THE NEW ZETROS

last month to give T&FME a special preview of the vehicle and kindly offered to take us for a tour of the new Zetros.

The all-wheel-drive variants 4x4 and 6x6 as well as the 6x4 wheel configuration in Euro III and Euro V are available for ordering already. The 4x2 variant will become available in Q1/2021.

The Zetros perfectly fits the topographical and climate specifics as well as the transport tasks in MENA region. The region is characterized of extremely hot summers temperatures with a high humidity. The Zetros is equipped in standard with 92dm 2 radiator ensuring the best possible cooling for the engine. Another extreme is the dusty environment, the Zetros is perfectly prepared for due to its cyclone pre-filter that is standard on all Zetros models which is filling level is clearly visible from outside and easy to clean. High sulphur and water content in the fuel is also one of the characteristics, we have in the MENA region. The Zetros is equipped with a specific fuel filter with water separator to separate the water from diesel (optionally also a second fuel filter is available) and the engine is designed for fuel wih sulphur content > 1,000ppm for bad fuel areas without additional modifications. These are only a few points outlining that the Zetros is perfectly matching the tough conditions of the MENA region.

The new Zetros combines the strength and characteristics of the former generation with gradual improvements to further enhance the customer’s experience. The truck boasts extreme off-roading capabilities; meaning it’s especially suited to deliver high loads to the remote areas with difficult terrain that are characteristic in this region. It also offers easy maintenance due to the cab-behind-engine concept and easy access to the maintenance points. The improvements made with the new generation are an increased engine output, increased cooling capacity and new features like the electronic parking brake and therefore is even better prepared for the toughest operations in the MENA region.

When developing the new Zetros, the decision was taken to close the missing wheel configurations for the 4x2 segment with chassis, tipper and tractor head in order to offer our customers a complete product portfolio with the cab-behind-engine concept. The Zetros is the perfect choice for customers who drive on a regular base in areas with a bad fuel quality (high sulphur content) even if the truck is registered in a market with a high emission norm. Additionally, the customers will benefit from the low overall height of the truck which is lower than on a cab-over-engine truck which is huge benefit for bodies in which an over-cab installation is needed (e.g. drilling equipment).

The Zetros can be equipped with two fuel tanks with a total capacity of up to 900 litres of diesel which are switchable and enable the driver for a long distance travelling.

You are right about the segments you mentioned but there are more segments in which the Zetros will play an important role. We are targeting applications in the energy sector; for example in electricity companies for the maintenance of high voltage lines which are often in an remote off-road area. Also, for construction companies driving in remote areas with sparsely populated workshops, the Zetros might be right choice as the basic maintenance work can be conducted on site by the operator. In addition also civil protection and fire-fighting applications are target segments due to the high fording ability and the available crew cabin which offers a total seating capacity for six passengers. Another completely different application for the Zetros is to convert it into a luxury motorhome or expedition vehicle.

We have several Zetros running in the MENA region and are in regular touch with our customers. A regular feedback received was the wish for a higher horsepower on the vehicle which is now being realised with the new engine configurations which go up to 476hp in Euro III 510 hp now with Euro V emission norm. Before the maximum horsepower with Euro III was 426 hp and Euro V was 330 hp.

One of the major advantages of the new Zetros is the 92dm2 big radiator which was tested extensively in the region and we can say that the Zetros is perfectly equipped for the hot and humid summers we experience in the MENA region.

The new engine has a higher displacement (12.8l) than the engine we built into the previous Zetros generation. This fact in combination with a newly programmed engine control software allowed us to increase the power of the engine.

It is fair to say that MAN Truck and Bus was on the brink of a barnstorming 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic took the wind out of the sails of the industry.

For many, few manufacturers can compete with MAN’s heavy truck technology, so there was a great deal of interest when it finally entered a new truck generation into the market at the start of the year.

Even with the threat of the emerging virus looming large, MAN look set to build on a successful integration under the TRATON Group umbrella. Here was a complete revamp which had seen it merge its own heavy duty experience with the best of fellow group member’s Scania’s modular approach to development. Many observers also felt 2020 was going to see the German brand reap the benefits of leaning on Volkswagen’s van knowhow with it accelerating its movement in the last mile, ecommerce era through the large panel TGE.

