MAN Truck & Bus Middle East has opened its new regional headquarters in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), as part of its ongoing investment into service infrastructure in the Middle East.
The newly built facility brings together MAN’s main operations, including its sales and training teams with its used commercial vehicles operation, MAN TopUsed, in the same location for the first time.
“We are totally focused on the Middle East market and direct investment in new facilities demonstrates our long-term commitment and expansion across the region,” said Franz von Redwitz, managing director of MAN Truck and Bus Middle East.
“Moving to the new location in Jebel Ali means all are teams are now closely linked with our TopUsed team, and this initiative brings the entire operation together [to better] support [our] importers and users across the Middle East.”
Soft launched in April, the JAFZA facility is fully owned by MAN, in contrast to some of its previous operations, and also includes a purpose-built training facility to further improve its provision of training services to its partners and customers.
MAN’s wide-ranging training courses are held across 25 countries, and involve almost 4,000 drivers, fleet managers, vehicle transfer personnel, driving instructors and specialists on an annual basis, and combine both theoretical and practical exercises.
In the Middle East, the OEM is particularly looking to grow the attendance of its ProfiDrive programme of training courses, which focuses on improving profitability by improving driver behaviour, and in turn improving road safety and fuel efficiency.
Von Redwitz noted: “ProfiDrive is designed to improve driver knowledge and skills and promote rational driving behaviour based on safety regulations. The courses are tailored to ensure drivers are fully trained on how to avoid risks on the road based on a cautious and safe driving style.”
Serious about safety
With a further eye to both safety and efficiency, the auto OEM has extended its service and genuine parts warranty package to two years, and is looking to further drive uptake of its genuine parts through the introduction of the MAN Ecoline range of parts in the Middle East.
The company is also offering an extended three-year warranty for its MAN CLA Evolution truck, a vehicle that promises ‘reliability, ruggedness and long service life’ alongside easy handling and maintenance.
Von Redwitz added: “We recognise that there is more focus on cost in the transport sector than ever before. Thanks to its minimal use of electronics the [MAN CLA Evolution] series is robust and reliable, as well as being easy to maintain, even in countries with less developed service infrastructure.”
MAN Truck & Bus Middle East also recently formed a partnership with trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull, to offer a truck and trailer combination equipped with ABS and EBS brakes as a safer alternative for its customers operating on UAE roads.
The partnership further aligns with MAN’s ongoing emphasis on safety in support of the road safety targets associated with the UAE Vision 2021 programme.
MAN kicked off its current drive towards road safety in the emirates in November 2016, when it hosted a road safety event with Abu Dhabi Police and Road Safety UAE.
It is now looking to maintain the momentum of the initiative by hosting a series of events in Dubai in the latter half of 2017.
MAN Truck & Bus Middle East will also be hosting an event later in the year to officially inaugurate its new headquarters.
