Philippine-made wheels make it big abroad

MANILA, Philippines - Rota Wheels is probably one of the most successful export products of the Philippine auto parts making industry. It is a brand of automotive alloy wheels that come in various painted or chromed finish. Locally manufactured by industry leader Philippine Aluminum Wheels Inc. (PAWI) for the last 28 years, Rota Wheels is now exported world-wide to 17 different countries in four continents.

Raffy Villarreal, president of the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (MVPMAP) to which PAWI belongs, said that MVPMAP is proud of PAWI’s accomplishments. “It has proven to one and all that given the opportunity and the resources, a Filipino company can be competitive internationally, can be at par with the best that the rest of the world has to offer. Just look at Rota Wheels now – its main export market includes the USA, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan and Australia,” he adds.

Villarreal says that promoting Philippine-made auto parts is the reason why MVPMAP has sent trade delegations abroad, such as to Australia and Taiwan, and even joined various international auto trade exhibits such as the Taiwan AMPA Show.

PAWI president Romy Roxas says that Rota Wheels has indeed gained world-wide recognition in the world market, such that their export sales now constitute about 70% of their total sales. Depending on the month of the year, the domestic original equipment market (OEM) accounts for some 20% to 25% and the local after-market 5% to 10% of total sales.

“Rota Wheels is now a world-class product that is at par with Japanese and European brands. As a matter of fact, in terms of product quality, it is considered more superior to some Chinese and Indonesian brands,” he says. He adds that PAWI has successfully broken into the export market by providing value for money in the alloy wheel products they supply the customers, ensuring product quality that is at par or even surpasses international standards and pricing their products at a level that is very competitive yet affordable to a wider range of individual customers.

Roxas also takes pride in Rota Wheels as now being an international brand that is proudly Pinoy-made. “PAWI is the only local alloy wheel manufacturer that is 100% Filipino-owned and more importantly for us, operated by a 100% Filipino workforce of experienced workers, engineers and managers. It is also the only local company with an in-house crash-testing facility that complies with international testing requirements for wheel manufacturing. As a result, it is the only Philippine wheel brand that complies with, and even surpasses, international testing standards. We are also proud of the fact that we are the only Filipino wheel brand that is able to sell to automotive manufacturers both locally and internationally,” he adds.

“We expect that for the export market, Rota Wheels will continue to grow as more dealers for alloy wheels around the world continue to look for quality alloy wheels with a very strong branding and a track record for quality workmanship and safety performance. Rota Wheels has consistently delivered these needs,” says Roxas.

At the domestic front, he also expects the market to continue to grow as well though not as fast as the export market. “The Philippine market is small compared to the other international markets due to the very small disposable income of Filipino customers in general,” he adds.

The latest product catalogue of Rota Wheels shows some 60 different alloy wheels in chrome or painted finish for passenger cars, SUVs and AUVs. In the domestic OEM market, it is fitted on vehicles from Toyota, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Ford, and Nissan. In the after-market, Rota Wheels are bought by individual customers for their Mercedes Benz, BMW, Subaru and even Mini Cooper cars.

To sustain its marketing initiatives, Rota Wheels are regularly brought for exhibition in international trade shows such as SEMA in Las Vegas and Automechanika in Frankfurt, Germany and in local auto shows like the Manila International Autoshow and the Manila Auto Salon.