A full six months on from the launch, Jörg Mommertz, SVP, head of sales area Middle East, Africa & Latin America, MAN Truck & Bus SE and managing director, MAN Truck & Bus Middle East, paints a picture of a company that has persevered through one of the most testing periods for the industry with the adjustments it has made making him hopeful for a future.

“We started excellently in terms of business at the start of 2020. The first two and a half months went very well. It has been tough, but I’m hoping there’s going to be some shards of light coming through the clouds,” he begins.

As his job title suggests, Mommertz enjoys an international perspective on how COVID-19 has affected the industry. The pandemic may have shortened the time in the air for a role that asks him to cover the Middle East, Latin America and Africa but it hasn’t dulled his razorsharp analysis of what is happening in the field.

“I have never seen such a market decline – globally – in such a short time. It’s such a steep decline in markets and

while there is a slight increase in market demand giving an outlook from today until the end of the year will not be wise because the local situation is changing every day.

“We have been very flexible in supporting some customers. One example is their repair and maintenance contracts. Some customers have not been using the truck for two or three months, so we have agreed a grace period; helping the customer to overcome the critical situation. This was really appreciated by a lot of our customers (in South Africa).”

Looking across the regions he is responsible for, Mommertz suggests the data and fundamentals remain strongest in the Middle East where government spending on infrastructure remains a priority: “Giving a projection for 2021 is a challenge but we have been in the truck business for a long time and are always optimistic but also realistic. The Middle East is still the most stable business for us. We have had hits from the oil price on the development on countries like Saudi Arabia but I see the outlook being mostly stable and positive. The governments still want to invest in infrastructure and public transport where I still see some interesting projects ahead for us.”

“We are in line with the market trends; defending our market position; we are getting very close to our customers and this is giving me the confidence that – if the economy is picking up – we can satisfy our customers in the way we could as before covid-19.”

The emergence of Asian manufacturers – with the South Korean and Chinese leading the way – has made the African market one of the most keenly fought over in the last decade. MAN is able to boast South Africa as a major stronghold and it remains the brand’s crucial point of attack on the continent. Mommertz says that the company has been exploring new markets throughout the crisis.

“In Africa we have a different situation to the Middle East. In South Africa we are doing very well and defending our leadership in the bus market and we have also stabilised also and defended our market position in the truck business. The orders intakes in the last week’s are giving me the confidence that we will have more stable outlook for 2021,” he explains.

“We also have different spots of business in other markets doing well. In Morocco, Togo and other countries there is demand… Morocco had a tough hit from COVID-19 and there was a long shutdown, but the outlook looks good. In more tourist-focussed countries, the coach business is similar to Europe and is more or less down, but the

Mommertz says MAN has been focused on using technology and the dealer channel to provide fleets with vital support.

truck business, with national distribution networks developing, is picking up fast.”

While Africa has traditionally been a destination for used trucks from the Middle East, analysts believe we could start seeing an increase in demand closer to home with financing tight and fleet operations under pressure. Mommertz argues that going ‘new’ still represents the best value in the long-run.

“Of course, there are always differences from market to market depending on the development of the country, but in Europe, we have seen a thrust in the pick up of truck orders. Outside Europe is a different pandemic

situation and the downturn may last a little bit longer. They was a strong downtown in the used truck business as well. I don’t see a used truck as a long-term alternative for a highly developed professional customer.”

At the new truck generation launch in Bilbao, MAN Truck & Bus’ chairman spoke of making customers’ business easier, more efficient and thereby more successful: “Simplifying Business – this is our claim, our promise. The new MAN Truck Generation allows us to fulfil this more comprehensively than ever before,” he said at the time.

A month later, those same customers were probably facing the most complicated situation for a fleet imaginable. T&FME asks Mommertz whether MAN was unlucky to have the opening up of sales on the new TGX, TGS, TGL and TGM trucks just as the pandemic hit.

This has meant leaning on a range of technology to promote what the company calls the best truck ever.

“Under the new business processes getting customers in touch with a new product can’t happen for quite a long time. So, we have implemented virtual presentations. In Germany we even used drive-in car cinemas to present the trucks. People got very creative and it worked! Of course this is not forever.

