UD Trucks said it has a knack for building vehicles that suit the Middle East customer and its recent sales figures back those claims.

The Japanese manufacturer registered a nine per cent increase in sales across the Middle East, East and North Africa (Meena) region in 2018. In the Middle East region alone, it saw its share increase in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain. In Bahrain, the brand continues to hold the number one position.

“Our ability to respond to the demands of this important market has been instrumental in UD Trucks achieving record-breaking results last year,” Mourad Hedna, president, UD Trucks Middle East, East and North Africa, told ABDULAZIZ KHATTAK of Gulf Construction magazine.

Hedna ... focused on the region.

UD Trucks has remained committed to the region for more than 60 years. Since launching in the Middle East, it has put in place a dedicated UD Trucks operational and management team to attend to the needs of partners and customers. It also has an 8,000-sq-m modern warehouse in Dubai for spare parts, as well as a Competence Development Centre, which offers partners and customers advanced technical and commercial training.

UD Trucks has a range of heavy- and medium-duty multipurpose trucks to meet operators’ needs, including on- and off-road use, waste management, construction, distribution and long-haul transportation.

Amongst its trucks, the heavy-duty ‘Quester’ model has been very popular with fleet operators in the Middle East in addition to the versatile medium-duty ‘Croner’, both of which provide superior driveline.

UD Trucks in 2018 launched two new Quester models in the Middle East. Designed for the heavy construction industry, the Quester 6x4R (40 tonnes) and 8x4R (46 tonnes) put the brand as the unique Japanese manufacturer offering a complete heavy-duty range.

Hedna noted the rapid changes in the trucks industry, with customers now more conscious of the total cost of ownership, which is why, he said, UD Trucks provides solutions such as service contracts, cutting-edge telematics and driver training, allowing customers to enjoy lower running cost and optimised up-time.

UD Trucks is also leading innovation, with its trucks featuring proven technologies for improving productivity, reducing engine consumption via engine downsizing, advanced injection system technologies, driver coaching devices or telematics.

Here, the Quester comes with features that include fuel economy, payload, robustness and a wide range of applications and variants with high maintainability, therefore, extending the truck’s uptime and providing fleet customers with a higher return on investment.

Fuel economy is delivered by leveraging high technology in core components like modern high torque engines and complete driveline, aerodynamic design as well as the UD fuel coaching system. Robustness is delivered through a very strong chassis that offers many variants for different applications including hub reduction axles and 8x4 variants.

The Croner, on the other hand, is equipped with automatic transmission, an option crucial for markets facing serious driver shortage due to the strenuous demands, especially in long-haul driving. Automatic transmission aims to help customers attract drivers, and lower cost and downtime. UD Trucks has received excellent feedback from across the region for Croner.

In the heavy-duty segment, Hedna said UD Trucks is monitoring the demand for the automatic transmission very closely and has plans to introduce it to the market very soon.

UD Trucks has also introduced the world’s first commercialised trucks with a SCR system, a revolutionary system that helps reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx). The system will be introduced into the Middle East market in the near future.

However, Hedna said value for money doesn’t stop at price at UD Trucks, which aims for a long-term relationship with customers by offering both a first-class product and impeccable aftermarket service.

“We are keen on delivering the best aftermarket support. With our trucks set on delivering optimum uptime, we strive to deliver unrivalled aftersales support through the availability of spare parts, the density and proximity of our network, as well as the quality and expertise of our service teams across the Middle East,” he said.

A key part of this initiative is UD Trucks’ parts distribution centre in Dubai that delivers more than 12,000 different spare parts to partners across the region. Given the centre’s strategic location, UD Trucks importers enjoy short lead times and a cost saving in both transportation and inventory all whilst guaranteeing uptime to truck drivers across the region.

This is also supported by UD Trucks’ regional retail partners, with Y K Almoayyed & Sons in Bahrain having invested $9 million in the development of a new state-of-the-art 11,000-sq-m  workshop boasting 36 repair bays set to service an important truck population that continues to experience massive growth in the country.

UD Trucks is part of the Volvo Group.