RELUCTANT ‘TRAIN MECHANIC’ NOW RUNS VIABLE RAILWAY-RELATED BUSINESS

By Syamsiah Sahat

IPOH, June 14 (Bernama) – Running a company that provides niche services comes with its own set of challenges. However, S. Ganesan is determined to succeed in the business he took over from his late father Datuk S. Suppiah.

Ganesan, 49, is the chief executive officer of Railfreight Engineering and Logistics Sdn Bhd, which specialises in the maintenance and repair of railway carriages and locomotives, among other services.

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As early as 8 am every morning, Ganesan can be seen at his depot here working alongside his engineers and technicians, carrying out repairs and maintenance work on train carriages that are 16.8 metres (55 feet) long and weigh up to 60 tonnes each.

Interestingly enough, Ganesan comes from a family that has a strong connection with the railways. His great-grandfather, originally from Jaffna in Sri Lanka, had worked with Malayan Railway as a track maintenance employee while his grandfather worked at the same organisation as head of the ticketing section. Ganesan’s father worked with Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) as a forklift operator before starting his own firm.

Truth be told, when Ganesan took over the reins of Railfreight Engineering and Logistics from his father in 2018, he had zero knowledge of the business. Neither did he possess the required skills.

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“I learned little by little from my father and the workers here,” he said when met at his company premises recently.

Ganesan, who is an information technology graduate, said the field his company specialises in is quite niche, adding, “There aren't many customers, but the customers we do have are large companies.”

Ganesan admitted he initially tried to “escape from the railway field” by working as a technical analyst at a telecommunications company in Shah Alam, Selangor. But eventually, he decided to help his father run his company as he was the only son.

Elaborating on the services offered by his company, Ipoh-born Ganesan said they provide repair services for railway carriages with minor or severe damage due to accidents.

“We also offer overhaul services which include replacing components of carriages and locomotives, as well as sandblasting and painting the carriage bodies.

“We have our own (rail) track for testing after the overhaul process, so customers need not transport the carriages or locomotives back to their locations for testing,” said the father of three.

The 1.5-kilometre-long track connects the depot to the Ipoh railway station, facilitating the transport of the repaired or overhauled carriages or locomotives to their clients.

Among the clients of Railfreight Engineering and Logistics are KTMB, sugar manufacturers, cement producers and other commodity companies.

“These companies use carriages to transport their products from one location to another across the peninsula. By using rail transport, they can move up to 60 carriages simultaneously,” said Ganesan.

He said the locomotive system is not much different from the systems of other vehicles except for its braking system which uses air pressure since it operates on tracks.

“There are two types of locomotive engines, diesel-hydraulic and the more advanced diesel-electric or fully electric system.

“The diesel-hydraulic engine is quite similar to cars (with an engine and gearbox) and is easy to understand for those who have studied mechanics,” he explained.

Ganesan, who is assisted by three skilled engineers and 12 technical assistants at his depot, said those interested in this field can study in universities that offer related programmes or work with logistics companies like KTMB.

Looking ahead, Ganesan hopes his children will continue the family legacy by taking over his company in the future.

“My eldest son, who is 12 years old, has shown some interest but I also understand that the current generation cannot be forced. They have their own way of thinking, but I hope...” he added.

He said his company is also taking steps to bring more advanced technology into the logistics field by producing, in collaboration with an international company, locomotives that can move on both roads and tracks.

-- BERNAMA