TOTAL logistics service provider PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd’s sprawling RM160mil state-of-the art centre called the “one logistics hub” in Shah Alam which spans over 27 acres is a far cry from its humble beginnings as a customs broker operating out of a simple two-storey link house in the mid-70s.

PKT was established by Datuk Tio Sook Keo and was originally called Port Klang Trading in 1974. In 1996, Tio’s son Datuk Michael Tio (PKT group chief executive and managing director) who was studying and working in Britain returned to Malaysia to take over the reins of the business from his father.

“When I came back to Malaysia, I realized that companies here (in Malaysia) did not provide one-stop logistics services, unlike in other countries such as Japan or in Europe.

“With that, I set out to change the way this company operated to offer total logistics services,” says Michael.

A self-proclaimed admirer of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “Look East Policy,” Michael looked to countries such as Japan and South Korea to expand PKT’s business.