C o v e r S to ry
GEMBA SPIRIT
In Conversation with Mourad Hedna, President - UD Trucks Middle East By Kasun Illankoon UD Trucks overall growth and optimism epitomizes the Gemba spirit in which UD Trucks operate by as shown in their growth of sales in the MEENA region. The launch of the new, heavy-duty Quester, a series of major fleet deals and the announcement of a new retail partner in Saudi Arabia were among the highlights of 2019 as UD Trucks enjoyed another positive year across the Middle East, East and North Africa (MEENA) region. Against the backdrop of extremely challenging economic conditions, the Japanese commercial vehicle brand that belongs to the Volvo Group recorded sales increases in a number of key markets, in particular the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman. We caught up with Mourad Hedna, UD Trucks Middle East President, who gave us an insight as to why UD Trucks continues to show success of growth and what makes them stand out.
20 | Logistics News ME | January 2020
Strong Growth There is no doubt that 2019 was a challenging year for the Middle East truck market, with most countries registering a decrease in total sales. Nevertheless, thanks greatly to the hard work of our local partners and our highly professional staff, the brand recorded strong performances in many of our major markets. For example, UD Trucks sales either increased or remained stable in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Fleet deals played a key role in these positive results, and we signed a significant number of major contracts, for example with UAE-based waste management company Lavajet and Oriental Trading Co in Qatar, who took delivery of 118 Questers and Croners and 25 Quester and Croner models respectively. And with Kuwait Municipality, who signed a deal for 106 Quester and Croner models for waste management use.
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