Truck&Fleet ME January 2020 by CPI Trade Media

VEHICLES/ TECH / TRANSPORTATION/LOGISTICS

O72/JANUARY 2O2O

MIDDLE EAST

LI CENSED BY D U BAI D EVELO PM ENT AU TH O RIT Y

N I T S E B Y R E THE V

T R O P S N TR A tes i n u y r t s u d s in c i t s i g o l d n na o i t a t r o p s n a nce e r The tr e f n o C t e e & Fl k c u r T e h t for

V U S K E E L A S GE OF DISTINCTION

D A BL ACK BA CULLINAN W E N E H T FO R

CONTENTS

CONTENTS FEATURE

14 / THE INDUSTRY COMES TOGETHER The industry unites for the Truck & Fleet Conference in Dubai.

ALSO THIS ISSUE … NETWORK

06 / NEWS FROM THE MONTH Major deals for Renault and UD as Amazon advances logistics.

LAUNCHES

12 / LUXURY ROLLER Black Badge Cullinan comes to the Middle East as MG debuts new ZS EV. FEATURE

18 / ‘WE ARE HERE TO HELP’ Truck & Fleet Conference OEM panel on how they can help fleets in the region. EXPERTS

22 / FLEET EFFICIENCY FAMCO’s Christo Smit on how fleets can make the most of their distributor. INTERVIEW

24 / DRIVER HEALTH Bridgestone talks to T&FME about why it is giving free health checks to drivers. INTERVIEW

28 / INSIDE THE BOX EMC’s Bilal Al Rabi on putting vans into the hospitality sector. FEATURE

36 / ELECTRIC RACERS The pilots of ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered, talk to T&FME on taking on the traditional powers in rallying.

JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 01

WELCOME

GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR RAZ ISLAM raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5483 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR VIJAYA CHERIAN vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5472 EDITORIAL EDITOR STEPHEN WHITE stephen.white@cpitrademedia.com +44 7541 244 377

A TIME FOR ENGAGEMENT First of all, a big thank you to everyone who joined myself and the rest of the T&FME team at the Ghaya Grand Hotel for our first-ever Truck & Fleet Conference last month. Obviously, we could not have managed to hold the event without sponsors like Chevron, Volvo, FAMCO and OSRAM – and they were all instrumental in helping it to happen. A big thank you to them! As anyone at the event will know, we also had a showcase featuring two International Trucks of the Year, plus the excellent Volvo FH 460, Scania NTG (courtesy of Momentum Logistics) and Renault C trucks. How often do you get to see so many world-class trucks within a few metres of each other? I would also like to pass on a massive thank you to the speakers that joined me on stage and those like Fabian Bahlmann (Schmitz-Cargobull) and Johannes Faatz (MB Trucks) who helped recruit some excellent contributors onto our panels. The run up to a get-together like that can be quite nerve wracking as you are never too sure whether it will go smoothly and you spend the final hours worrying if you have everything covered. In the end, it was a fantastic event and surpassed my own expectations and hopes that we would get a day digging deep into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry as we enter a new decade. We kicked off the event with a one-to-one chat with Samer Choucair of CE:Creates and sustainable start-up transporter ION. It was wonderful to see his enthusiasm for the industry continues unabated now that the company is officially off the ground. But that was just the start. The proceeding OEM panel picked apart the technological disruption that we are facing and they all predicted that autonomy will be a reality and possibly faster than we may think. Throughout the day, we had valuable insights into new technology but Ger Regan’s financial presentation at the end ensured we finished with an upbeat look at how regulation changes should make new truck purchasing easier in the UAE –and potentially across the region. The undoubted highlight for me however was the transporter roundtable where the panel explored ways to turn our backs on the race to the bottom and instead make bold decisions to take their fleets forward in the years ahead. This was inspiring stuff and I can’t wait to see you at the next conference.

SUB EDITOR AELRED DOYLE aelred.doyle@cpitrademedia.com ADVERTISING SENIOR SALES MANAGER BIPIN SONEJI bipin.soneji@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 433 2856 DESIGN ART DIRECTOR SIMON COBON simon.cobon@cpitrademedia.com DESIGNER PERCIVAL MANALAYSAY percival.manalaysay@cpitrademedia.com PHOTOGRAPHY MAKSYM PORIECHKIN maksym.poriechkin@cpitrademedia.com MARKETING MARKETING ASSISTAN AYSHA SULTAN aysha.sultan@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5498 CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION PRODUCTION MANAGER VIPIN V. VIJAY vipin.vijay@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5713 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER PHINSON MATHEW GEORGE phinson.george@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5476 WEB DEVELOPMENT SADIQ SIDDIQUI ABDUL BAEIS FINANCE ACCOUNTS NAHEED HOOD naheed.hood@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5474 CREDIT CONTROL EXECUTIVE CAMERON CARDOZO cameron.cardozo@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5499 FOUNDER DOMINIC DE SOUSA (1959-2015)

The publisher of this magazine has made every effort to ensure the content is accurate on the date of publication. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content are published in good faith. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publisher in writing. Publication licensed by Dubai Development Authority

STEPHEN WHITE EDITOR, TRUCK&FLEET ME STEPHEN.WHITE@CPITRADEMEDIA.COM 02 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

safe drivers for safer traffic Highways, crowded streets and narrowcorners. The office of a driver differs a lot from the regular workplace. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demanding and dangerous. And it calls for safety measures beyond the ordinary. At Scania we are taking the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seat to create the safest possible vehicle, always using the experience from our driver to ensure the saftey of others. For more information about our new generation trucks and services, please visit scania.com/ae

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READERS’ COMMENTS

FEATURED

CONSULTANT

SHATHA SAIF AL SUWAIDI

Revealed: Middle East Consultant 2019 award winners

ANNOUNCED AS NEW MD OF NAKHEEL’S INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT CONSTRUCTION UNIT

What a fantastic story to be one of the last headlines of 2020 (Shatha Saif Al

Suwaidi announced as new MD of Nakheel’s CONSTRUCTION

infrastructure project

Abu Dhabi Ports embarks on $1.08bn expansion of Khalifa Port

construction unit). There has been a lot of debate in the industry, and subsequently on the

Video: The Truck & Fleet Conference 2019

pages of magazines like Middle East Consultant, about a need to promote women into the top jobs of the industry, and

CONSTRUCTION

here we have someone

Bahrain signs $691mn contract with China’s CMEC

earning their right to work on major projects like Deira Islands on merit. This is a woman and Emirati national that has already proven herself on the Palm

MACHINERY

Jumeirah and Jumeirah

Al-Bahar introduces Caterpillar’s game changers

Village developments. I’m sure she will continue to add value to master communities across Dubai and demonstrate that, we as an industry, can put aside outdated preconceptions as we

CONSTRUCTION

Atkins appoints Cris Dedigama as CEO for the Middle East and Africa 04 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

Event: ASGC, ALEC and Ithra Dubai win big at the Big Project ME Awards 2019

enter a new decade. Name withheld by request

Bringing the latest

construction news from across the GCC

NETWORK

AMAZON ON WHITE FRIDAY TECH / ALFALAH WINS TRSDC CONTRACT RENAULT TRUCKS RECORD AWD DEAL / UD SECURES ZAHID TRACTOR BACKING IN KSA

NETWORK

Advanced logistics tech powers Amazon White Friday debut INCREASED FULFILLMENT CAPACITY ACROSS SELLING PARTNERS TO SCALE UP THEIR BUSINESSES LOGISTICS Retail giant Amazon says advanced logistics and investment into its local delivery partners helped power its debut in this year’s White Friday sale event in the UAE. White Friday is the UAE’s leading online shopping event that started in 2014 and is now in its sixth year. The Amazon. ae business, which the US giant has built on top of its predecessor Souq.com, entered the important selling event tempting buyers with fast, free and convenient delivery options. The sixth edition of the White Friday Sale took place between 23rd-29th November and offered thousands of deals on a huge variety of products. Prime members were able to enjoy early 12 hours of exclusive early access starting at noon on Friday, 22nd November. “At Amazon, we spend every day obsessing how we can

make customers’ lives better, easier and ultimately, more fun,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, VP, Amazon MENA. “White Friday is a great testament to how we bring customer obsession to life in the region.” Amazon in the UAE fulfills customer orders from DXB3, the biggest fulfillment center in the UAE. Spread over a 23,000 square meter facility located in Dubai South, DXB3 was announced in 2018 and employs more than 800 staff to ensure that the growing demand during the end-of-year season was met. Amazon has moved towards delivery of packages through Amazon own last mile team or through local courier companies called Delivery Partners that help increase flexibility and ship things faster to ultimately benefit the customer. This in turn creates multiple employment and growth opportunities for local couriers in the UAE.

“Fulfillment by Amazon enables selling partners to have their own Amazon store and ship their products directly to customers, while offering them bespoke services such as Amazon Prime, a paid subscription service, Cash on Delivery, Next-Day Delivery, and Friday delivery (home delivery). Fulfillment by Amazon also provides customer service and manages returns on behalf of the selling partners, who are offered the option to choose the number of products they want to have fulfilled by Amazon and scale according to their business requirements,” explained Amazon. Prashant Saran, director of operations for Amazon MENA, said: “The increased fulfillment capacity benefits our selling partners - thousands of small and medium businesses – to scale up their business on our website.”

OWNER/DRIVERS MAKE UP THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE MARKET. FIND OUT MORE ON THEIR IMPACT IN OUR TF CONFERENCE COVERAGE ON PAGE 14

06 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

NETWORK

COMMERCIAL FLEETS TO MISS-OUT ON FREE DEWA EV CHARGING

ALFALAH READY MIX WINS TRSDC CONTRACT TRANSPORTERS

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind the ambitious The Red Sea Development tourism project in Saudi Arabia, has announced the awarding of a contract to AlFalah Ready Mix for the supply of structural low carbon concrete, manufactured by utilising recycled raw materials to meet existing and upcoming project demand, while still adhering to environmental sustainability goals. In a statement, TRSDC said that AlFalah Ready Mix was chosen because of its adoption of rigorous sustainability criteria for designing, producing, transporting and placing concrete. Their expertise in this field will be integral in helping TRSDC meeting the challenging requirements for producing concrete with the lowest possible carbon footprint for a project of this scale. “TRSDC is leading the way in the use of green concrete for destination-scale development. This material, which has been developed with a low carbon footprint and manufactured utilizing recycled raw materials, will be key to achieving our ambitious sustainability targets,” said John Pagano, CEO, The Red Sea Development Company. “This is an exciting partnership for TRSDC, and we hope to see this standard of sustainable development become more widespread throughout the Kingdom.” “We take great pride in being associated with The Red Sea Project, not only because of the size and scale of the development work but also because of TRSDC’s strict sustainability and environment preservation targets,” said Zayed AlFalah, Chairman of Al Falah Ready Mix. “We look forward to leveraging our experience and expertise, built over the past 20 years. We will be producing structural grade concrete that is designed to withstand up to 100 years of weather conditions in the region.” Approximately 700,000 m3 of concrete will be required for the initial construction work at the destination, which includes accommodation for 10,000 workers, a management hotel, residential buildings, utilities and infrastructure.

FLEET Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has announced that it is extending its current free charging incentive for electric vehicles till the end of 2021. However, the extension only applies to non-commercial users, who register for the EV Green Charger Initiative. This incentive is exclusive to Dewa’s public charging stations and does not include home charging stations. Commercial registered users such as government, semi-government, and private organisations will be charged the tariff of 29 fils per kilowatt hour, effective from the 1st of January 2020. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa, said: “Dewa seeks to increase the number of hybrid and electric vehicles in Dubai, which supports the Dubai Green Mobility Strategy 2030 and the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021 to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.” “Dewa encourages individuals and the community to use sustainable transportation. Since Dewa launched the EV Green Charger Initiative in

2015 and its associated free charging incentive, there has been a significant increase in the number of electric and hybrid vehicles in Dubai.” “Due to the positive response, we decided to extend the free charging incentive for the owners of noncommercial electric vehicles until the 31st of December 2021. The huge turnout from the community encourages us to launch further initiatives to secure a more sustainable future for generations to come,” Al Tayer added. Additionally, Dewa is working on implementing the Dubai Green Mobility Initiative to promote the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy launched this initiative as per a directive in 2016 to motivate organisations that are under its umbrella. Dewa hopes to increase the number of hybrid and electric vehicles, and to contribute to the sustainable development of the emirate by reducing carbon emissions in ground transport, which is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter in Dubai.

JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 07

NETWORK

RENAULT SECURES LARGEST EVER AWD DEAL IN UAE

MANUFACTURERS

West Coast Group has confirmed that it has purchased 24 all-wheel drive (AWD) trucks from Renault Trucks. The deal sees one of the UAE’s leading suppliers of waste and facilities management services pick up 22

units of the D14 RK270 4x4 model and two Kerax 440 P6x6 trucks. Renault Trucks said the deal is it largest ever single sale of AWD trucks in the UAE. According to the French giant, West Group opted for its trucks

for their reliability and multitude of safety features, “such as ABS and EBS, as well as technologies that meet the UAE-based waste management company’s operational requirements.” The usable chassis length is one of the longest available on the market at over six meters, and the trucks’ turning circle provides optimum maneuverability in narrow spaces, claimed the truck-maker: “Compared to competitor brands, Renault Trucks offers class-leading engine performance with higher torque at lower RPM which results in frugal fuel consumption and a longer engine life.”

ABU DHABI PORTS EMBARKS ON $1 BILLION EXPANSION OF KHALIFA PORT LOGISTICS Abu Dhabi Ports has announced expansion projects to boost handling capacity at Khalifa Port. The $1.08bn expansion follows seven record years of operational growth at the port, senior officials said. As per a statement, the project’s scope of work includes development of South Quay and Khalifa Port Logistics at an investment of $598m, along with a $435m expansion works at Abu Dhabi Terminals. The South Quay development

is expected to be complete by Q1, 2021 and will feature a three km quay-wall with 18.5m along-side draft for general cargo, roll-on-roll-off and bulk usage. It will also include eight berths and a 1.3m sqm terminal yard. Designed for multi-purpose use, the Khalifa Logistics expansion will boast a 3.1km quay wall with an eight metre draft, as well as 15 berths and land plots, which can be tailored to individual customers. Abu Dhabi Ports said Phase One

of the South Quay expansion will be completed by Q4 next year, while Phase Two and the Khalifa Logistics expansion will be completed by Q1 2021. The two expansion projects will create more than 2,800 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $871m to the city’s GDP by 2025, the statement said. The expansion at ADT will include an extension of the quay from 1,400m to 2,265m and an addition of 10 new ship-to-shore quay cranes, doubling ADT’s handling capacity from 2.5m to 5m TEUs.

ADSW ECO-BUS TOURS UAE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

An electric bus has toured the UAE to raise awareness about the world’s largest sustainability gathering taking place this month. Masdar, the host of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), worked in partnership with Abu Dhabi Power Corporation and Hafilat Industry LLC, to create the Sustainability Bus and sent it to key locations across all seven emirates to educate local communities about sustainability and climate change. “This campaign is a great opportunity to engage local communities across all the seven emirates of the UAE to raise awareness about ADSW’s commitment to sustainable development,” said Dr Lamya Nawaf Fawwaz, executive director for Brand & Strategic Initiatives at Masdar. “Furthermore, it will highlight the UAE’s pledge to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Masdar’s mission to advance renewable energy and clean technologies around the world over the past 13 years. Through the Sustainability Bus, our aim is to get everyone in the UAE on board our sustainability journey.” When launched at ADSW 2018, the Sustainability Bus was the first fully electric passenger bus in the region and served passengers on a number of routes in Abu Dhabi. The bus has been designed to withstand the heat and humidity of the UAE climate. It has a lightweight aluminium body and a unique water-cooling system to optimise battery life and efficiency, even when the outdoor temperature is at its highest. The vehicle also has a highly energy-efficient on-board air-conditioning system.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: TRANSPORTERS ON A CHALLENGING MARKET, OEMS SAY THEY’RE HERE TO HELP, THE PERKS OF TELEMATICS, AND MUCH MORE

08 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

Hyundai’s Hydrogen Mobility Solution Wins 2020 Truck Innovation Award Hyundai is honored with the second-ever International Truck of the Year (IToY) Truck Innovation Award

Hyundai Motor’s Hydrogen Mobility Solution has won the second-ever International Truck of the Year (IToY) Truck Innovation Award. Hyundai Motor Company and H2 Energy set up its joint venture (JV), Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, in April 2019. The goal of the cooperation is to expand Europe’s hydrogen mobility ecosystem by implementing the use of fuel cell trucks. The joint entity began its active progress toward clean mobility in Switzerland with the company’s plans to deliver 1,600 fuel cell electric heavy-duty trucks by 2025. The JV will spread its reach for an innovative pan-European solution for the commercialized fuel cell vehicle market. 2020 Nominees for Truck Innovation Award

The IToY Truck Innovation Award is determined by a jury of 25 commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists represent major trucking magazines from Europe and South Africa. They gather to evaluate technological innovations and contributions to energy transition within the commercial vehicle industry over the past few years. The jury voted at Solutrans, an industrial and urban vehicle show, held November 18-23, 2019 in Lyon, France. The jury highly acknowledged Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility Solution’s global approach to the paradigm shift toward clean energy-driven mobility. The project’s fleet of Xcient fuel cell electric heavy duty trucks aims to confirm the technical and commercial readiness of vehicles, fueling stations and hydrogen production techniques to be deployed across Europe. Last month, Hyundai revealed its commercial truck mobility vision at the North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) Show in Atlanta, Ga. At the show, Hyundai debuted the HDC-6 NEPTUNE Concept, a hydrogen-powered Class 8 heavy duty truck and Hyundai Translead’s HT Nitro ThermoTech Concept, an energy-efficient refrigerated trailer.

trucknbus.hyundai.com www.facebook.com/hyundaiCV

Partner in Every Way. Hyundai TRUCK & BUS

HMC

FC Truck-based mobility project ·Xcient Fuel Cell HDT ·‘Green H2’ transport eco-system

Nikola

Hydrogen truck range ·800~1,200 miles

Freightliner

eCascadia ·All-electric Class 8 truck

Volvo Truck

Vera ·Self-driving concept truck

Scania

AXL ·Autonomous driving vehicles

Renault Truck

Optifuel Lab 3 ·Improving efficiency of ICE truck

NETWORK

2019 ME INFINTI ACADEMY WINNER NAMED ENGINEERING

UD TRUCKS AND ZAHID AGREE KSA DISTI DEAL MANUFACTURERS

Zahid Tractor, one of Saudi Arabia’s highest profile importers and distributors, has agreed to represent UD Trucks in the Kingdom. The famous Japanese commercial vehicles brand will join fellow Volvo Group-owned marques Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks in the Zahid portfolio. UD Trucks has been increasingly active in the Saudi market, first renewing its line-up by introducing the heavy-duty Quester in 2016 and then adding the new medium-duty Croner in 2017. It has subsequently launched the Quester 40 T in 2018 and revised the range with the ESCOT (Easy Safe Controlled Transmission) automatic transmission and its UD Telematics solution. UD Trucks was previously represented by Rolaco in Saudi Arabia and said the principal objective will be to: “achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction whilst ensuring that customers do not experience any delays during the brand’s transition to the new distributor.” “The customer is central to everything that UD Trucks does - over almost 40 years of operation in KSA, the brand has been focused on delivering the highest possible standards of customer service, with a specific focus on minimizing downtime, ensuring reliability and adhering to UD values,” said UD Trucks in a statement. The two new partners added that they are committed to raising the standards of customer service and support to the highest levels, “reflecting UD’s ambitions for the Kingdom and Zahid Tractor’s long-standing reputation.”

10 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

Engineering student Raoul Al Samarani has won= the career opportunity of a lifetime to work with INFINITI and Renault F1 Team, after being crowned as the Middle East’s winner of the INFINITI Engineering Academy 2019 final. The 22-year-old mechanical engineering student from Lebanon was selected by a panel of judges from INFINITI, Renault F1 Team, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and Harvard University, ahead of nine other finalists and hundreds of applicants from around the Middle East in an action-packed final at the Al Masaood INFINITI

Showroom in Abu Dhabi. To compete, students tackled an intensive program designed to evaluate both technical and soft skills, which included an engineering exam, intensive one-to-one interviews, a decision-making challenge designed

by Harvard University Professor Dr. Julia Minson and build a dragster model vehicle. The final challenge tested communication skills with a Q&A session in the form of a press conference with seasoned international journalists.

AA OPENS LARGEST NRCS IN THE MIDDLE EAST DISTRIBUTORS Arabian Automobiles has opened the largest Nissan Retail Concept showroom in the Middle East. Located on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, the showroom is intended to provide a seamless integration of all touchpoints in the customer journey as well as on innovation and bringing new customer experiences, thereby consolidating the digital transformation that characterizes every aspect of living today, said the company in a statement. Customers visiting the showroom can learn about Nissan cars using a digital car configurator, while the novel Nissan Drive feature will

navigate customers through the brand experience. “With its open floor plan, from the minute customers arrive, they are welcomed into a relaxing and engaging environment where they can engage with staff in a comfortable environment as they familiarise themselves with the products,” explained Arabian Automobiles. “Arabian Automobiles Company has been our partner for over 50 years, and the opening of the Retail Concept showroom marks a major milestone in our longstanding partnership,” said Thierry Sabbagh, managing director, Nissan Middle East.

“This new and innovative retail concept reflects the diversity in customer expectations and aims at improving customer service and ensuring a globally consistent brand experience that complements modern lifestyles. Placing our customers at the center of everything we do, the showroom will ensure a more digital and customized experience for them pre, during, and post a sale.” Michel Ayat, CEO, Arabian Automobiles, added: “The partnership between Arabian Automobiles Company and Nissan is truly historic. Over the past five decades, we have not only delivered the true Nissan experience to our customers but also exceeded their expectations through exceptional service delivery. The new Retail Concept showroom further underlines our focus on enhancing customer service standards by delivering an innovative experience that is focused on their aspirations. With customer service as the focus of everything we do, the new showroom draws on the potential of both technology and superior design aesthetics, ensuring that every visit is memorable for our customers.”

The largest international trade exhibition for the automotive service industry in the wider Middle East

7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 June 2020 www.automechanikaDubai.com

The most comprehensive platform for commercial vehicle parts, equipment, repair and maintenance solutions. To Exhibit, email us at automechanika@uae.messefrankfurt.com To Visit, pre-register at www.automechanikaDubai.com/TC

LAUNCHES

CULLINAN BLACK BADGE SUV ARRIVES AT GLITZY LAUNCHES / AN ELECTRIC DEBUT FOR MG ZS EV IN THE REGION

LAUNCHES POWER BOOST EXTRA 29PS ADDED

Black Badge Cullinan comes to the Middle East FIRST TIME ENTIRE BLACK BADGE MODEL LINE-UP HAS BEEN SHOWCASED IN THE SAME PLACE Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East has become the first outpost of the famous luxury brand to showcase the entire Black Badge family with the entry of Cullinan Black Badge SUV. Rolls-Royce describes the vehicle as “the darkest, most urban expression of a Black Badge motor car yet” and was the guest star in a series of launch events hosted by CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Torsten Müller-Ötvös. “It’s incredible bringing together the entire Black Badge

family in one place, and we’re delighted to be the first region to organise fabulous events,” said César Habib, regional director – Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East and Africa. Cullinan in its silver badge guise was launched to global acclaim in 2018 and fuses luxury with genuine practicality and off-road capability. Buyes have 44,000 ‘ready to wear’ paint options or can commission an entirely individual Bespoke finish although it is

12 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

anticipated that many will opt for Black Badge’s signature Black (multiple layers of paint and lacquer are meticulously applied and hand-polished 10 times at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex). The Cullinan also features RollsRoyce’s proprietary all-aluminium architecture that debuted with Phantom. The sub-structure not only delivers extraordinary body stiffness but its flexibility and scalability allowed Cullinan to be fitted with all-wheel drive

and four-wheel steering in its silver badged guise, says the company: “These features have been comprehensively exploited and re-engineered for Black Badge while retaining the quality of ride that has driven Rolls-Royce’s success.” The car features a 6.75l twinturbocharged V12 through an entirely new exhaust system. The flexibility of the twin-turbo V12 has been exploited to generate an extra 29PS creating a total output of 600PS.