“We had quite a good launch but because of Covid-19 there delays with the shutdown of our production and the shutdown of production by our suppliers. But then the entire industry has been affected. They

MAN Truck & Bus launched its first new generation of trucks in two decades in February; promising to use state of the art technology to deliver fuel savings and significant reductions in CO2. The new versions of the MAN TGX, TGS, TGM or TGL feature the latest tech in assistance systems, driver orientation and digital networking.

MAN’s newly developed turn assist system helps to prevent serious accidents in urban traffic – four years before it will be mandatory in Europe.

understood what was going on because they were also getting affected...we have proven we can still offer the customer what he wants and needs to make his business successful.”

He adds: “You want to have a smooth launch project for what we believe is the best truck ever. But again it underlines how strong an organisation we can be even in crisis mode. Continuing this success under difficult circumstances shows the customer that we can be seen as a reliable business partner.”

While the launch is important for the MAN’s long-term ambitions, web-based calls and technology are bringing together all the ongoing elements of support needed by distributors and their customers. In its

way, COVID-19 has helped accelerate a remote way to support the industry that was already central to the services on offer with the new generation truck platform.

“We are very ambitious regarding connectivity,” he says. “Remote services and diagnostics will help customers in similar future situations even more. They will be getting a higher efficiency on the road and uptime.”

He adds: “A good lesson from this has been that staying close to the customer and using all available tools on the market to stay in contact with the customer and guarantee them an excellent service is even more important now. Especially there is a local, complete, lockdown like in Jordan, South Africa or Oman,” he says.

“This is the modern way of communication. You have to find the balanced approach where you can’t call a customer, but you must give them the confidence that he is important and if they need help, we should be available 24/7.

While truck OEMS always depend on the performance of their local dealer and importer, he says MAN remains close to the market: “And they are very close to the customer. So therefore we haven’t lost any deal or we didn’t lose any potential deal because of not traveling.”

T&FME asks whether this new approach includes identifying distributors which are particularly strong in understanding the new range while supporting the legacy fleet in the region – and the ones that maybe need a little bit more training.

“Of course, we have used the tools for more training and we are seeing the results of our

With fuel savings of up to eight percent, the new MAN Truck Generation achieves significant reductions in CO 2 .

MAN Truck & Bus says the setting up of a CKD production facility near Nairobi is part of its effort to strengthen its presence in Kenya.

The new 15,000sqm facility located close to Nairobi has been set-up by MAN’s local partner JAP Group and can assemble both trucks and bus chassis.

The German firm has also confirmed that JAP Assembler Kenya Limited, a subsidiary of JAP Group, has the responsibility for operations of this plant.

Construction on the CKD project began in August 2019 with the initial assemblies beginning in November last year - and the first vehicle rolled out in January 2020.

‘Truck in a box’ kits are imported from Germany while a ‘small portion’ of the bus CKD items are brought in from South Africa. Looking to the long-term both MAN and JAP Grou are aiming to “cater to greater customer needs for various applications.”

“This is a key development in MAN’s presence in Kenya,” said Noel Macaron, head of Truck Sales, Sales Area MEA&LA, MAN Truck & Bus. “Over the years, our partner Mobikey Truck & Bus (part of the JAP Group) has done immense good work in establishing a strong base and credibility for the MAN brand providing excellent sales and after sales service experience to customers.

“With the new facility we can offer the benefit of exemption from customs/import duties. Customers will, therefore, benefit from more competitive prices from MAN.”

efforts of the last few months. We are improving the quality of the local dealer network. This gives us a stable foundation in the markets but they can still be supported by us. I also have seen an increase in online training participation on the customer side. Customers are really appreciating it. They are are using their time to get more familiar with our product and for internal/external training. This is also giving the customer the feeling that they are important.”

Mommertz describes himself as a ‘truck guy’ and spent many years in the channel as a service manager before joining the OEM’s manufacturing and sale operation. As such, he believes that face-to-face contact remains the long-term goal, even if technology can help overcome the more immediate challenge of keeping the industry moving.

“You know, people are like animals. We can sometimes be quite conservative and it can take time to convince even your own team or customer or a business partner of the new processes to do business. It will not replace place direct personal contact forever. But it will help us to get faster and more efficient.”

Throughout the COVID crisis, fleets have seen themselves elevated to the status of key workers and the trucking industry has been absolutely vital in keeping economies going.

