UD Trucks was acquired by Isuzu Motors from the Volvo Group, as part of the completion of the strategic alliance between the Volvo Group and Isuzu Motors.
Naoto Hakamata has been appointed Chairman of UD Trucks and Tetsuya Aiba CFO of UD Trucks effective April 1, 2021. Joachim Rosenberg, Volvo Group Executive Vice President, resigned as Chairman of UD Trucks on March 31, 2021.
Within the framework of the strategic alliance, UD Trucks is well positioned to build a long-term and robust relationship with Volvo Group and Isuzu Motors, creating synergies over the long term.
Goals
Together with Isuzu Motors, opportunities for UD Trucks include:
Leveraging each other’s strengths and economies of scale, especially in the area of heavy-duty trucks in Japan and across international markets.
Exploring cooperation in the areas of purchasing and logistics, leveraging common technology, as well as the geographical footprint complementarity
Creating a strong base to continue to invest in technical development and innovations for world class products and services.
UD Trucks has built up a wealth of experience and expertise in the heavy-duty truck segment over 14 years together with the Volvo Group in the areas of technology, procurement, logistics, production and sales. The company has also made concerted efforts to promote diversity, flexible ways of working, and a global mindset that embraces change.
UD Trucks will continue to fulfil its brand promise of “Going the Extra Mile”, and together with Isuzu Motors strive to make life better for people and the planet.
UD Trucks is a leading Japanese commercial vehicle solutions provider, active in more than 60 countries on all continents. Since its inception in 1935, the company has been an innovation leader with a clear vision to provide the trucks and services the world needs today.
Going the extra mile
The company is committed to go the extra mile for smart logistics with the most dependable solutions for demanding customers. To best support across applications and geographies, UD Trucks offers a full range of heavy-duty trucks – Quon and Quester, medium duty trucks – Condor and Croner, and light duty trucks – Kazet and Kuzer, as well as associated operational and financial services.
The Volvo Group and Isuzu Motors signed binding agreements in October 2020 to form a strategic alliance within commercial vehicles in order to capture the opportunities in the ongoing industry transformation, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2019.
The agreements include Isuzu Motor’s acquisition of UD Trucks from the Volvo Group for an enterprise value of JPY 243 billion (approx. SEK 20 billion). The transaction is subject to certain conditions, including approval from regulatory authorities.
UD Trucks has recently delivered five units of the heavy-duty UD Quester to RISDA Fleet Sdn Bhd, the fleet management arm of the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA). These newly purchased trucks comprised of three units UD Quester 6×4 prime mover with tanker and two units of UD Quester 6×4 prime mover with wooden cargo trailer.
RISDA, which is under the Ministry of
Economic Affairs is entrusted to
oversee the smallholder sector as an important production sector in the
national economy. The agency’s key mandate is to implement development policies
and programs to ensure the growth and viability of the smallholder sector of rubber industry and to improve their social and economic
well-being.
A vehicle handover ceremony was held recently to mark the official delivery of the new heavy-duty trucks. With these new trucks, RISDA Fleet Sdn Bhd now owns nine units of UD Quester.
According
to RISDA Fleet Sdn Bhd, managing
fuel cost and ensuring the safety of people and cargo are extremely important
for them as a transporter. The company said, based
on their previous purchase of four units of UD Quester prime mover, they found
that the trucks are very reliable, durable and fuel-efficient, with excellent track
record on truck uptime and lifespan. These qualities have helped RISDA Fleet
Sdn Bhd to prevent any need for heavy maintenance, thus enabling efficient delivery
of cargo.
RISDA Fleet Sdn Bhd also added that its decision
to purchase more UD Quester trucks were influenced by factors like
affordability and positive feedback from its drivers on the drivability and technological
advancements of UD Quester, especially on its safety and fuel-coaching features.
Jaclyn Loy, Chief Operating Officer of TCIE
said, “We would like to thank RISDA Fleet Sdn Bhd for choosing UD Quester once
again to support its expanding logistics needs. UD Quester is built to provide
superior performance and fuel-efficiency to our customers and we are very glad
that RISDA Fleet had been able to experience all its benefits. This new trucks
handover also highlights our highly valued relationship with RISDA Fleet and our
continued commitment to deliver smart logistics.”
