the world's leading express
integrator, decided to introduce its fleet of trucks in conjunction with the
company's Asia Road Network (ARN) fifth anniversary recently.

The flawless performance by songwriter and producer Dennis Lau, backed by
saxaphonist Jimmy Sax who "jazzed up" the ceremony, was a sweet appetizer before
the huge main course, -- TNT's two orange–coloured 41-foot trucks -- slowly
rolled in and occupied the right and left side of the hall at the Kl Convention
Centre.

The audience, including Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha, were mesmerised with the
spectacular entrance of the trucks which moved slowly, but surely, just like
TNT's slogan "sure we can" to take its place on both sides of the hall.

At the ceremony, the Netherlands-based TNT, spurred by the success of the ARN,
announced a further investment of 4.5 million euros (about RM17.9 million) to
expand the ARN network in the next two years.

This will bring the total investment, todate, in the fully integrated ARN,
established in 2005, to more than 12.5 million euros (around RM50 million).

The company had pumped in 8.0 million euro (RM31.92 million) in the last five
years.

Most of the new investment will be to acquire a fleet of trucks specially
designed to suit pan-Asian routes, TNT said.

ARN, Asia's first road network, currently spans Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam and China, linking over 127 cities across 7,650 kilometres,
and still growing, according to TNT Southeast Asia and India Regional Managing
Director Onno Boots.

TNT planned to make further inroads into mainland China and India, he said.

Boots said despite facing a set of "unique challenges" when TNT decided on the
ambitious ARN project in Asia, the company did what "we could do best, which was
to innovate, facilitate and create an unrilvalled road network that offers our
customers a combination of cost efficiency, speed, security and reliability."

"Over the years we have seen the profile of freight diversity to include more
high-valued goods, such as electronics, healthcare products and automotive and
industrial equipment," he said.

He pointed out transporting goods by road on the ARN was, on average, 30 per
cent cheaper than air transportation and three times faster than sea
transportation.

In the future, TNT expected to see a further shift in transportation from air to
road as the ARN and other international transport routes continued to develop,
he said.

TNT Asia road network service is targeted at domestic and international
customers who required the delivery of high-valued goods within a specific and
often short time span.

These included customers from the healthcare, high-tech and electronics and,
automotive and industrial sectors.

Asia offered tremendous potential for TNT's Asia Road Network to replicate the
successful market leadership position of its extensive road network in Europe
(European Road Network), TNT said in a statement.

It has been reported that the total volume of road freight carried
domestically and internationally in Asia is expected to grow 8.4 per
cent, in the next four years, to 2,889 billion tonnes-km in 2014 from 2,090 billion
tonnes-km in 2010.

TNT's new fleet will comprise 12 trucks and 14 41-foot trailers.

Produced by Scania, the trucks were especially designed for TNT and tailored
specifically for maximum efficiency on Pan-Asian routes.

Scania is a leading manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses and coaches and marine
engines.

In his speech at the ceremony, Kong said Malaysia's location made it a natural
centre for the region, a fact increasingly recognised by global logistics
companies, shipping and airlines.

He said a network like ARN, which effectively lined 127 cities in six countries
via over 7,650 km of roadway, assumed an essential role in keeping the economy
thriving, higlighted by the fact that 74.4 per cent of total exports in 2009
were manufactured products.
-- BERNAMA