In 1966 Lee Kong Tay opened a small motorcycle and bicycle workshop in Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur. Within a few years he had moved into car spare parts, and one marque in particular: Mercedes-Benz. He drew the company's logo himself — the letters AM inside two rings, for the wholeness and unity of the people in the business — and chose red because, in Chinese tradition, red is prosperity.
His son Lee Kok Seng and daughters Lee Loo Yean, Lee Loo Phing and Lee Loo Ling carried the business through its second generation. In 2006 the eldest grandson, Rex, took over, and the four Lee brothers set about turning a traditional parts counter into a modern distributor: new departments, staff training, proper billing and inventory, barcodes in the warehouse. Within four years turnover had quadrupled and the team grew from 15 to 55.
Today the distribution centre sits in Batu Caves, there are eight outlets across KL and Selangor, and the counters still do what they did in 1966: hand over the right part to someone who needs it, at a fair price.
"Parts driven by quality, priced for everyone."
