Capital Equipment News April 2015

COVER STORY

UD TRUCKS GOES THE EXTRA MILE with the Quester range

U D Trucks Southern Africa has launched its new Quester extra heavy truck range that includes 13 derivatives in its line-up. “The Quester range is the first in a new gen- eration of UD Trucks specifically developed for growth markets across the world, includ- ing the very unique African market,” said Rory Schulz, managing director of UD Trucks Southern Africa. “It combines UD Trucks’ Japanese quality heritage, with global re- sources and the insight and expertise of our local experts.” The main aim of the range is to make the fleet owners’ day simpler and more produc- tive. Quester is UD Trucks’ most cost-ef- ficient truck yet, not only when you buy it, but also when you drive it. It cuts fuel costs and maximises uptime, giving operators a dependable payback that will help them suc- ceed in their business. “We believe that Quester is a range that ex- cels in durability. Robust and easy to main- tain, it is essentially a business tool that can

handle tough daily use, especially off-road. It stands for quality and durability,” explained Schulz. “And all of this is backed up by a wide range of configurations with easy body mounting that offers our customers a tai- lored and purpose-built-solution for all types of applications. The development of the Quester range start- ed back in 2007, where the UD Trucks project team traveled to customers in eight develop- ing markets to get feedback and experience each site’s unique operational environment. Being part of one of the largest commer- cial vehicle manufacturers in the world, UD Trucks was able to utilise the company’s global resources, as well as design, technical and manufacturing expertise from across the globe in order to develop the Quester range to exacting standards. Quester is on the forefront of UD Trucks’ global aspirations of being a modern smart truck supplier, which excels on the essen- tials while retaining its inherent Japanese heritage.

“More than 400 full-time experts from dif- ferent nationalities have contributed to the design, development and production of the Quester range and all its offerings,” said Schulz. “We have spent 1.5 million engi- neering hours and 65 000 test hours to en- sure that Quester delivers on its promises in actual operating conditions.” UD Trucks Southern Africa’s engineering division undertook numerous hours of local testing to ensure that Quester is Africa-tough and performs according to regional fleet owners’ business requirements. Quester is obviously built to last and de- signed to save time. Everything in and around the Quester is developed to create strong, efficient and robust solutions for day- to-day operations. Some of these quality el- ements include three-piece steel bumpers, in-vehicle diagnostics, easy maintenance, as well as UD Genuine Service and Genuine Parts. The Quester range launched in south- ern Africa includes 13 model derivatives, in- cluding freight carriers, truck tractors, rigids and specific construction applications such

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