Gulf Construction Online - UD Trucks takes smart route to Saudi success

Saudi Focus

Zahid Tractor and UD Trucks officials at the signing ceremony.

UD Trucks takes smart route to Saudi success

01 March 2020

UD Trucks has long been a major player in the Middle East’s logistics sector; yet 2020 is set to be a landmark year for the leading commercial vehicle brand as it rolls out ambitious new plans for its operations in Saudi Arabia. And customer access to cutting-edge smart logistics will be core to the offering of the Japanese brand that is fully owned by the Volvo Group.

Saudi Arabia has plenty of untapped potential and the team at UD Trucks is working hard to unleash this, and key to its approach as it enters the new decade is addressing the challenges that fleet owners face.

“As competition intensifies, fleet owners across the kingdom will need to harness the latest innovations to increase productivity, manage talent and drive profitability,” Mourad Hedna, president of UD Trucks MEENA, told Gulf Construction. “Central to this is the proliferation of smart logistics systems that can deliver greater productivity and efficiency.”

Smart logistics can be used in a range of situations: to monitor driving behaviour; to monitor vehicle health and schedule maintenance; to track mileage; and to monitor fuel costs, he pointed out. All of these contribute to improving efficiency, safety and productivity, with lower costs and improved margins. Active safety solutions, the availability of automated manual transmissions and enhanced features for driver comfort, all combine to optimise the customer experience, Hedna added.

UD Trucks aims to make this technology available to as many customers in Saudi Arabia as possible. At the end of 2019, the company appointed Zahid Tractor as its exclusive importer and distributor of UD Trucks in Saudi Arabia. The new partnership formed a natural next step, with Zahid Tractor already serving as the importer for several other Volvo Group brands and boasting an impressive reputation for its customer service.

Importantly, the collaboration offers customers around the country even greater access to the comprehensive UD Trucks range of products and services via an extended network of facilities. As of February 2020, the network includes four main branches in Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Abha.

These four branches supplement the numerous other facilities operating across the country. In the Western region, there are five sales, six service and nine parts outlets, in addition to UD Trucks’ main parts warehouse. The Central region has two sales outlets, two service outlets and three parts outlets, while there is another sales, two service and four parts outlets in the Eastern region.

“Added peace of mind is provided by the high levels of customer and after-sales service that are offered by UD Trucks and Zahid Tractor. Customers can benefit from preventive maintenance packages, a two-year parts warranty, and dedicated sales and service teams that will go the extra mile to understand customers’ business needs,” he remarked.

UD Trucks is ideally positioned to deliver the business solutions needed by the kingdom’s fleet owners, Hedna stated. The brand has focused on developing trucks that allow customers to address the most important industry challenges they face today and help them to stay ahead of the competition, as exemplified by its investment in smart logistics.

“From a Middle East perspective, this means tackling the real issues they face on the ground in the region. So dependability and reliability, fuel efficiency, productivity and developing drivers are top priorities. This is why both the New Quester and the Croner, the two models currently marketed in Saudi Arabia, were specifically engineered for tough markets like the Middle East,” he pointed out.

The heavy-duty New Quester, available in both tractor head and chassis variations, introduces a range of enhancements to help customers boost their bottom line. Features such as Escot automated manual transmission, engines with higher horsepower and comfortable cabs all promote greater fuel efficiency, productivity, driver efficiency, safety and uptime.

New Quester is available in a wide range of specifications, including CWE420 64R 40T and CGE420 84R 46T models, making it ideal for construction industry use, with tipper, mixer and truck-with-crane applications all offered.

Designed to excel in the medium-duty segment, Croner offers options for three gross vehicle weight models and their wheelbase variants, offering up to 21 different configurations to suit specific demands of various industries. It is also the only truck in its specific segment that offers a fully automatic gearbox, which provides ease of drive and reduces fatigue for drivers, he says.

UD Trucks has sold many units in these varied applications across the GCC, and is confident of replicating the same success in the kingdom. “Already, this combination of a strong product line-up, integrated smart logistics systems and excellent customer service has resulted in extremely positive feedback from customers and the market, which in turn is reflected by a strong order book. The scene is now set for UD Trucks to fully maximise its potential in Saudi Arabia,” he concluded.