Staff Writer
UD Trucks Southern Africa is strengthening its focus on fleet reliability, cost management and after-sales support through a strategy aimed at helping transport operators improve productivity throughout the working life of their vehicles.
The company said its Ultimate Dependability approach combines vehicle products, maintenance services, digital fleet management tools and technical support under its ambition to become a Total Transport Solutions Partner.
The strategy comes as transport operators across Southern Africa face rising operating costs, pressure to maintain vehicle availability and demands to improve operational efficiency.
According to UD Trucks, dependable vehicles alone are not sufficient to meet these challenges, with operators also requiring support to manage maintenance, monitor fuel consumption and improve fleet performance.
Filip Van den Heede, managing director of UD Trucks Southern Africa, said the approach focuses on understanding customers’ operational requirements and supporting them throughout the working life of their vehicles.
He said the company’s ambition was to support customers beyond the initial vehicle purchase by providing products, services and expertise to help them operate with confidence.
Under Ultimate Partnership, UD Trucks uses digital fleet management solutions to give customers greater insight into vehicle performance, driver behaviour and fuel efficiency.
The company also relies on its dealer network and customer support services to provide technical expertise closer to transport operators.
Driver training forms part of the approach, with UD Driver Training intended to equip drivers with skills to operate vehicles more safely and efficiently.
Sanjay Naipal, director of aftersales at UD Trucks Southern Africa, said maintaining vehicle performance after delivery was central to the company’s approach.
“Our role is to help customers protect uptime through the right combination of genuine parts, professional service, maintenance expertise, diagnostics and technical support,” Naipal said.
He said keeping vehicles performing as expected helped businesses maintain operations and productivity.
The company also supplies genuine parts and selected remanufactured components, which it said could offer cost-effective repair options and help reduce turnaround times.
Naipal said the value of a truck should be measured by what it delivers throughout its working life rather than its initial purchase price.
“Our aftersales strategy is focused on helping customers manage their total cost of ownership while protecting uptime and extending the productive life of their vehicles,” he said.
It added that its focus would remain on providing support throughout the vehicle lifecycle as it develops its role as a Total Transport Solutions Partner.