LAUNCHES

MG ZS EV REVEALED

MG MOTOR LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EV IN THE REGION

UNDER THE STEERING The driver presses the ‘Low’ button situated on the gear selection stalk to unlock Black Badge Cullinan’s full suite of technologies.

UPGRADE ON THE SILVER The all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering have been comprehensively re-engineered for Black Badge while retaining the quality of ride.

The drive-train, ZF 8-speed gear box and both front and rear steered axles work collaboratively to adjust the levels of engagement depending on throttle and steering inputs. Changes to suspension components and settings add to the suite of technologies that ensure an appropriate balance between dynamism and refinement.

“The result is an extremely well-mannered tourer at low speeds and a vivid driver’s device when pressed. To bolster confidence when exploiting Cullinan’s alter ego, the braking bite point has been raised and pedal travel decreased. Redesigned brake disc ventilation also allows consistency in these changes while braking at elevated temperatures.”

MG Motor launched its first-ever 100% electric vehicle for the Middle East market – the brand-new MG ZS EV – at the 2019 International Conference for Future Mobility. The compact SUV is based on the popular Middle East seller, the MG ZS, and is the first all-electric car from the popular British brand. The new MG ZS EV is equipped with a single electric motor that drives the front wheels and delivers 148bhp and 350Nm of torque – accelerating the compact SUV from 0-100 km/h in just 8.2 seconds. The new EV can travel on a single battery charge of NEDC for 335 KM and is equipped with fast charging which allows up to 80 per cent of the battery to be re-charged in just 40 minutes. Tom Lee, Managing Director for MG Motor Middle East, said: “MG Motor Middle East is benefitting hugely from the brand’s global commitment to remain at the forefront of new energy development. Now, as the region’s major cities focus on becoming the smartest and most sustainable in the world, we can contribute to that vision of the future with our first-ever 100% electric vehicle. “The MG ZS EV is based on our compact SUV model which has proved to be very popular in the region; especially in KSA where it was our second best-seller last year. After extensive hot weather

testing, and a robust development program I am very pleased to say we have an appealing, stylish and innovative electric vehicle for the region.” MG Motor has been expanding across the Middle East and now has a network of dedicated retail partners across the Gulf region, boasting 22 modern showrooms and 23 service centres. Based on the popular 1.5L petrol version of the MG ZS SUV, the compact SUV has proved to be the perfect option for buyers looking for a stylish, well-equipped, reliable car with an affordable price tag. As part of MG’s ambitious plans to become market leaders in New Energy Vehicles, the brand continues to undergo a rigorous development program to ensure its innovative vehicles are reliable and equipped to take on the sometimes extreme weather conditions in the region. This summer the MG ZS EV was tested in the UAE during the hottest months of the year and concluded the program successfully, demonstrating that the company is ready to deliver electric vehicles in the Middle East. SPECIFICATIONS Engine

Single electric motor

Power

148hp

Torque

350Nm

Transmission 8.2 seconds

SPECIFICATIONS Engine

6.75l twin-turbocharged V12

Power

600PS

Torque

900Nm

Transmission

ZF 8spd

Fuel Consumption

16.6-16.3 l/100km

40 MINUTES 80% CHARGED

JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 13

TRUCK&FLEET CONFERENCE

BEST FLEET FORWARDS

The Fleet Transporter panel at the T&F conference explores how owner/operators are affecting the market

here is always room at the top: it was a phrase that was repeated throughout the Truck & Fleet Conference in December. It was the Fleet Transporters panel, however, where the message that: if operators strive for excellence, then than they can avoid the trap of being dragged into a race to the bottom – and be optimistic for a better future. Gathered together was a panel of companies that represent the best of local expertise, enlightened thinkers, experience and, most importantly, they all eloquently passed on their ideas for how fleets should be preparing for 2020 and beyond. Momentum Logistics transportation manager Martin Roberts opened the 14 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

discussion revealing how the company has grown from being a support service for owner Gulftainer to become a fully fledged operator that is now active in a number of markets in the GCC and beyond. He explained why the company has made the strategic decision to invest in 76 Scania New Generation Trucks as it grows. He said the move is a response to scaling maintenance costs for its ageing fleet. “You can put it down in a business case and go to the directors and you say, OK, this is what we’re paying now; this is the maintenance cost, this is the cost per kilometre,” he began. “And then we can say, right, we can buy a brand new truck, we can have a guaranteed buy-back, we can have it fully maintained by the manufacturer or by the dealer. This is

They’re offering ridiculous prices to maintain truck or trailer”

what it’s going to cost us per kilometre and it’s actually cheaper. It really is the way to go.” He added that the company is realsing that it needs to go beyond the shortterm when it comes to fleet renewal. “The guaranteed buyback from our dealer doesn’t mean we’ve got to sell back to the dealer but we know that we’ve got a figure there to work on for our calculations. He added: “What happens with enforcement of legislation and how things change could actually drive demand in the second hand truck market within the UAE which means we can actually realise better value from the used trucks after five years. They’re going to be relatively low mileage vehicles that have been fully maintained by the dealer for their lifetime.

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So they should be a good buy for people looking through the second hand market.” The major threat to fleet operators are the small owner/drivers that hover on the fringes of the established market and described by the panel as typically taking more risks with the care of their vehicles and more likely to take on jobs that may not have the capability to deliver. The panel said that while they can sympathise with the owner/drivers’ sometimes desperate hand-to-mouth existence, the consequence is a fall in contract prices that is squeezing every fleet in the market. “People are living in a truck; they’ve got no way to maintain it correctly; they’re buying stolen fuel. Their costs are very, very low. They’re passing this on to the customer. A customer may not care. He wants a cheap, rate and we can’t compete with that,” said Roberts. “The owner/drivers are killing the market.” Dubai-based SLK Logistics operates a fleet of over 100 trucks and trailers, including containers, curtain side loaders, flat and low beds. The company has built a reputation in the GCC based on treating client shipments with extreme care. Managing director David Walters said that he echoes the concerns raised on the owner/operators effect on the market. Like others on the panel, he said that his company has chosen to focus on clients that will value the service his company provides. “I play in the same space that Martin does. We are running a compliant logistics company that focuses on providing a superior customer service level and a consistent, repeatable manner versus the owner operator,” he commented. “These guys play so many different games, so we tend to gravitate towards clients that value our service and recognise that they’re not going to be able to acquire said service at the base price. You know, the good news is there is a significant space out there; some of the larger freight forwarders out there – 70% of our transportation tends to be event logistics or high value time-sensitive cargo. We do a lot of media embargo moves for vehicles and such. For us it is about sustainability and providing that consistent level of experience and compliance. And there’s a cost to that.” Walker reserved praise for Dubai’s RTA and its work in ensuring that whatever the size of the transporter they are compliant with vehicle rules and attempts to ensure that the trucks on the road are safe. The challenge for legislators, law enforcement and compliant fleets is the scale of those that may be less willing to follow the rules that are in place. “It’s a well-known secret that there’s 50 drivers that share one pair of tyres that are then rotated for registration. We welcome

A QUESTION OF EXCELLENCE If operators strive for excellence, then than they can be optimistic for a better future.

To lose a good customer is very easy but bring him back again is very difficult”

some of the compliance (steps) that the RTA and the government has taken and we see more police stops open,” he noted, adding that the owner/drivers could make up more than half of the market. “I liken this market to the United States where I’m from. In the US, 85% of class four trucks and above are from ‘mom and pops’ who own and operate less than five trucks. Here, if I would have to guess, it would be 80%. This is not agriculture or mining: this is over the road land transportation.” Walker expanded on how these companies muddy the water of the broker network that fleets must swim in. “We have leverage that we can pull because we can at least control the customer experience. But if you need some of these screens,” he points to the two large screen bookending the stage, “moved around and you call a broker; he’s going to call another broker and he’s going to call another broker;

and so all of a sudden you have ten different trucks from ten different guys who have never talked to each other. And this is a problem.” The subcontracting of work through brokers and then within the owner/ driver network is not only a challenge for transportation firms but also for clients who can soon find themselves entrusting their valuable cargo with transporters they have no direct contact with nor the ability to judge whether they can be trusted. “If you’re going to these owner/drivers in the market, one guy will WhatsApp 50 guys and they will WhatsApp another 50 guys and then you don’t know what you’re getting. You don’t know what insurance coverage there is. And it’s all great until something goes wrong,” said Roberts. An agreeing Sohraab Hasnain, senior manager – operations, Orient Motors emphasised that many clients in the market are currently jeopardising themselves if they opt for the lowest priced hauler. He says that they could be unknowingly opting for a transporter whose vehicle is not fit for purpose. “Many transporters don’t even service their trucks properly, because the current excuse is the market is down so they don’t want to spend money,” he said. Orient Motors as a group is involved in a number of different sectors including transportation and tourism and its Bus, Truck and Trailer division runs a large workshop in Sharjah. It also owns a parts sales and distribution division. Hasnain warned that road safety in the industry is being affected by the use of fake parts. “We are based in Sajaa Industrial Freezone (in Sharjah) and a lot of new workshops have mushroomed around us here. They’re offering ridiculous prices to maintain truck or trailer.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD DRIVERS Shivananda Baikady, general manager – RT & W, Tristar, said it focusses on drivers to ensure that it is reaching the highest levels of service for clients.

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The customer just wants to compare the price at this moment even if you try to explain the kind of things that we putting into the truck or the kind of a service we are providing. Fortunately for us we have a robust CRM department in place so whatever key accounts we have, we make sure that we are in constant touch with them and keep them updated on the things we are doing at our service centre.” Orient Motors has partnered with major players Schmitz Cargobull and WABCO to ensure its technicians receive up to date training as it continues a relentless strategy of aiming for the optimum possible quality and service for its clients: “With all of these things, you have to constantly be doing.” Likewise, Shivananda Baikady, general manager – RT & W, Tristar, said that his company targets its drivers to ensure that it is reaching the highest levels of service for its clients: “When you have to train a driver it takes a lot of time and effort. The driver plays a major role in your transportation system and keeping TCO are as minimal as possible. I think I would say it is about 60% of the cost whether that is through maintenance costs or downtime costs some portion is related to driver training and skills.” With drivers expected to take over a month (35 days, said Baikady) to be fully trained for the road, Tristar places a large emphasis on the use of simulators to minimise costly and dangerous accidents. “We can simulate various traffic hazards and we can simulate our previous incidents and ask him to drive so that he knows what actions he needs to take on that point in time,” he explained. “We know 1.3 million people are being killed on the road annually around the globe, and today accidents are a major cost for the transporter.”

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT The Fleet Transporters panel was an opportunity to explore how firms can work together to raise standards.

The driver plays a major role in your transportation system and keeping TCO are as minimal”

The discussion on technology leads to a broader debate on the driver-aids features and services being offer by OEMS in the market. Most of these are being ignored by transporters currently the panel agreed as firms continue, as Roberts noted, to focus on the basics. “We don’t buy a manual truck and we don’t want lots of switches and on the dash,” said Roberts. “The drivers don’t know how to use them. So, we go simple. Give them an automatic vehicle that lets them watch what they are doing and concentrate on that. We monitor what they’re doing. Accidents, when they do happen, we ensure they are investigated correctly and engage the drivers.” Roberts added that engagement means asking the drivers what they could have done differently and targeting weaknesses with training: “In 2014, our average kilometres travelled per accident was around 48,000km per accident. This year, year to date, we’re up

TACKLING THE BROKER NETWORK SLK Logistics’ David Walker told delegates that the broker network is a challenging environment that lacks transparency for clients.

