BATERIKU

'Azarol Faizi is the Founder & CEO of Bateriku Group of Companies, Malaysia’s leading Vehicle Ownership Experience Service Provider' Azarol Faizi is a Malaysian entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO for Bateriku Group of Companies – a Vehicle Ownership Experience platform that provides breakdown and maintenance solutions directly to vehicle owners via technology and gig economy. Today, there are 3 companies under Bateriku Group of Companies namely Bateriku (M) Sdn. Bhd., Akademi Bateriku S... dn. Bhd. and BPlaz (M) Sdn. Bhd. Azarol previously founded Astra Manufacturing, a battery manufacturing factory that primarily supplies automotive and industrial batteries to OEM and REM companies such as Proton, Perodua, Mitsubishi, Petronas and Telekom. Azarol’s vision was to ultimately make it easy and seamless for vehicle owners to receive solutions and support to anything and everything that is related to their vehicle. He wanted to create a sustainable ecosystem of automotive product and service providers that prioritize awesome customer experience, every time, all the time. Inspired by the tech disruption created by MyTaxi and Uber in Malaysia, Azarol saw the gap in the market for battery replacement for vehicle owners. In 2014, he pivoted his 7-person team to establish Bateriku.com – an online platform that enable vehicle owners to find on-demand solution to that dreadful #battkong experience via its well trained and equipped crowdsourced technicians or BHero. In 2015, Bateriku.com started to build a network of Dealers under the ‘BPreneur’ Program to establish its unique selling proposition of Nationwide Warranty Assistance. The BPreneur program has enabled the opening of more than 150 Bateriku retail outlets or Pitstops nationwide including in Sabah and Sarawak. In 2017, Bateriku launched its Bateriku Customer App for a seamless after-sales customer experience that complements existing touchpoints of 24/7 hotline number, web booking, whatsapp and social media enquiries. In 2019, the group expanded its on-demand battery solution by offering full-fledged Roadside Assistance to vehicle owners under BPlaz. The solutions offered include towing, tyre replacement, fuel top-up and car lock-out services. The services are fulfilled by either its BHero network or workshop partners under the ‘BBuddy’ program. In the same year, Bateriku was appointed as Etiqa Insurance’s service provider to serve Etiqa’s 2.5Million insurance subscribers. To date, Bateriku has served close to 1.2 Million vehicle owners and has shared more than RM12 Million in commission payouts within its ecosystem partners. The group reached multiple milestones in 2022 when it was appointed by Allianz Malaysia to serve Allianz’s 3.5 Million subscribers. In the same year, Persatuan Insurans Malaysia (PIAM) also appointed Bateriku as a licensed insurance agent. The biggest milestone for the group happened on May 22 with the launching of Bateriku’s very own automotive product range under the Astra brand by Bateriku.com. Since the introduction of Astra batteries, Bateriku has managed to sell more than 200,000 units of batteries nationwide. More recently, the Astra brand has also introduced exclusive Astra wiper blades to the Malaysian market since April 2023. Azarol is determined to bring in more fast-moving products under the Astra brand for the benefit of not just vehicle owners, but also to its ecosystem partners. Today, the group has built an ecosystem comprising close to 1,000 BHeros, 100 BPreneurs and approximately 3,000 BBuddys to fulfil the growing demand for battery and roadside assistance solutions. Bateriku today collaborates with prominent brands including Allianz, Etiqa, Socar, Gocar, Touch & Go, Setel and Grab by providing multiple value-added offerings to respective partner’s ecosystem. In January 2023, Bateriku established Akademi Bateriku – a training centre that primarily aims to streamline on-the-ground deliverables to its growing ecosystem. Akademi Bateriku received endorsement from HRDF for its multi-level certification programs that includes vehicles systems troubleshooting as well as EV and Hybrid systems. Concurrently, Bateriku also established its first BGarage – a workshop model designed and operated by Bateriku to accommodate customers with non-related battery issues such as alternator and starter issues. The establishment of BGarage value-adds to the overall customer experience for Bateriku’s existing and potential customers. Recently, Bateriku signed a Memorandum of Contract with TowMe Asia – a roadside assistance company based in Singapore to provide cross-border solutions to travellers to/from Malaysia and Singapore respectively. In its pipeline, the group is looking to solidify its position by digitizing the 3 verticals of Battery, Breakdown and Bengkel into an inclusive automotive digital platform called ‘Bazaar.’ Enabled by its priority on customer experience and the advancement of technology, the group has evolved from a brick-and-mortar battery reseller to providing real solutions very much needed by vehicle owners, not just in Malaysia and Singapore but soon to other ASEAN countries.More