UD Trucks and its sole distributor partner Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd (TCIE) are pleased to announce that Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia’s largest electricity utility supplier for businesses, homes and industries, has recently purchased six units of UD Trucks’ medium-duty Croner, bringing to a total of 78 units of UD Trucks vehicles the power company currently owns.
A vehicle handover ceremony was held recently at the headquarters of TNB to officially mark the delivery of the trucks and it was attended by the senior management teams of TNB Fleet Management Department, UD Trucks and TCIE. The trucks would be used to transport diesel fuel to refuel TNB’s mobile generator sets during operation at site.
Dato’ S. Viswanathan, Head of Fleet Management Department, TNB shared in a short speech during the truck handover ceremony, “As the national electricity provider, TNB has an important role in ensuring that customers get reliable supply from our system network. The acquisition of UD Trucks’ medium-duty Croner would serve as support trucks to transport diesel fuel for mobile generator sets that would be mobilised in the event of unexpected disruption. We need to quickly deploy mobile generator sets to minimise the duration of an outage. These mobile generator sets, which are equipped on trucks including on UD Trucks’ heavy-duty Quester, need to be stationary and operational on-site and must be refuelled from time to time to keep them going.”
Last year, TNB purchased nine units of the heavy-duty UD Quester trucks, which comprised of seven units of 18-tonne trucks and two units of 24-tonne trucks that are now being used as mobile generator sets deployed across the country.
Steve Hedouin, Managing Director, UD Trucks Hub Malaysia & Oceania said, “UD Trucks feels honored that TNB has decided to purchase UD Croner to provide the support for the mobile generator sets. UD Croner was specifically made for growth markets like Malaysia, with versatility, uptime and safety in mind. It is one of the most fuel-efficient trucks in its category as it combines a new engine series and a more aerodynamic cab design. This truck was built and designed to deliver extra productivity and superior uptime and we truly believe that UD Croner will serve TNB’s needs well.”
According to TNB’s Fleet Management Department, there are positive feedback from their drivers on UD Croner which include easy drivability and comfort over long distance, strong safety alert features, fuel-coaching system that helps to improve driving behavior by prompting the driver to use optimal revs and reduce unnecessary acceleration and TCIE’s fast aftermarket service response.
Jaclyn Loy, Chief Operating Officer, TCIE added, “We would like to thank TNB for putting their solid trust and confidence in UD Trucks and TCIE to provide reliable transport solutions. This truly highlights a successful relationship with a valued customer based on our brand promise to go the extra mile, which comprises quality products and strong aftermarket support that we have been providing to TNB.”
TCIE has an extensive network of 43 services centers and dealerships nationwide. Any purchase of UD trucks will be supported by UD Extra Mile Support services which includes UD Genuine Service and Parts, UD Driver Training, UD Telematics Services and UD Trust Service Agreements for customers.
UD Trucks Malaysia has unveiled the new Quester with enhancements to the well-established Quester heavy-duty truck at the Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo 2019 held at the MINES International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC) from 20-22 June.
The New Quester will enable logistics companies in Malaysia to tackle critical industry challenges and boost their bottom line through Smart Logistics.
Building on proven robustness and reliability, the new Quester introduces key features such as ESCOT automated manual transmission, retarder, electrical cab tilt, engines with higher horse-power and user-friendly telematics. These deliver greater productivity, fuel efficiency, uptime, driver efficiency and safety.
Fuel efficiency, battle for talent, productivity and connectivity are top priorities for fleets and transport companies in Malaysia and these challenges will be addressed with new features such as ESCOT and UD Telematics. The introduction of New Quester in Malaysia and in fast-growing regions around the world highlights UD Trucks’ unwavering commitment of “Going the Extra Mile” for customers’ businesses.
Steve Hedouin, Managing Director, UD Trucks Hub Malaysia and Oceania said “New Quester is the truck that can help meet our customers’ requirements and expectations to manage their key business challenges. We have developed New Quester with the ‘Gemba Spirit’, by being close to the ground, listening to the needs of our customers.”
To boost productivity and profitability for business owners and logistics companies, the New Quester also achieves further enhanced fuel efficiency of up to 10 percent from the current Quester with the ESCOT automated manual transmission.