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to nearly 200000km per accident. Now, the monetary value of that is that back then our insurance premiums were at 4.85 percent of the truck value. I’m now paying 2.5 percent. And bearing in mind that I’ve got 76 brand new Scanias in the fleet, that 26 percent saving is absolutely astronomical, you know. And that’s the real value of training your staff.” Like Orient Motors, Momentum Logistics is also drawing on the additional training help offered by its suppliers. “We’ve had our tyre supplier come in and do presentations to our drivers about the tyres; what they should be looking out for on the pre-use checks. What’s acceptable? What’s not acceptable?” In the face of the challenges in the market, the panel talked about the importance of client relationships in a challenging environment. More than ever, fleets need to work hard to keep clients on their books. David Walker suggested that his company is even prepared to turn down some work it may deem as risky with the belief that clients will return in the long term. “There’s always room at the top for top service providers. And so that’s kind of the space that we are playing in. There is a balance that we try to attain related to the cost to keeping a customer and there’s a cost to losing a customer,” he said. “And we have a conversation nearly almost every day on how to handle that balance. And very often we make the strategic decision to let a customer walk because we know one day and it won’t be tomorrow or the next – that they will eventually come back to us. Once they go off the reservation and have a terrible experience of regulation they’ll come back.” “The retention of your customers very, very important because you to lose

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a good customer is very easy but bring him back again is very difficult,” added Baikady. “That’s why we have our CRM system. Plus, the other thing, we have introduced about a year back in our service facility, is that we take care of the drivers, whoever is bringing in the vehicle.” He further explained: “We have a service marketing executive that speaks to the drivers, make sure they’re comfortable to gain some kind of a confidence and trust. At the end of the day, the decision makers are being influence by the drivers. You have to have a parallel relationship with the drivers.” Looking forwards, the panel discussed ways to raise standards across the industry. “It’s a difficult question to answer. We on the transporter side, feel that legislation has a major role to play for example the way that tyre condition is being fined,” said Tristar’s Baikady, adding that the industry should also focus on improving the state of vehicles run by owner/drivers, “as they’re total cost of operations is currently much lower than ours.” “What I’d like to see is similar to in the U.K., where you get an operator’s licence by proving that you’ve got sufficient funds to maintain a vehicle, et cetera,” said Roberts. “If that was brought in here, so people know that they’ve got the

DOING THE RIGHT THINGS Momentum Logistics’ Martin Roberts opened the debate talking about how the firm has been successful by ‘doing the right thing’.

money to maintain vehicles correctly, that would be a step in the right direction.” Ultimately the industry will need help from law-makers and rigorous enforcement but also needs to self-regulate and continue to educated clients on the risks of going to the transporter – inevitably an owner/ driver – offering the lowest price. “The group up here, we play the long game. I can have a bad quarter or a bad year, but a lot of the decisions that these

We tend to gravitate towards clients that value our service”

independent owner operators exercise is based on the fact that they maybe have a two to four week financial life-span,” said SLK Logistics’ Walker. “They’ve got to pay their fee to the broker that allows them to register a truck and potentially they’re paying for a loan. “This is their decision matrix. How would you make this decision if you had two weeks to get this money back home or two weeks to this guy? I think until that common denominator is changed in some capacity and maybe there’s a shaking out of some of the suppliers in this marketplace that don’t belong here – until that core issue is addressed – I just don’t see anything changing.” Roberts echoed his peers thoughts when it comes to finding a balance between safety and prices in the market. “We are investing now for the future. We’re doing the right thing, we’re doing the trainings, we’re doing the right maintenance, we’re buying the right vehicles,” he said looking at the others on the panel, “but we can’r change the rest of the market. We can self-regulate within our own companies and fortunately there’s plenty of other companies out there that are doing the right thing. But it is this large portion of the individual truck owners that are causing the problem.”

ROOM AT THE TOP Rather than join a race to the bottom being fought by owner/drivers, the panel argued that fleets should concentrate on best practice and aim for the top.

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WE ARE HELP TO HELP

OEMS offer fleets their help to face the trends and changes hitting their industry

he T&F Conference OEM panel was an opportunity for truck-makers to look at the trends in shaping the market but also discuss ways they can help transporters based here to be more profitable as we head into a new decade. Fredrik Samuelson, managing director, Volvo Group Middle East, summed up the major forces at play globally that are disrupting this industry: “The first one, connectivity. The second one we have is electric mobility, the last one is, of course, automation. “We just passed our millionth vehicle or equipment being connected. Electro-mobility: we have had electric drivelines on public roads in Europe since 2015 and we see automation also being developed,” began Samuelson. 18 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

Dwelling on the third of those major trends, he added that Volvo has made major strides in autonomy with VERA, the famously cab-less vehicle and other projects like the deployment of self-driving FMX trucks in Sweden. The next step, he said, is a need for regulation to keep pace with the stunning advances his company and others, such as Scania with the AXL, are making with the technology. “What is hampering us is actually public acceptance and the legal framework to put these vehicles on the road,” he remarked. “We do it with our customers together in partnership and mainly in private spaces where we don’t have these regulatory complicating factors. We already have automated trucks in mines, in agriculture, depots, shuttle services. I mean, you mention it, we have it. Basically what is

We are into an era where we are focussing not on the electronics, we are focussing on the software”

holding us back is the legislators. And when they are ready, we will be ready to make this shift. “I’m sure many of the panellists here are ready to go with their customers and implement these things.” Hans Wising, sales director, Scania Middle East, added that he thinks most manufacturers are at a similar stage with the technology. They are ready and are testing, he said. “From the Scania perspective, we have recently launched our AXL vehicle, which is a truck that is focussing on mining operations. I think we also see it more when it comes to buses, public transportation, because can lower risks factors.” Ognjen Jovanovic, body builder product manager, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Daimler Commercial Vehicles MENA, argued that we

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are already seeing autonomy in the market. The systems on-board the International Truck of the Year 2020 Actros outside the conference hall capable of achieving the Level-2 of vehicle autonomy, including its Active Drive Assist which lets the truck brake, accelerate and steer independently to prevent accidents. “I would say that for us, at Daimler, this is one trend that is never going to stop. The Mercedes Benz Actros is a Level-2 autonomous truck and has covered close to 1,000 kilometres here in Dubai, driven autonomously under level 2. This is not the future, this is the reality.” He continued: “We are into an era where we are focussing not on the electronics, we are focussing on the software, on the artificial intelligence, because we want to be on the forefront of technology. We want to lead this transportation segment into the future.” Standing alongside was the Ford Trucks’ F-Max, the Turkish/US juggernaut which has garnered praise and awards since its unveiling last year. Ford Trucks has been lauded for catching up with the top-end of modern truck technology in a relatively short time. Can Tekin, regional sales manager – UAE, Kuwait and Oman, Ford Trucks, said his company is now focussed on the first of the trends listed by Volvo’s Samuelson and is leveraging cloud technology as it continues its development. “We are discussing the Internet of Things, so the connected truck and its connectivity collects a large amount of data. We are using this data for the future of the business,” said Tekin. “We are using this ‘big date’ to predict any future problems in the truck. Connectivity will affect the cost of ownership and also fuel efficiency.” Erik Bergvall, managing director, Scania Middle East said that his company – as embodied by the New Truck Generation donated by Momentum Logistics for the event – is working with its customers to see how the current technology can be customised for individual fleet owners. “We all know the transportation business, is also a very competitive business. Our customers are facing tremendous challenges with tiny margins to operate their business. And of course, we as a supplier, as a manufacturer, are trying our best to help out; to support our customers by developing the right specification for their operation, supporting them throughout the lifetime of the truck with a lot of focus on total operating economy,” he said. “We are asking: How can we support our customers to increase revenues by having the right specification? How can we help our customers reduce costs by having an efficient truck or transport solution? So, that is very much what we are focussing on.”

GOING BEYOND TESTING The panel agreed that autonomous vehicles currently in pilot and testing programmes are inevitable in the Middle East.

What is hampering us in the industry is the public acceptance and the legal framework to put autonomous vehicles on the road”

“The future is around the corner, but a lot of things can be done with the current technology.” Samuelson said that all of the trucks being delivered by Volvo into the market – including the FH 460 presented by FAMCO during the conference – are ready for connected services. “We can learn and do predictive repairs, do adaptable service schedules, optimise our service contracts. All of this is already available on the roads here. But not all customers are ready to take full advantage of that. And coming into us and our partners to have that dialogue, they could get an immediate impact today,” he remarked. In a market where the fleet transporter panel at the conference discussed as many as 80% of the companies on the roads are owner/ operators much of this current technology is being ignored. However, Samuelson, said that the largest fleets in the market are already looking at emerging technology and how it could positively affect their business.

“We have some customers which are bigger logistics corporations, which have people thinking into the future. They are thinking about climate change, for instance, and of course, we are getting questions quite regularly regarding electric mobility.” Despite the advances being made in electric vehicles, Samuelson said there was still some ground to be made up before it is fully, commercially viable. “The energy density of batteries is very much deciding the commercial viability of the electric driveline and consequently the weight versus the energy stored. If you look at one of our battery packs, it’s like half a tonne. You can have 2-6 on a vehicle, when you talk about the amount of tonnes that can be carried and the profitability for the customer that battery density has to come up.” The transportation industry is arguably facing its greatest period of disruption since the invention of the diesel engine and the vehicles that followed. However, the discussion on electromobility and autonomy are distant concerns for transporters in the here and now. Together, the panel opened up on ways that it can support fleets to be more profitable in their operations as they face economic and market challenges. “We are no longer just a manufacturer, we are the solution provider. By that I mean, when I’m going out visiting customer, discussing the truck is small part of the discussion,” explained Bergvall. “We are more and more discussing their operation and how we support them to make their operation more lean. Financial services is one part of that. So are workshop services, fleet management services, connectivity are also part of those discussions.” Ford Trucks’ Tekin remarked that the company has added three new services

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for its customers as evolves into a solution provider partner for our customers. “Whether it is small or big company we need to give them complete solutions. We need to be a partner of our customer. There are three basic things in the market now. The first is finance with retail finance leasing options on the table too. A clarity on the total cost of ownership which we keep improving by getting the data from the vehicles and we will continue to increase. Drivers make a great impact on operational cost. So that’s why we have an assessment programme for them and after that we give training so that those two points are very important for the have defeated customers, but not all of the customer side leader for all those solutions.” One thing standing out during the debate for Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ Jovanovic was that, regardless of how big or small, or which region they are located, everybody is looking for a partner in the industry. “I think that nobody here or anywhere in the world is buying a truck because he wants to buy the truck. He is buying the truck because he has to buy the truck and he has to do business. And this is what drives us at Mercedes Benz,” he commented. “We are constantly focussing on the people relationships. We are trying to be focussing on developing ourselves, our general distributors. We start by listening.” At the core of the industry is a desire to raise standards of drivers, principally through training. “We’re probably proud to say that in the truck industry, we are the original disruptors at Mercedes-Benz going back almost 125 years. The innovation or the disruption didn’t come from Silicon Valley at the time,” remarked Daimler CV MENA’s Jovanovic before noting one of the deceptively simple features of the 2020 Actros as demonstrating ways of

THREE MAJOR TRENDS IN THE MARKET Fredrik Samuelson of Volvo Group Middle East told delegates that the three major trends in the market are: connectivity, electromobility and autonomous vehicles.

Our customers are facing tremendous challenges with tiny margins to operate their business”

helping fleets. “We have one unique feature we actually invented some 50 years ago, is the seat bench in the back, which can sit four people. And this is not a disruptive technology as such, but it can be used for driver training. We invite our drivers to join and offer them coaching on safe driving, efficient driving and the proper use of the vehicle technology.” Scania’s Wising added: “It is easy to talk about all the fancy technology, advances and things. The most important thing for the safety of the vehicle and the surrounding environment is the actual driver. It’s very important to put focus on the driver. That is something we have had at Scania all along. If you give the driver a vehicle that he feels happy with: he feels in control, he builds confidence and he becomes a safe driver. Added to the driver training, of course, is the technology around it. But I think that the core of safety is the driver.” “And with the information becoming available through the connectivity we can

THE CUSTOMER IS AT THE CORE Scania’s Erik Bergvall says that the company is working with its customers to see how the current technology can be customised for individual fleet owners.

