UD Trucks

UD Trucks senior management visit Abu Dhabi’s Al Masaood service facility

New facility effectively doubles maintenance capacity; it can handle 30 trucks and 12 body repairs at a time

UD Trucks and Abu Dhabi’s Al Masaood senior executives met ahead of the launch of a new facility in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi, that is scheduled to open soon to support the growing number of customers of the Japanese truck manufacturer.

This brand-new state-of-the-art service centre will help 1981-established UD Trucks to meet growing demand without compromising on quality or customer satisfaction, and by putting a high value on uptime, the manufacturer revealed in a press communique.

UD Trucks Senior Vice President, Jacques Michel, UD Trucks Middle East, East & North Africa; President, Mourad Hedna, along with Hani Tannir, CEO Group Industrial, Al Masaood, met with customers and discussed the brand’s long-term vision and direction as well as its future within the Isuzu Motors Group. Customers from across the emirate attended the event, which allowed them to visit the brand-new facility and learn more about its capabilities.

Doubling capacity

This new facility will double the brand’s servicing capacity in comparison to its previous facility, providing service space

for 30 trucks and 12 body repairs. The number of technicians has also increased substantially from 21 to 39.

The workshop is expected to contribute to strengthening UD Trucks’ market share by providing sustainable aftersales services, while Al Masaood will continue to provide the highest standards of support to UD Trucks customers on a larger scale. Also included in the expanded workshop will be a large parts warehouse, which will result in faster turnaround times.

Service support

“At UD Trucks, we strive to provide uncompromising service support, which means adhering to efficient and clear standards. We firmly believe that our longstanding partner, Al Masaood, will serve our customers in their newly established location with unmatched tenacity, providing excellent aftersales services and ensuring our promise, ‘To Go the Extra Mile’,” asserted Mourad Hedna, President, UD Trucks Middle East, East & North Africa.

“Our much-anticipated M40 facility will help us achieve our common objectives and will further strengthen our relationship. Besides offering excellent after-sales services on a larger scale, the new workshop also has a sizable parts warehouse, which will greatly reduce turnaround time, further enhancing the overall customer experience,” stressed Mohammed El Zeftawi, General Manager, Al Masaood Commercial Vehicles and Equipment.

UD Trucks partners with the Arabian Ocean Rowing team for historic transatlantic journey

The row is in partnership with the UN Environment Programme’s ‘Clean Seas’ initiative

UD Trucks recently announced a partnership with the Arabian Ocean Rowing Team ahead of the group’s 5,000-kilometre row across the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera to Antigua in the Caribbean.

Forming part of the UN Environment Programme’s ‘Clean Seas’ initiative, the row is being undertaken to raise awareness of environmental sustainability and plastic pollution.

The UAE-based team began its journey Monday, 16th December 2022, aiming to become the first boat from the region to row unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean.

“As part of this partnership, together with the team, we aim to raise awareness around green energy and sustainable development, balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability,” asserted Mourad Hedna, UD Trucks Middle East, East & North Africa President.

DHL is first to launch fast track sea freight services at Saudi Arabia’s EGBZ

DHL’s Sea Freight Express Service will improve transit times and boost reliability

DHL Global Forwarding has become the first logistics provider to launch fast-track sea freight clearance services at the Eastern Gateway Bonded Zone (EGBZ) at the King Fahad International Airport in Dammam, to speed up processing of LCL Sea Freight Services.

Located on a 100,000sqm site at Dammam’s King Fahad International Airport, EGBZ is designed to facilitate the movement of air and road cargo into Saudi Arabia in a seamless and efficient way. EGBZ is the fastest growing and only site in Saudi Arabia that offers multi-modal, multi-user, multi-temperature facilities, along with a fast-track clearance gateway, national distribution hub and bonded storage facility, a press communique indicated.

DHL will provide reliable, fully managed end-to-end transportation, ensuring predictability across the supply chain. Cargo received at the bonded facility will be cleared within 24 hrs from arrival to facility, thereby improving overall transit by at least six days compared to the conventional timelines.

“Through the facility, DHL Global Forwarding will be able to offer more direct services, cutting transit times to a minimum, with reliable, fully managed, end-to-end transportation, ensuring predictability across the supply chain and enabling timely delivery. This means that container receiving, segregation, clearance, loading and delivery to the end user will be handled seamlessly by DHL Global Forwarding in collaboration with EGBZ authorities,” explained Sue Donoghue, CEO, Arab Cluster, and Managing Director, Saudi Arabia, DHL Global Forwarding.

“The DHL and EGBZ Fast Track Sea Freight clearance service will be beneficial for all stakeholders, including Saudi consignees seeking faster vessel to door delivery times,” commented Mark C. Anthony, Commercial Director Eastern Gateway Bonded Zone.

The major benefits of the Sea Freight Express Services at EGBZ are average consignment clearance times of less than 12 hours, avoidance of port demurrage penalties, avoidance of line detention charges, deferment of duty payments while cargo is held in Bond at EGBZ, the ability to utilize EGBZ as a hub and spoke for KSA LMD of cleared consignments, and the ability to carry out value added services on imports pre-clearance, the press statement concluded.