Capital Equipment News May 2018

to 10% by 2020, with a greater focus on the light duty truck (LDT) and medium duty truck (MDT) segments. “The MDT segment is our key focus area with FUSO. Bear in mind that this is a segment which is mostly distribution focused, and is dominated by Asian brands locally with a total of up to 90% market share,” says Hafkamp. FUSO has seen consistent healthy market share growth in recent years, mostly driven by a constant product launch strategy, brand dedication and optimised support structures. FUSO ended 2014 with a 4,2% share of the local truck market, a figure which went up to 6,1% in 2017, representing 45% growth since 2014. “We aim to achieve 60% growth by 2020 to reach the envisaged 10% market share,” says Hafkamp. Gaba says some of the recent key initiatives that have contributed to the growth include the first ever FUSO dedicated Dealer Conference last year, with a specific focus on the brand. “We had a platform to speak to our dealers on how we plan to grow, the strategy and the role they will play. We held our second Dealer Conference in March this year. We believe that further growth in 2018 will come through investments in people, dealer infrastructure and support network,” concludes Gaba. b

The FE4-130TF has a special design focus on driver comfort.

Growth strategy The launch of the new FE4-130TF coincides with FUSO Trucks Southern Africa’s new brand claim, Simply Better Trucks, which Gaba says is a true reflection of the OEM’s endeavours, and its strengthened commitment to the southern African truck market. “FUSO Trucks’ new brand claim was born out of a vision where the manufacturer

ensures finding mobility transport solutions for operators becomes as simple as possible. In addition, the claim is built on the foundation of our three key pillars: reliability and quality; value for money; and best service support,” says Gaba. Under the group’s Roadmap 2020, Jasper Hafkamp, Executive Director of Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa, says the aim is to grow FUSO’s share of market