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better support the driver development as well,” his colleague Bergvall interjected. “We can be a better coach to drivers; explain to the operators and owners what we can do to make the complete operation, and be more efficient as well.” Volvo’s Samuelson said that the fuel efficiency difference between drivers can easily be in double-digits as demonstrated at its regional Driver Challenges competitions. “We can see a 15% gap. It is a controlled environment, controlled road. The same truck. And that is up to that driver. If we can support him with a good working environment, connectivity and proper training, which we are offering through our partners, we can make that happen. And of course, looking at the future when we have the autonomous vehicles that hints towards the savings that our customers can do when that comes through.” With these figures in mind, Volvo Trucks’ Samuelson – like other OEMs on the panel – believes the training of fleet drivers should be a major benefit for fleets to tap into: “We can develop fantastic products but if we do not support that driver to be efficient in his daily work and our customer for will get the benefits to profitability. “We are all global players but we are all interested in having a sustainable business together with our customers going into the future. We see some very rapid development going forward. And this is being led by the companies because we want to provide these solutions and we want to have sustainable solutions for society and for our customers,” he said. “So, looking at the UAE as one small market in a global context, we are developing these products for our global customers and they will be available for the UAE customers as well.” Samuelson argued there remains some hurdles to overcome for widespread adoption of all the connected solutions on offer – but the door remains firmly opened to fleets that want to use them to improve their bottom line. “There is a question of maturity of the legislative system and there is a question of the business model of customers (the cost breakdown of customers around the globe may vary a bit depending on the salaries of the drivers and the cost of the fuel, but the split remains more or less constant anyway). However, we are ready to support you guys with our services and solutions to just come to us and have that dialogue. And we will be ready to help you. It’s too rapid a development and you can’t do it alone as one customer. You have to cooperate with us and incorporate what is there and being developed already into your business and that will give you major benefits.”

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EFFICIENCY BRIEFING

FAMCO’s technical training manager Christo Smith looks at how distributors can help fleets be more efficient

eeping the truck at work on the road is, of course, for customers where the truck should be. And of course, it should be generating revenue. Today, transport efficiency is basically about achieving the perfect triangle of cost, quality and time. As soon as our costs go smaller, in order to maintain a perfect triangle, the quality and the time will also diminish. In order to get to transport efficiency that we need, we need to supply our customers with the highest possible quality of service. We also need to do it for the lowest price. And we definitely need to do it in the fastest time. And in order to become that competitive, we obviously need more than just the truck. So what is it that that we need to do as distributors and manufacturers to achieve that level? 22 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

If we look at a truck, we definitely know that it will always require servicing. It will always need to be maintained. If we break this down further, one thing that we will definitely need to have is a genuine service of the vehicle where we are making use of genuine parts and we are also making use of genuine lubricants. That will enable you to get the best possible lifetime out of the vehicle. If we look at the pie chart of your costs, you will see that a large portion of the cost is fuel. A lot of the cost we need to spend today is on fuel but a lot of it is also on physically paying the driver. The driver has got a huge influence on the amount of fuel that we that we are making use of. Typically there is a saving of up to 20% between top drivers and it can definitely make a huge difference in the 50% of contribution that fuel makes to your expenditure. We also have more variables as well.

With our trucks we want to have that 20/20 vision, a little bit of futuristic hindsight”

Obviously, we need to pay for the vehicle. We need to pay for repairs. We need to pay for tyres. We need to pay for the vehicle itself. All of those, then, gives us this whole cost of what we need to cover. The most economical way of navigating through all of this is to closely monitor the truck and driver. If we look at a telematics system like Volvo’s Dynafleet, we can see more – or all – of your driver’s behaviour; the truck’s behaviour; or how the truck is being utilised. This information is recorded and can then be analysed. Most of these systems will pretty much have the same type of features and those should be used to their full potential in order to show the real benefit. One thing that you can see will be the braking behaviour of the vehicle. How fast is the driver slowing down with his truck? How fast is he accelerating? How fast is he going around the corners? All of that influences our costs at the

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HANDING OVER PLANNING Now you can hand over the maintenance planning for your entire Volvo fleet to your Volvo Truck dealer like FAMCO.

MAKING COSTS PREDICTABLE Technology tied to service agreements is making the costs of truck ownership predictable.

end of the day which is why it should be constantly monitored. They will end up costing you money: in terms of either repairs afterwards or in terms of fuel consumption – or even in terms of replacing brake pads, brake components or tyres. If you look at your whole group of drivers, it’s always good to look for your top performing driver in order to reward him as well as use him as an example for your other drivers attempting to get the top position. It can also focus the training of the drivers that are not achieving the desired level of driving. And then something else that everybody is also talking about is uptime. But what is uptime? In the transport segment, we know that it is the time that the truck is available whenever we want it to do what it’s supposed to do: earning income; satisfying our customers; ensuring that we are operating in a safe manner. All of that comes down

to uptime. The vehicle should always be available and through a telematics system like Dynafleet you can see the amount of idling time spent by the vehicle. While this is typically what we what we can get out of a telematics system, we can also gain better cost control and use predictive analysis to know what you’re going to be spending. If you look at service agreements, we are now making the costs predictable. The best kind of sight that you can have is hindsight: it’s always 20/20; after you have made a mistake, it’s always easier to see where you went wrong. However, we want you to see upfront what you need to pay and pay according to the agreements. And this is something else that can be closely linked to many of the telematics systems that we’ve got available today. With Dynafleet we can have that futuristic hindsight, to find out what’s

The road is, of course, for customers where the truck should be”

going to break before it actually breaks; before it gives us downtime. In order to get there, most of our systems nowadays are very good at closely monitoring engine performance; spotting engines and transmissions that are overheating. In many cases, we can even look at brake components or the clutch system before they are worn down. We want to know, or customers should be able to know, when this truck is going to break, so that they can stop it before it actually happens. You can almost see this as your sixth sense and almost look into the future. We are moving towards technology where one day we will have autonomous vehicles that can drive themselves. But guess what? They will also still need to be maintained by you and by technicians. Technicians will still need to fix it. If we have a system in place to tell them to go and repair, will obviously make for a fantastic future. JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 23

FEATURE

ALL EYES ON HEALTH T&FME joins Bridgestone and Dubai Police as they try to raise the importance of driver health

ocated in the heart of truck activity in Dubai, the roads outside Ras Al Khor’s Fruits and Vegetables Market are booming with the sounds of thousands of trucks criss-crossing their way through the city. Some of the drivers will fuel themselves for a day’s work with some of the produce sold there, but many more may not as they continue to push themselves and their vehicles to the limit. It is a suitable venue, then, to kick-start a new campaign promoting truck driver health in the UAE. Tyre giant Bridgestone 24 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

and its local partner Al Serkal are working with the Dubai Police to tackle this problem head-on by offering free health screenings to drivers. All three organisations believe that healthier drivers are also safer drivers – and safer drivers mean safer roads. Stefano Sanchini, regional managing director, Bridgestone Middle East & Africa says their Eyes on the Road campaign is the start of GCC-wide attempt to improve the lives of drivers and the communities they serve. It is a vision, he says, that can be traced back to the origins of the company in the Fukoma province of Japan in the 1930s.

These truck drivers have very long hours and don’t spend enough time on their own health”

“We actually started thinking about Eyes on the Road more than a year ago. We were discussing about our founder Shōjirō Ishibashi’s vision for Bridgestone as serving society,” he explains. “We were discussing about what it means to serve a society in the UAE, and in the region. With Bridgestone being the number one tyre brand in the world and the leading brand in this part of the world, we wanted to do something beyond the classical activity. We wanted to really reach our end-user.” The Eyes on the Road campaign sees the setting up of pop-up clinics in a

FEATURE

EYES ON THE ROAD A healthy driver is a safe driver. The campaign is offering free health checks to drivers in the UAE.

variety of truck stops in Dubai, initially, with the company planning on eventually rolling it out across the region (“it is really part of our CSR policy and vision”). At the stops, drivers will be able to get free health checks and learn the importance of being in the best condition possible when they are behind the wheel. “As is always in safety, our two major concerns are what is important for Bridgestone and what is important for society. We believe this means, of course, delivering the best quality product, but also taking care of the human

We can’t pretend that we will fix the situation entirely but we can bring awareness”

being aspect,” says Sanchini. “Safety means not just having safe tyres but also being in the right health condition. “A lot of the time, these truck drivers have very long driving hours and they don’t spend enough time, or give the right focus and attention to their own health condition. We can’t pretend that we will fix the situation entirely but we can bring awareness: We can tell them what their health condition is: if it’s good or maybe whether they should go to have another check in a hospital with a doctor. “The idea is really to bring awareness to the truck drivers about how important their heath condition is for them and for the community.” Sanchini says the campaign truly started to take shape once the Bridgestone team freed itself from focusing purely on its tyres. “Discussing within the team, we thought a lot of how people talk about the truck: we always talk about the tyres, but what about the truck drivers? Are we ever doing something for them? Are we considering how important it is? So, we started brainstorming together and we came up with the concept.” The tyre sector, and the truck industry in general, has worked with local authorities before in the region, but Bridgestone’s desire to reach as far across the GCC as possible is as uniquely ambitious as it is laudable. “This will be a pillar of our CSR strategy in 2020. So this is the first one,” Sanchini tells T&FME. “We will do it in other places in the UAE. We will do it in other places in the GCC. We will do it in other countries in the region. We believe that bringing awareness to the truck driver about their health condition is very important. And it is part of our mission and our vision of serving this society. While Eyes on the Road has a regionwide brief, Bridgestone’s core responsibility when it comes to road safety is ensuring that the end-user is using the right tyre for their operation. The company remains committed to educating the market on the importance of proper tyre care and maintenance once they have been fitted to a truck. “I spend a lot of my time talking with users and people can forget the key role of tyres in safe driving. When you look at the truck; you look at many tonnes of steel and the only things keeping all this weight and the amazing big mechanical machine on the road is the tyres. And it is the same for the cars, especially as we have quite big cars, very heavy SUVs, 4x4s in the UAE,” he remarks. “This is a lot of weight to move around. And tyres are the key safety element to keep

all of them under control on the road.” “A lot of the time when I meet people, they start talking about tyres and say: ‘yeah, I know, for my car, I want cheap tyres’. It’s like going to the pharmacy and asking for a cheap medicine. Trying to save money on your own safety is quite weird. And you can look at tyres like this.” While we talk, Sanchini is full of praise when it comes to the work of Bridgestone’s law enforcement partners (as well as the quality of roads that are being used by fleets and other vehicle users). He feels they share a common desire to give drivers the best chance possible to make it home safely. “We were discussing with the head of police that the condition of the roads here are excellent; it is state of the art and a worldwide benchmark. That part for sure is very well-maintained and the Police are doing an amazing job. What is left is the truck, the tyres and the driver. And tyres are a key element.” He also says that he fully supports attempts to tighten the rules regarding the safety standards governing tyre quality in the market by local authorities. “One important area where the UAE is working very well is controlling which tyres are arriving in the country. A lot of the tyres that we and our colleagues promote in the UAE through our partners are products that have been developed for this region. There is a specific technology behind this product that can fit the specific running condition of the UAE. It is important to ensure that is the same for every tyre coming into market so that we can give the end user a fair option to choose between all products that we fit the safety standard of the UAE in the same way.” Broadening his viewpoint further, he says that the company is fully behind the ramping up of tyre regulation and labelling being driven by the GSO on a regional-basis. “We are fully respecting the changes the GSO – the entity surrounding the standards for the products in the GCC – is making. It is extremely present in terms of understanding what is the evolution of the technology and in understanding what is the standard that the product should match when coming into the region. The GSO entity is really working with the government and with the industry to ensure that products coming into the region are better and better, more environmentally friendly and more safe. We are grateful to the GSO for all the work they are doing in strict collaboration with the industry.” Whatever the rules changes, fleets should take their tyre choices seriously JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 25

