Continually evolving and improving with time, the company has been serving customers for over 50 years.

In a place like Kathmandu, where traffic congestion makes it difficult for anyone to move around, two-wheelers are often the desired mode of transport. As a result, there is a robust market for two-wheelers in the country, with several brands competing in the segment.

For over the last five decades, Honda, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has remained as the leading two–wheeler brand in Nepal which is also attributed to the burgeoning of two-wheeler culture in the Himalayan nation.  And, it is due to the consistent efforts by Syakar Trading Company Pvt Ltd the Japanese brand enjoys a firm presence in the country.

Journey
Established in 1976, Syakar Trading Company, one of the entities under Jyoti Group of Companies, is the authorised distributor and retailer of Honda motorcycles, scooters, cars and Honda power products in Nepal.

It was in 1967 when Jyoti Group began importing Honda two-wheelers before the establishment of STC. Starting from selling a mere 11 units of Honda motorcycles, STC’s annual sales volume of motorbikes and scooters now is almost 82,000 and the company operates more than 70 Honda two-wheeler outlets across Nepal. The company which commenced its operations 43 years ago with only 30 to 35 staff now employs over 500 people.

 “We have been leading the two-wheeler segment for some time now, and we have been able to maintain it. Currently, Honda commands 37 percent share of the Nepali two-wheeler market,” says Nijen Lal Shrestha, business development manager at Syakar Trading Company.  

Achievements
Shrestha considers standing strong for over 50 years in Nepal as STC’s most significant achievement. “Being this efficient and making customers happy for so many years is what we consider a significant achievement”, says Shrestha.

Being a part of the company for the last five years now, he has witnessed and heard several progress stories of the company. According to him, the company could not have sustained to this day without the support from the customers and an excellent product line to meet the demand of customers.

He also believes that the company has been able to succeed due to the widespread and readily available after-sales service through the country. “Customers look into things like the annual maintenance cost, cost of parts and availability of parts while purchasing a vehicle”, he says, adding, “Syakar has been able to meet the expectations in these fields which is supported by the customer satisfaction index of Honda service, which is 98 percent.”  

Brand Presence and Service Network
Syakar Company has invested heavily on the brand presence of Honda in Nepal. STC’s effort was recently recognised when the company was presented with Crity awards for Best Integrated Campaign, Best TVC and Best Camerawork.

The company has been using all possible mediums of marketing such as Above the Line (ATL), Below the Line (BTL), and Through the Line (TTL). Even though their primary focus has been on traditional marketing, they have also been increasing their emphasis on digital marketing and other mediums.

Even though the recurring shortage of liquidity in the banking system over the last few years has affected the sales of vehicles in Nepal, the company has worked to minimise the effect. STC has its own hire purchase company, Syakar Investment Company Pvt. Ltd, to ensure that the sales of Honda two-wheelers are not adversely affected.

The investment company has been providing service to customers with one of the lowest interest rates in the market. Customers can get a two-wheeler with 30 percent down payment and only 9.99 percent interest for the duration of up to 36 months.

Focus on After Sales Services
The company operates automated state-of-the-art service centres and offers various facilities to customers such as general servicing, washing, repairs, warranty services, etc. The service centres are outfitted with hydraulic ramps and pneumatic wrenches. Shrestha informs that it is also mandatory for all Honda dealers to have a service centre with all necessary equipment and trained technicians.

Furthermore, the company has toll free numbers for both NTC and NCELL users, where customers can register their issues. STC strives to solve those issues within 48 hours. Apart from this, it also has 24 hours’ emergency spot service facility for customers within Kathmandu. “We are replicating this service in all major towns across the country”, says Shrestha.

According to Shrestha, STC has one of the largest sales, service and spare parts network in the country. Till now, they have 90 dealers for sales and 114 service centres around Nepal. “This year we are planning to expand our sales, service and spare parts network to an additional 16 outlets”, he informs.

To make its service more flexible and accessories readily available, all of STC’s showrooms have genuine Honda spare parts, and they are readily available throughout the country. According to Shrestha, the stock of genuine Honda spare parts is also well maintained at the company’s depot in Naikap.

Other Services
The company not only imports vehicles; it also teaches safe driving. It has a fully equipped training centre, ‘Syakar Safety Riding Training Centre’ at Gwarko that covers a total area of 10,200 square meters. It is also the first and largest motorcycle training institute in Nepal. It certifies service instructors to ensure the proper mechanical training of technicians from all service centres. The instructors are trained regularly and updated with the latest technology and products.

Along with training on proper license trial pattern, it also provides well-trained women instructors for female trainees.

CSR
Shrestha says that STC regularly organises free service camps nationwide and also conducts rural servicing camps to customers who live in remote areas. Under its Corporate Social Responsibility, the company has been organising different campaigns. ‘Jimmewar Chalak Ma’ is one example of such campaigns, among many others. Time and again, STC has organised this road safety campaign which is aimed at promoting road discipline.