YHI alloy wheels rolling into Formula One

Japanese, Europeans and North Americans might dominate premier auto racing, but a Singaporean company is now making a name on the Formula One circuit.

In 2008, YHI International Ltd forged an agreement with racing team Scuderia Toro Rosso to provide its own-brand Advanti wheels.

Already a sponsor of other motor sports events, the agreement resulted in the company's first foray into major international motor sports sponsorship and marked a turning point in its marketing strategy.

YHI was before mostly known as a distributor of automotive and industrial products and a manufacturer of alloy wheels for such premium brands as Konig American, OZ SpA and Enkei.

Founded in 1948 and listed on the main board of the Singapore Stock Exchange in 2003, YHI has been the exclusive distributor of Hitachi batteries, Yokohama tires and Enkei alloy wheels in Singapore since the 1970s.

Its longstanding relationship with Yokohama has resulted in a 49 percent stake in Yokohama Tire Sales Shanghai and a 10 percent share of the Japanese tire maker's facility in Hangzhou.

The group also has a design and development team based in Shanghai, as well as production facilities in Shanghai and Suzhou that have a combined capacity of about 2.5 million units of wheels a year, about 83 percent of the group's total annual capacity of 3 million units.

While the company developed its own-brand products, YHI maintained its leadership in the alloy wheels outsourced manufacturing, firmly committed to quality assurance and customer satisfaction.

Singapore-listed YHI has subsidiaries and affiliates in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan province, Brunei, the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Italy.

www.yhi.com.sg; www.advanti-wheel.com

(China Daily 08/06/2010 page18)