FEATURE

EYES ON THE ROAD – THE FILM Bridgestone MEA worked with Nasser Bin Addullatif Alserkal and the RTA on the potentially life-saving health check campaign, designed to offer free health screenings to UAE truck drivers

and consequently improve fitness and road safety. Launching the campaign is an online film sensitively directed by Nixon Freire out of Hanzo Films. The film follows a truck driver named Sukhjhinder

if they want to be better – and yes, healthier - businesses, Sanchini argues. “Tyres can make a big difference Safe tyres means safe operations which means a safety driver and less problems for you, the truck driver, for the community around you,” he says. “As in lot of other countries, we see the people developing more and more awareness about the importance of safety and as soon as yoi develop that concept, you understand the importance of tyres.” On the other side of the rim, he says is the contribution tyres make to the operational running costs of the fleet. “The right tyres will, on one side, maximise the mileage and, on the other, minimise the breakdowns. People also forget that the mileage is important but so is the durability of the tyre. Every time you need to stop your truck to fix the tyre, this is time you are your truck is not running. So minimising the breakdown time is as

We wanted to do something beyond the classical activity. We wanted to really reach our end-user”

Singh, who explains how he misses his family in India, and talks about his gruelling 24-hour schedule, which allows him only a couple of hours sleep in the cabin of his truck by the roadside. He has driven 1

important as maximising the mileage.” He adds: “You need to have the right tyres in these conditions. We’re talking about a region where people drive long distances, coming from Oman, from Saudi, with extremely challenging weather conditions and very high temperatures in the summer – the asphalt can be 70, 80 degrees. With all this, you need to be extremely careful when you choose your tyres.” Bridgestone no longer considers itself as merely a tyre-maker but as a solutions provider. Sanchini says on regional basis that means it is working with alongside its partners and spending more time with the fleet operators, “to show them what it means to economically run a truck and what the contribution of Bridgestone is in this sense. We are not just selling tyres. “What we propose and what we promote in the region through our partners is product that has been designed, engineered and

million km without an accident, so for some respite from his work routine, Bridgestone arranged for him to view the road from another perspective – 1km above the ground in a hot air balloon.

manufactured for performing safely in these conditions. We want to go to the fleet and help them in maximising their efficiency in the way they run the business. So, of course, tyres is the key element (of what we discuss) but there is much more that we can do. When we talk with the fleet with our partners, we talk about how can we work with the fleet to maximise the life of the tyre, minimise the cost per km, work on their tyre maintenance, the safety of the drivers and their driving habits. So there is much more beyond tyre when we go to the fleet and work as a solution provider. “When you work with us and our work partners, you don’t just simply get the tyres you get the expertise around the tyre in terms of tyre management in terms of total tyre operation and the experience of a hundred years old company that has worked with millions of companies where we manage tyres directly of our fleet customers. You get all this expertise together with the tyre.”

HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST? You need to be careful when purchasing, says Sanchini. The right tyre can maximise the mileage and minimise the breakdowns.

26 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

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FEATURE

SPOTLIGHT ON VANS EMC’s Vanchella Festival was a night for families, good food and entertainment – as well as the message that vans can be important vehicles in the hospitality sector.

VAMOS VAN-OS! T&FME saddles up for EMC’s unique celebration of all things van – Vanchella Festival – in Abu Dhabi

here is a lot to celebrate if you’re a van enthusiast in the UAE as we turn into the new decade. There has never been more choice or more excuses to invest in a vehicle type that offers arguably the greatest amount of choice and variation out of all the movers in the market. Last month, Mercedes-Benz Vans’ Abu Dhabi dealer EMC threw-on a party to celebrate its own line-up of vans including the much-admired Sprinter and the limo-bus V-Class at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. After an afternoon of test drives, the distributor – known for its willingness to think out of the box when it comes to showcasing the very best the German marque has to offer – opened the doors to the Vanchella 28 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

Festival, a night of good food, company and entertainment on the lawns of the hotel. In the hours leading up to the party, Bilal Al Rabi, general manager, EMC (commercial vehicles), sat down with T&FME and it soon became clear that the keen-eyed firm has spotted a potential for the vehicles in the hospitality sector. The Vanchella Festival, then, was both a great excuse for a get-together and a sign of where EMC thinks Van-based vehicles are heading in the market. “At EMC, we started early with the Sprinter but most of the applications were more commercialised, like cargo, ambulances, etc. With our new bodybuilder partnerships, we have shifted towards people moving. And you will see the theme of tonight’s presentation is mostly about

There are a lot of applications that were missing in the UAE, especially in Abu Dhabi”

that. We believe that this is a sector that is not being tapped into in the right way.” To Al Rabi, EMC now has an opportunity to configure its vehicles to match the requirements of customers that may not find a larger vehicle desirable or practical. Leveraging on Mercedes-Benz Vans’ large choice of van designs it can fill the gap between limo and coach or bus depending on what the buyer needs. “Even in public transportation,” he adds. “We have managed to be successful in public transport because we have seen high demand. You know, sometimes you don’t need big buses to do your transportation. The portfolio that you see at Vanchella is gonna start from six-seater taxis, 16 seaters, 19, 22-seater school buses. We believe that this is a sector that we need to bring

FEATURE

the Sprinter into. You will see some VIP transportation for six passengers up to 19.” During the event, T&FME was given the opportunity to take both the Sprinter van and the V-Class through their paces on a near-by facility close to the Al Forsan International Kart Circuit. Dodging in and out of cones on the specially laid-out course, this was the perfect opportunity to test features such as their driver assist features such as Active Parking Assist, Collision Prevention Assist and the impressive Distronic adaptive cruise control which uses radar to match the speed of the car ahead (in the case of a sudden brake ahead the adaptive Brake Assist (BAS) intervenes to protect both driver and passengers). These are all features that can be seen on some coaches but seem better-suited for creating more comfortable driving in shortdistance, urban driving conditions. Think of a shuttle journey between an airport and a hotel a lobby, and the V-Class’ full suite of features should come into their own. “Versatility of the van, the price, the number of seats” underlines Al Rabi when asked to compare the benefits of a ‘van’-based vehicle like the V-Class with potential alternatives. “There were a lot of applications that were missing in the UAE, especially in Abu Dhabi, such as hotel shuttles, airports, even now we have some 4x4 vans that you can use to go to the desert. You can have VIP seat so going into the desert doesn’t have to be in an SUV all the time. You can take your family with you; you can can even watch TV and it is still a 4x4!” Another factor, he says, is the changing demographics and needs of customers in the automotive market. “Plus, the new generation that we see now is shifting the mentality from owning a car to more renting,” he says, adding that EMC has formed partnership with digital application companies and has placed its vehicles into those fleets to be potentially used on ride-hailing or car-sharing platforms. “We want to see how this market is developing.” He tells T&FME that EMC will continue to focus on the Sprinter’s cargo line but feels it will be concentrating more heavily on the people mover segment going forwards. “We believe it is going to be significant,” he adds. T&FME asks him whether the holding of Vanchella Festival is a deliberate play to

We have managed to be successful in public transport because we have seen high demand”

show that when people think of vans from now on they need to be thinking about people rather than goods sitting in the back. “Yes it’s about people and that’s why we want people to see these vehicles. You can own a sprinter and drive it on a short wheelbase. You can even put your family in there. If you don’t want that, you can go with the V-Class. But both of them are options for you. And we’re even thinking of partnering with some digital platform companies; so that if you don’t want to buy a Sprinter but want to take your family to RAK for two days you can rent one and then bring it back.” He continues: “All the features for the Sprinter, the anti-roll, active brake assist, the distronic system qualify it to be a good people mover,” underlining his point, he adds that EMC encouraged

families to join the Vanchella Festival. EMC is once again striving to be different. “We are very close to our market, we know the culture, we try to be very open with our customers and listen to them. But we don’t want to repeat ourselves and every time a new concept we try to be different. And our customers don’t want to do the same thing every time. “Today is an interactive event rather than one where you just sit take a look at the vehicles. This is also the first time we have held a Sprinter event and invited families along. “Normally, you just invite the guys interested in cargo or ambulance applications but with this we wanted to show what other options we have. We have music, food…. different stuff from what we normally do.”

STANDING BY THE V-CLASS The V-Class’ limo-like exterior and luxury are in sharp contrast to its van origins.

IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE EMC is working with digital platforms to offer its portfolio for short and day lease and rental.

JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 29

WORKSHOP

APOLLO TYRES SECURES KSA DISTI / PIRELLI ON TRACK IN UAE / CONTINENTAL EXTENDS EUT PARTNERSHIP / SAF-HOLLAND NEW FACTORY

WORKSHOP

Apollo Tyres ‘ready’ for KSA market APOLLO TYRES FORMALLY ENTERS INTO SAUDI ARABIA MARKET WITH AL-JOMAIH TYRES COMPANY LIMITED TYRES Rapidly expanding Apollo Tyres says the Saudi market is the most important in the region as it formally begins selling through its new exclusive partner. Through Al-Jomaih Tyres Company Limited, Apollo Tyres added in a statement that it will be focussing on the large and growing truck-bus radial and passenger car tyre market. Commenting on how the company is aiming to capture a sizeable market share in both

segments, Shubhro Ghosh, Group Head, ASEAN, Middle East & Africa, Apollo Tyres Ltd, descirbed the entry into the Kingdom as the culmination of a long-term product planning and development programme. “We are now ready with products suited to cater to the Saudi market, which is the largest and (most) important replacement tyre market in the Middle East region, through our dedicated team of sales and service professionals, and

CUSTOMISED APPROACH The two companies willoffer products designed for the challenging road conditions of Saudi Arabia.

a very able business partner in Al-Jomaih Tyres,” he said. “Saudi Arabia has a market potential of approximately 22 million tyres, and we have set a very aggressive target for ourselves, of selling nearly 800,000 tyres per annum, including both commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle tyres, within the next five years.” said Ghosh added that the company was looking to leverage its official global tyre partnership with football giant Manchester United. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jomaih, CEO, Al-Jomaih Tyres, said his firm had been highly impressed with the quality and performance reputation of Apollo’s tyres. “We have noticed that the premium tier 2 market in Saudi has been expanding at a fast pace and Apollo Tyres meets the need of local customers who are seeking quality products at competitive prices.” Tyres sold in Saudi Arabia will be customised to meet the local market requirements and would be covered under a 5-year warranty.

PIRELLI SHOWCASED AT GULF 12 HOURS TYRES

Pirelli says the use of its tyres during the ninth edition of Gulf 12 Hours in December was an excellent opportunity to showcase the “superior performance and durability” of its products. The Gulf 12 Hours is one of the most prestigious motor racing events in the UAE and is held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. All of the 37 cars lined up with Pirelli’s tyres for the two six-hour races that make up the race. The record entry list included four GT3 Pro cars alongside manufacturers such as AMG Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, and Porsche. All cars were powered by Pirelli’s tyres. “Our association with such a distinguished endurance race like the Gulf 12 Hours is an excellent opportunity to showcase the superior performance, durability of Pirelli tyres,” said Alberico Avogadro, managing director, GCC and Middle East, Pirelli.

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S WORKSHOP: A GUIDE TO COOLANTS, FUTURE MOBILITY, ACCIONA ECO-POWERED 100, AND MUCH MORE 30 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

WORKSHOP

SAF-HOLLAND OPENS NEW FACTORY IN CHINA

CONTI AND EUT EXTEND PARTNERSHIP TO 2023 TYRES

Global tyre and automotive technology major Continental has renewed its distribution partnership with Emirates for Universal Tyres (EUT) until December 31st, 2023, reappointing the Abdulla Al Masaood & Sons Group company as its sole distributor for the UAE through to the 15th year. The contract was signed at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi by Karel Kucera, MD, Continental Middle East, and Khalifa Abdulla Al Masaood, director at EUT’s parent company, the Abdulla Al Masaood & Sons Group. Also in attendance were Jon Ander Garcia, regional manager for Middle East & Africa, and Shaun Smith, GM at Emirates for Universal Tyres. According to Continental, the new agreement is the latest in a series of developments that have seen the German brand significantly enhance its support for customers across the UAE and Middle East. Earlier this year Continental opened a new parts warehouse in Jebel Ali, allowing smoother supply of passenger car and commercial tyres to retailers. This followed last year’s successful launch of the new Generation 6 range of tyres, developed specifically for the region. “We are very pleased to be continuing our agreement with EUT, a key partner of ours in the Middle East now for over a decade. They have been with us at key moments during our growth over those years. Most recently, that includes things such as our groundbreaking sponsorship of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the UAE as well as the development and launch of the tailored-for-the-region Generation 6 tyre range. I am confident that we will continue doing great things together in the UAE,” said Kucera.

