Capital Equipment News February 2016

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS

FEBRUARY 2016

ercedes-Benz

South

Africa

(MBSA), along with its brand di-

visions Daimler Trucks & Buses

and Mercedes-Benz Vans, is strengthen-

ing its continued drive for excellence and

customer dedication with today’s opening

of the Regional Centre Southern Afri-

ca (RCSA). RCSA will be responsible for

Daimler’s full commercial vehicles port-

folio in the region, from the full offering

of Mercedes-Benz Vans, heavy-duty Mer-

cedes-Benz trucks and buses as well as

the uniquely suited products (trucks and

buses) from FUSO. The Regional Centre

Southern Africa will be in charge of South

Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe,

Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho

and Swaziland.

“Opening our new Regional Centre South-

ern Africa, we are able to respond even

faster to our commercial vehicle custom-

ers and their requirements. This will help

us to further tap the growth potential of

this emerging region,” said Dr. Wolfgang

Bernhard, member of the Board of Man-

agement of Daimler AG responsible for

Daimler Trucks & Buses.

Based in Pretoria, South Africa, the Region-

al Centre Southern Africa will be a catalyst

in ensuring highly efficient business pro-

cesses and an even higher level of cus-

tomer satisfaction. MBSA and its parent

company Daimler AG are confident that the

Regional Centre Southern Africa is poised

to provide excellence and ultimately a com-

petitive advantage to its growing number of

southern African-based customers through

superior products and custom value chain

offerings.

Kobus van Zyl, Executive Director: Daimler

Trucks & Buses Southern Africa: “Having a

stronger presence in the southern African

markets means that we are able to react

faster and be in touch more frequently with

our commercial vehicles customers and the

various General Distributors in the respec-

tive countries. The Regional Centre South-

ern Africa provides further opportunities for

all our commercial vehicle endeavours, in-

cluding sales, after-sales, marketing, client

services and parts.”

Southern Africa is a promising growth re-

gion for all of Daimler’s commercial ve-

hicles. In line with the global outlook, the

region is facing a tough economic cycle but

is still expected to grow at a rate of 3.75 %

in 2016. Improved external prospects and

domestic policy improvements will support

gradually stronger growth rates from 2017,

with the regional average back up to more

than 4.5% annually during 2018-2020.

Moreover, southern Africa possesses large

reserves of untapped natural commodities

such as copper, oil and gas. In 2015, Daim-

ler sold approximately 5,500 trucks and

buses in the region.

DAIMLER OPENS NEW CV REGIONAL CENTRE

in Southern Africa

The Regional Centre Southern Africa is

the third of six Regional Centres being

opened for Daimler’s commercial vehicles

business around the world. Two days ago,

the Regional Centre for East, Central, and

West Africa started its operations based in

Nairobi, Kenya. The first Regional Centre

was opened in October 2015 in Dubai as

Daimler Commercial Vehicles Middle East

North Africa (DCV MENA). Similar bases will

follow for South Asia, Southeast Asia and

Latin America within the next few months.

In the past, Daimler had managed these

regions primarily from its group headquar-

ters in Stuttgart. Further decentralisation

will keep the business even more in tune

with the market. The many years of product

and service-related expertise pay off in this

respect just as much as the broad portfolio

of products offered by the group’s various

commercial vehicles brands.

❂

KOBUS van ZYL, Executive Director: Daimler

Trucks & Buses Southern Africa

Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the

Board of Management of Daimler AG

responsible for Daimler Trucks & Buses.