“Transport and logistics have been declared as system relevant to ensure supply for the retail business – everywhere in fact,” he declares. “Covid-19 is giving us a lot of lessons in a lot of aspects. A trucker as such - or also a mechanic in the workshop - in Europe has always had a much higher image and reputation than a driver or mechanic in, let’s say, the middle of Africa. We see a much higher appreciation of the work those people are doing now even when it’s outside of Europe. This makes me happy. Sometimes people don’t like trucks on the road, now they can see how important it is.”

Mommertz career now stretches across almost four decades and he says that this current situation is one of the most serious he has faced – including the global economic crisis that dogged the industry over a decade ago.

“The recovery after the economic crisis in 2008-2012 went much faster because not all elements of the society and the economy got affected. I have never seen a situation with the airlines, for instance, like we have today. In 2009, people were still travelling. Therefore, there are a lot of differences and the pick-up for the truck industry was a lot faster than it could be now.

“For instance, we are seeing a change in customer behaviour, such as here in Munich people are using passenger cars more and not

E-commerce and internet sales are among the big winners of the COVID-19 crisis, says Mommertz.

public transport. But from my point of view, this is a short term phenomenon because there is no alternative for well-developed public transport in the long term. In the coach business, it may last a little bit longer until regular travel activities pick up again. But despite that and here I may use Saudi Arabia as a good example, we have executed a deal of more than 80 luxury coaches to Saudi Arabia. Potentially there is business.”

With our time drawing to a close, the discussion moves onto the sectors that he believes MAN’s refreshed range can make the most impact.

The Middle East should continue to recover in 2021 with national logistics networks yet to reach their full potential.

“We also have seen an increase in demand for light commercial vehicles and this is benefited our TGE. E-commerce and internet sales have one of the big winners of COVID-19,” he explains. “Then there is the Municipality business – we have to maintain our cities and Covid will also help the improvement of hygenic standards outside of Europe.

“In terms of waste management and water transport, we have had requests for some units from the United Nations for African countries. This is one of our small business areas where we can increase our activities. As for Long-haul transport and National Distribution, of course this will depend on GDP development in a country.”

Electric vehicles are increasingly being used in many of the sectors we cover. Mommertz explains that he is not overly concerned by the disruption to the development of this cutting edge technology because of COVID-19.

“Investing in these kinds of new technologies needs a lot of resources and we have had short term delays in our research and development, but we stick to it because this is our future. Customer behaviour in this area is not significantly changing. Of course, depending on the economic situation of a certain country, it will continue as part of renewing public transport (strategies) – we may even see a faster process. Will a customer in UAE or in Saudi Arabia invest immediately in a battery driven vehicle? I think this will last a little bit longer.”

Finally, it is time for the industry veteran to face the multi-billion dollar question. Can we be optimistic for 2021?

“Taking 2020 as the baseline, we will see a smooth recovery. The Middle East depends on government spending and what we are observing is a readiness to support industry and to spend from the public budget. The sun will rise up again.”

Think of Ford pickups, and it’s the F-Series that usually springs to mind. It’s not surprising really – the truck has been the best-selling vehicle in the US for 43 years, and halo products like the F-150 Raptor have helped cement the truck as a firm favourite with off-road enthusiasts in the region.

Americans love the F-150 as much as people in the Middle East love their mid-sized pickups. The two perform broadly similar roles in their respective markets – serving as a vehicle for work. Where US-owners enjoy the size, power, strength and versatility of the F-150 as a work and recreational truck, the Middle East owner requires the same traits in a vehicle that is also economical to run and focused on function.

For Ford, that truck is the Ranger. In markets where they’re both available, the Ranger trades blows with the Toyota Hilux as best-selling pickup in both the commercial and private sectors. The two are constantly pitched together in head

to-head comparisons, and often customers are faced with a choice of either one having eliminated all other options.

Ford introduced the Ranger nameplate in 1982 for the 1983 model year and the current generation Ranger – codenamed T6 – arrived in 2011 as an entirely new take on the mid-sized pickup. Designed, engineered and tested by Ford Australia, the T6 helped push the mid-sized pickup into the hands of more mainstream buyers who could use it for work during the week, and as a family car for carting kids and camping