AXLES SAF-HOLLAND has opened a new factory in China. The globally active supplier for commercial vehicle parts revealed in a statement that it will be manufacturing its entire product range at the Yangzhou site in the future. SAF-HOLLAND has been active in the People’s Republic with production sites for more than 20 years. The new plant increases its production capacities with a “best-in-class factory” in the city of Yangzhou (Jiangsu province); expanding its business in China. “With the investment in this location, we are now in an even better position and can operate in close proximity to our customers. We have also created ideal conditions for successfully tapping into the growth potentials for commercial vehicle components

in China,” explained SAFHOLLAND CEO Alexander Geis. The opening of the new production facility was attended by the members of the SAFHOLLAND management as well as by representatives of the city council, authorities and regional administration.

Jürgen Knott, President China at SAF-HOLLAND, added: “The new site in China is equipped with best-inclass production equipment, provides SAF-HOLLAND with a basis for further growth and strengthens our position as a premium manufacturer.”

NISSAN TEACHES ROBOTS TO MAKE CAR PARTS MANUFACTURING

Nissan says it has developed a new way to use robots to make car parts out of sheet steel could mean replacement parts for discontinued models will be more widely available for customers. The Japanese car maker now plans to commercialise the dual-sided dieless forming process that uses two synchronised robots working from opposite sides of a steel sheet.

Using diamond-coated tools the pair can then gradually shape the steel. Dual-sided dieless forming has previously been considered too difficult to be cheap enough to be practical. Existing techniques rely on single-sided forming, which limits the complexity of shapes that can be created. By placing robots and tools on opposite sides of a steel sheet, they can create more difficult and detailed shapes, said Nissan.

“Thanks to its flexible production, short lead times and minimal upfront costs, the new technique could make it commercially viable to produce and sell a wide variety of after- service and replacement parts in small volumes for cars that Nissan no longer makes. This was previously not possible due to the high upfront costs and long lead times to develop and make dies for stamped parts,” explained Nissan in a statement.

TWO SIDES OF THE STORY Nissan plans to commercialise the dualsided dieless forming process that uses two synchronised robots working from opposite sides of a steel sheet.

JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 31

FEATURE

WHAT IS COOLANT? Chevron’s David Hasch gives his coolant 101

t is often said that coolants are a commodity, which is true in part, but refers only to the base fluid. This is the water/glycol mixture that represents around 97.5% of a finished, ready-to-use product. The real value of a coolant, and that which differentiates one from another, is the additive or inhibitor package which makes up the balance at only about 2.5%. In Coolants 101, we provide a high-level overview of the types of coolants we typically see in the automotive industry in North America. We divide these coolants into two broad categories of products: IAT (Inorganic Additive Technology) and OAT (Organic Additive Technology). For this discussion, we’ll focus on the OAT family of coolants because it represents most of the market in both the automotive and heavy-duty industries. 32 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

As you probably know the protection mechanism of inorganic or conventional coolants is to lay down a protective, insoluble chemical blanket to protect cooling system surfaces, but this extra layer can result in diminished heat exchange. OAT coolants provide chemical protection by interacting only at corrosion sites. The use of various chemical elements and methods of manufacture are key in determining the quality, performance and longevity of a coolant beyond its virgin state. For example, two newly-manufactured products can appear the same with respect to ASTM test data, but once in service, oxidation and other factors can have a great impact on performance. It is these factors that influence the many variations of OAT coolants and determine regional OEM technology preferences across

The use of various chemical elements are key in determining the quality, performance and longevity”

the globe (see examples in figure 1 below). Now, let’s look at some of the more common additive variations of OAT coolants along with a little information about each one: OAT – As previously mentioned, Organic Additive Technology, and the basis for all the types below. Most over-the-road equipment engine OEMs recommend OAT coolants for their engine cooling systems. NOAT – Nitrited or Nitrite-containing OAT. Nitrites afford improved protection to coolant side cylinder liners used in heavy duty diesel engine cooling system components. Both OAT and NOAT are preferred in North America with NOAT being more prevalent in the market. HOAT – In Coolants 101, we refer to the HOAT as a hybrid OAT, because it combines both IAT and OAT chemistries.

FEATURE

Other terms associated could be Hybrid (contain both chemistries but predominantly conventional) and Lobrid (contain both chemistries but predominantly organic). POAT – Phosphated or phosphatecontaining OAT. Since phosphates can react with hard water metals to create scale, these are not preferred in a hard water environment such as Europe or North America. In Asia, however, they are preferred because of the soft-water qualities found there. Si OAT – Silicated or silicone-containing OAT. While some OEM’s in Europe prefer a low-silicate OAT, they are banned in Asia due to problems with water pump seals and poor heat exchange. As mentioned earlier, manufacturing methods can be key in the quality and performance of a coolant. As an example, it is known that silicates can be difficult to stabilize, and if not treated properly in the manufacturing process, they can drop out of solution, causing deposits and clogged cooling system components. With so many different technologies and choices it’s easy to understand why engine coolants can be one of the most confusing areas of maintenance we face. Here are a few things to consider when questions arise regarding your cooling system. With all the technologies out there, how do I know which product is right for my vehicle? It is always best to check your owner’s manual for the right coolant requirement and maintenance and testing practices. If unsure, call Chevron Lubetek, and one of our lubrication specialists will be able to help you. As long as I use the correct coolant and stay within the OEM recommended service interval, can I just top off coolant if it gets low? Why is testing so important?

MAJOR TRENDS IN ENGINE DEVELOPMENT

FINDING THE RIGHT MIXTURE The use of various chemical elements and methods of manufacture are key in determining the quality, performance and longevity of a coolant beyond its virgin state.

It’s easy to understand why engine coolants can be one of the most confusing areas of maintenance we face”

There are many factors affecting coolant quality and performance over time, such as oxidation, pH, and additive depletion to name a few. And because many serious engine problems can be coolant-related, it is essential that proper coolant testing be part of any comprehensive automotive or heavyduty engine maintenance program. Since joining the company in 2000, David Hasch has held various roles at Chevron including direct sales representative, supply chain production planner, and lubrication engineer in Chevron Lubetek where he provided technical support for lubricants across the globe. He creates technical content to help showcase the company’s products and solutions across all commercial and industrial market

Think about how much vehicles have changed in the past few years. What may come to mind are all the new electronics, smart sensors, assisted driving features and more, but what’s less noticeable are the significant changes taking place under the hood. Here are some major trends: Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) – involves the high-pressure injection of fuel directly into cylinder combustion chambers rather than through intake valves. GDI is increasing in popularity and is expected to dominate the market within a few years. By 2021, GDI-equipped light vehicles are projected to account for 71% of the production market in North America. Turbochargers – used to be found exclusively in racing and sports cars, essentially they recycle hot exhaust gasses to increase power. They are increasingly commonplace, appearing in 21% of new vehicles as of 2015 and are expected to be in 80% of new cars by 2025. Downsizing – some engines are going down as small as one liter (which is small enough to fit in a suitcase) in efforts to reduce mass and weight to improve fuel efficiency. What’s important though, is that these engines don’t sacrifice power.

segments in the US.

REGIONAL OEM TECHNOLOGY PREFERENCES ACROSS THE GLOBE OAT ORGANIC ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY

OAT ORGANIC ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY

NOAT NITRITED ORGANIC ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY

Si OAT

POAT PHOSPHATED ORGANIC ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY

SILICATED ORGANIC ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY

JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 33

FEATURE

THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY

Last month’s ICFM showcased the role of EVs in the UAE’s future

utomotive and transport leaders from across the world gathered in Dubai for the 5th International Conference on Future Mobility (ICFM) last month as HE Abdulla Abdulqader Al Maeeni, Director General, Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) outlined plans to integrate new technology into the emirate’s infrastructure. HE Al Maeeni said ESMA – which organises the conference in collaboration with Messe Frankfurt Middle East – aims to be a platform for government agencies and leading companies in the fields of smart and sustainable mobility. “We recognise that technological advances based on the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are the key to 34 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

the development in this field,” said HE Al Maeeni. “The future of the automotive and transport sector will be radically different from the past, where many trends, including the decentralisation of energy production, the internet of things, and artificial intelligence will bring about radical changes in the transport system and mobility, as well as the foundations and objectives of electric mobility, the future of transport in smart cities, and facing the challenges of internet security in connected and self-navigating transportation.” And major change is on the horizon, according to HE Al Maeeni: “The automotive and transport sector faces a future that will be fundamentally different from its past. Numerous trends ranging from energy decentralization to the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence are coming together to create drastic changes

The future of the automotive and transport sector will be radically different from the past”

in the transport and mobility ecosystem which will be in focus at this year’s conference.” Delegates heard from a powerful speaker line-up comprising regulators, vehicle and transport designers and operators from the USA, Canada, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Former Chief Information Officer of the City of Palo Alto and quantum computing expert, Dr. Jonathan Reichental applauded Dubai’s autonomous vehicle trials and says openness to experimentation will be key to future transport success: “there are so many interesting innovations emerging in the mobility space that we need to look at each and understand their benefits and challenges,” he added. “There is a trend towards more personalised transport such as scooters, ebikes,

FEATURE

ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON DISPLAY The ICFM hosted an eclectic display of electronic vehicles (EVs), including some of the region’s top manufactures such as MG, BMW, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Chevrolet, and Jaguar Land Rover. The former unveiled their fully electric ZS EV to a crowd of delegates. The launch of the new model was a first for the region and was exhibited alongside MG’s Marvel X model. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi displayed their regional premiere of their e-Evolution concept car as well as their Outlander PHEV, an all-electric 4WD top of the range five-seater SUV, whilst BMW exhibited their i3S 120Ah Advance and i8 Roadster, their luxury range of EV. “Mitsubishi Motors’ promise of “Drive Your Ambition” starts with our commitment toward the environment,” said Masahiko Takahashi, President at Mitsubishi Motors Middle East and Africa. “We are glad that with the launch of the Outlander PHEV we are providing the Middle East with an immediate sustainable mobility solution that will result in a better and cleaner tomorrow.” “The International Conference on Future Mobility is an excellent platform for us to showcase Mitsubishi Motors’ futuristic and all-electric e-Evolution concept SUV which incorporates the strengths of SUVs, EVs, and the ability to integrate new systems for a connected mobility customer experience,” he added.

and mopeds. In addition, there are greater demands being placed on the availability of electric charging stations as our mobility options become electric-powered. “Taking a broad view of the emergent space and developing a strategy is a better approach than to piecemeal the response for every new idea. This is the time for leadership and the UAE is showing what is possible.” Edoardo Gianotti of the Sustainable Transport Division of the World Forum says he plans to canvas Middle East support for global standards and share the latest in developing global technical regulation for electric vehicle safety. Regulations on a global scale, he said, are vital to the survival of vehicle makers: “because of the relatively small volume of electric vehicles and their components currently produced, any degree of convergence between regulatory obligations at the national and international level can result in economies of scale and cost reductions for automotive manufacturers – critical in the context of economic recovery and the general cost-sensitiveness of the industry. “Different national regulations create barriers to trade, requiring manufacturers to design vehicles to meet each individual standard and to test them in each country. These costs are passed on to the consumer,” he warned. The Middle East, remaarked Gianotti, will have a pivotal role to play in drafting regulations. “In order to ensure the overall safety of vehicles equipped with a Rechargeable Electrical Energy Storage System containing flammable electrolyte, the vehicle occupants should not be exposed to the hazardous environment resulting from a thermal propagation, which is triggered by a single cell thermal runaway due to an internal short circuit.

PRESENTING THE FUTURE Experts from international specialists and regulators delivered their expertise on the future of travel and autonomous vehicles during the conference.

Developing a strategy is a better approach than to piecemeal the response for every new idea”

A LANDMARK ACHIEVED The ICFM was created to celebrate progress in mobility typified by the Mercedes Benz’ semi-autonomous truck journey between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

“This is particularly critical for high temperature climate like in UAE. The contribution of Middle East countries to develop provisions fitting high temperature climates could be relevant.” Experts from international specialists and regulators delivered their expertise on the future of travel and autonomous vehicles during the opening day of the conference which will ran from 26-27 November. at the Grand Hyatt. Echoing HE Al Maeeni’s session on the future of mobility, Nicolas Fleury, Deputy Secretary General, International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), pinpointed challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence, technology and automation and the role regulations will play in supporting growth. “Mobility in its many forms is at the heart of our society, more, the freedom of movements is a fundamental human right,” said Fleury. “Mobility also drives economic development through the circulation of goods around the world. “Mobility impacts every moment of our lives, transforms our lives and shapes the world around us. As we look at the challenges and opportunities from new technologies to growing organisation and climate change, we should bear in mind that cooperation, collaboration and consensus provide much greater results than the sum of its parts.” Signalling one way forward was the announcement of the first ever semiautonomous heavy vehicle journey between Dubai and Abu Dhabi completed by Mercedes-Benz’s new Actros truck, the 140km trip demonstrated the future of goods transportation and what can be achieved with current technology. JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 35

INTERVIEW

T H G I F E H T R E W O P FOR

ts o l i p e h t , anco l B u d E to d n k l a a t n , ó t d a e r J owe Ariel P o c E % 0 10 nal o A i t i N d O I a r C t C e of A on t h g n i k a t ing y T&FME on l l a r n i s power

CCIONA first opened its Middle East office in Dubai in 2008. Since then, Dubai has been the hub and expansion platform from which ACCIONA has carried out its activity throughout the Gulf region and other Arab countries. ACCIONA has been awarded various water treatment facilities in the UAE. The 136,000 m3/day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant at Fujairah-1 and the 185,000 m3/day one at Jebel Ali are the most relevant examples. Through its Construction business unit, ACCIONA has executed the expansion of the Dubai Metro Red Line to the Expo2020 site and the modernisation of the Green 36 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

Line. The company is also building one of the largest photovoltaic plants in the World, the 800Mw Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (Phase III), in Dubai. ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño is also now established in the Middle East region, especially in the United Arab Emirates where it has important contribution to the UAE, Sustainability and the 36 Thematic Pavilions. The Services business unit and Energy division have also several active projects in the region such as the Muscat International and the Salalah Airports. In 2015, the company kick-started the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered project, after more than two years of technical development. ACCIONA’s objective was to create the first zero-emission vehicle capable of

It is breaking the idea that an electric and sustainable motorsport is impossible”

competing in the world’s toughest race, the Dakar Rally. This commitment followed two previous sustainable challenges (the Windpowered Antarctica 2011 scientific expedition and the Vendée Globe 2012 sailing race), with which ACCIONA showed the competitiveness of clean energies in the most demanding environments. Since then, ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered has competed in five continents, paving the way for sustainable mobility in high competition. Ariel Jatón and Edu Blanco, the pilots of ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered, explain to T&FME what makes it the most energy-efficient car in the world. How does the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered differ from other

INTERVIEW

Why build a rally car? What is it about the type of challenging racing in often-extreme climates that makes it attractive for ACCIONA?

This project is part of a trilogy in which projects for the air, water and ground were propelled with only sustainable energy. A sled pushed by the force of the wind for crossing the South Pole, a self-sufficient sailboat to cross the world, so ... Why not an electric vehicle for the Dakar? ACCIONA’s philosophy tries to prove that there is a sustainable way of doing things, even in extreme adventures as these cases. SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT Being first electric car to finish Dakar in 2015 represented a milestone in the history of motorsport.

Looking back, how important was being the first-ever zero-emissions car to complete Dakar back in 2015 in proving that the technology works?

Being the first electric car to finish this race represents a milestone in the history of motorsport. Many people thought it was going to be impossible and the EP100 proved them that they were wrong. By finishing the hardest and toughest race in the world, the EP100 has definitively demonstrated the validity of this technology and in this way, breaking one more barrier for the electrification of the mobility. How does it fit into the Company’s overall strategy as a developer of sustainable infrastructure and energy technology?

A COMBINED EFFORT MATERIAL ADVANCEMENT Ariel Jatón (right) and then driver Gastón CIFA is focussed on new sustainable products that Scazzuso during Dakar in 2016. are also more ecological, safe and reliable.

cars you compete against?

The big difference from conventional vehicles is the engine efficiency. An internal combustion engine has an efficiency of 30% -40% in the best cases. This means that it is wasting more than half of the energy (in terms of gasoline) in order to move the vehicle! This fact in an electric vehicle does not happen. The electric vehicle has an efficiency of 75-80% being able of reaching a maximum efficiency of 95-98% so that the use of energy is considerably more efficient. This is possible because in the electric motor there is no explosions, frictions and high temperatures that are factors that reduce dramatically the efficiency of an engine. In addition, the EP100 is designed to be as efficient as possible. Especially the

It is a pioneering vehicle that represents the evolution and the leading role of renewable energies”

powertrain, which is thought to work in its most efficient range that is in between 3,0004,000 rpm in order to avoid wasting energy. How has the EP100 evolved

The ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered car is in line with ACCIONA’s philosophy and gives visibility to its fight against climate change. It is a pioneering vehicle that represents the evolution and the leading role of renewable energies in a context in which they are essential for the sustainability of the planet. In addition, the R&D&I work applied to the first zero-emission vehicle of the more than 19,000 vehicles that have competed in the Dakar Rally confirms the reliability and the technical demands that the company incorporates into its projects.

over the years?

The EP100 has evolved radically over the years. The propulsion system changed from a 4x2 to a 4x4. In terms of weight, it’s the area where a major change happened; from 3600 kg to 2400kg of the final model. Also, the dimensions were modified making the car wider and shorter. Finally, another battery pack was added in order to increase the vehicle range. Once with the prototype finished, the process of optimisation and electronic evolution began.

What role do the drivers have in the development of the vehicle to date?

Pretty much important. The driver who has driven the vehicle for the most km is Ariel Jatón, is also the mechanical coordinator of the project. He knows perfectly all the technical aspects and the operation of the EP100. Following all his experience in motorsport and his enthusiasm in this ACCIONA project, the vehicle has been redesigned and optimised until reaching the great sustainable icon that it is today. JANUARY 2020 TRUCK&FLEET ME 37

INTERVIEW

will far exceed to combustion vehicles.

How does the vehicle compare when driving with other rally cars?

Because of using a very different technology, electric cars have advantages and disadvantages compared to combustion vehicles. In terms of performance, the electric car is much better. It gives you all the torque from the first moment, allows the center of gravity to be lower with all the dynamic advantages that it entails and the reliability and the maintenance of the mechanical components is much better and more economical since they have less wear. On the other hand, the electric cars present limitations in terms of recharging, range and battery weight. Although these drawbacks, today a great investment is being made to develop new batteries that are lighter and have more energy and it is obvious that if the market continues to evolve, as it is doing, there will come a time that the electric car

PROVING A WINNNER The EP100 is proving that electric vehicles can be a competitive solution in the highly charged atmosphere of rallying.

38 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

ACCIONA’s philosophy tries to prove that there is a sustainable way of doing things, even in extreme adventures”

complete the whole event without emitting a gram of CO2 into the atmosphere.

How do you keep the support operation and the transport from one

How does the success of the car

rally to the next as green as possible?

prove that motorsport can become a

It all depends on the infrastructure of the competition. On some occasions, the EP100 has been recharged in the middle of the desert and as it seems logical, there is no way possible to connect to the electricity grid. In these cases, it was used a generator for recharging the batteries. However, the average fuel consumption of the generator is around 4 or 5 liters for charging the whole car, while combustion cars use 500liter tanks with consumptions close to 50-60 liters per 100km. The difference in the environmental impact is abysmal. On the other side, in other competitions the EP100 has been able to recharge in buildings that have solar panel installations like in Baja Italy, when it was possible to

completely ‘green’ sport in the future?

As mentioned before, it is about breaking the idea that an electric and sustainable motorsport is impossible. This project has led to change the mentality of fans, drivers and teams. The EP100 has proven to be a real sustainable solution for the competition world. Nowadays, motorsport lovers are witnessing the rise of new electric prototypes or new competitions that represent the electrified version of the main car competitions. The EP100 has been one of the leaders of this revolution and has shown the way for those who want to invest on the future of the planet and the automotive industry that are becoming more and more.

PARTING SHOT

SLICK-BY-BRICK

Nissan and LEGO remake the GT-R out of bricks

ince the introduction of the LEGO wheel in 1962, cars have played a central role in thousands of LEGO sets and in the hearts, minds and play of millions of children across the world. Recently, the LEGO Group and Nissan have revealed a model that pays tribute to one of the most iconic Japanese supercars, the Nissan GT-R NISMO. This is the first-ever partnership between LEGO and a Japanese automaker. The LEGO model was revealed by LEGO Group CEO Niels B. Christiansen and Asako Hoshino, executive vice president at Nissan, at the automaker’s global headquarters in Yokohama. Niels B Christiansen said: “In addition to offering a wonderful and fun building and play experience, we hope the model will also inspire children to learn more about engineering and how to create things in real life. Just as engineers across decades have improved the design and performance of this car, children build, unbuild and rebuild during play – stimulating and developing

crucial skills, such as creativity, resilience, problemsolving and critical thinking. Inspiring them to become the builders of tomorrow is our mission.” Asako Hoshino described both The Nissan GT-R and the LEGO brand as renowned and loved by fans of all ages throughout the world. “We are honored to be the first-ever Japanese car manufacturer to partner with the LEGO Group. Many of our Nissan customers can trace their automotive passion back to when they built LEGO cars as children,” he said. “With this partnership, everyone can be a `takumi’ – the specialised craftsmen that build the GT-R. And, it’s the GT-R’s 50th anniversary this year, so what better way to celebrate than to share the GT-R with Nissan and LEGO fans around the world!” The LEGO Speed Champions Nissan GT-R NISMO will be available globally in January 2020. It’s one of the first in the 2020 Speed Champions themed sets, which will be 25% bigger than in previous years. The GT-R NISMO model, made from 298 LEGO

elements, captures the authentic and intricate details of the life-size race car in a relatively small LEGO model. This posed an interesting challenge for LEGO design lead Chris Stamp. Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan’s chief product specialist for the GT-R – known informally as “Mr. GT-R” – gave the scaled-down LEGO version his stamp of approval: “The GT-R has been part of my life since I was 10 years old. Working with the LEGO Group was like awakening my inner 10-year-old self to rediscover what makes the GT-R so special to me. It’s amazing how much the LEGO Group’s attention to detail reminds me of our own craftsmen.” Appearing alongside the LEGO Speed Champions Nissan GT-R NISMO at the event was the 2020 GT-R NISMO. Available now, the most extreme, most capable GT-R in history features carbon-fiber front and rear bumpers, roof, trunk and rear spoiler; carbon-fiber front fenders with special scalloped vents; new lightweight wheels and new tires; tuned suspension and transmission; Brembo carbon brakes; and new turbochargers.

NEXT ISSUE: THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUCK LIGHTING, A NEW WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF TYRE SAFETY, AND MUCH MORE!

40 TRUCK&FLEET ME JANUARY 2020

PERFECT CROSSING

Discover the IVECO world and all its news on: www.iveco.com, Middle East area. Or call now the IVECO Representative Office: 00971 4 2994935

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