A game changer in the transportation business, New Quester with ESCOT takes away the need for manual gear shifting, which can happen between 1000 to 1500 times in a day. ESCOT automatically selects the optimal gear at the right timing based on the operating condition. This enables drivers to easily learn the operations of New Quester and better focus on driving with ease. Automatic gear selection enables an average driver to obtain the driving result of a skilled driver.
Thus, New Quester also aims to help businesses expand the pool of talent with easy-to-operate gear lever that uses a straight shifting pattern. New Quester opens the doors for companies to attract even more prospects to pursue truck driving as a career and diversify the pool of talent for this role.
UD Trucks today unveiled New Quester with enhancements to the well-established heavy-duty truck. New Quester will enable logistics companies to tackle critical industry challenges and boost their bottom line through Smart Logistics.
To be introduced in fast-growing regions around the world, the launch of New Quester highlights UD Trucks’ unwavering commitment of “Going the Extra Mile” for customers’ businesses.
Building on proven robustness and reliability, New Quester introduces key features such as ESCOT automated manual transmission, engines with higher horsepower and user-friendly telematics to deliver greater fuel efficiency, productivity, driver efficiency, safety, and uptime.
Since 1995, UD Trucks has delivered more than 80,000 trucks with ESCOT automated manual transmission.
ESCOT includes a software which optimizes gear shifting according to engine rev, vehicle speed, loading weight and even road gradient. The smart system also includes a sensor that will select optimum gear automatically instead of assuming a first gear selection.
The new Quester’s enhanced fuel performance also aligns with the increasing focus on environmentally friendly regulations to curb fuel consumption in target markets. New Quester achieves fuel economy and quality standards for heavy-duty vehicles of Euro 3 to Euro 4 in all target markets, effectively reducing overall carbon footprint globally.
ESCOT automatically selects the optimal gear at the right timing based on the operating condition. This takes away the need for manual gear shifting, which depending on the transportation operations, happens 1,000 to 1,500 times a day. Automatic gear selection also ensures that every driver on New Quester is equivalent to a highly skilled driver. This enables drivers to easily learn the operations of New Quester and better focus on driving with ease.
In addition to making driving simple, New Quester also aims to help businesses expand the pool of talent with easy-to-operate gear lever that uses a straight shifting pattern. In target markets such as Thailand, for example, the number of female Quester drivers is increasing due to its drivability. New Quester opens the doors for companies to attract even more prospects to pursue truck driving as a career and diversify the pool of talent for this role.
The new Quester is also developed with an air suspended cab and ride comfort package with reduced cab vibrations up to 18 percent. Driver’s comfort is also enhanced with ergonomic seats and lumber support for long-distance assignments.
Owners of New Quester also enjoy increased uptime with a 2.5 to 3 times longer clutch life span under ESCOT automated manual transmission as compared to manual clutch replacement depending on the operating condition, driving behaviour and vehicle maintenance.
UD Trucks and its sole distributor partner, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd presented the all-new light duty truck, Kuzer, a truck that is made to deliver extra for customers. Kuzer is the newest member of the UD Trucks range joining the popular heavy-duty Quester and the medium-duty Croner in the list of offerings by the leading Japanese truck manufacturer.
Exhibited for public preview at the launch of the highly anticipated Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2018, Kuzer, the new light duty truck combines a powerful and robust engine with agile and practical design for exceptional performance and maneuverability. Kuzer is made to deliver extra with its robust build and design, modern solutions and strong engine power.
Made to Deliver Extra
“We are very happy to be to be back for the 9th KLIMS and to showcase our latest innovations in trucking solution for smart logistics. Together with our long-time partner, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment, our participation in this important industry event is a response to market demand for logistics solutions that can maximize productivity and uptime. As such, we are proud to put on public preview our latest addition, the all-new light duty Kuzer in Malaysia. Following the vision of UD Trucks’ founder, Kenzo Adachi to make the truck the world needs today”. Kuzer is the perfect truck for urban driving, especially the narrow roads of inner cities,” said Steve Hedouin, Managing Director, Hub Malaysia and Oceania, UD Trucks.
The name ‘Kuzer’ is inspired by the Japanese onomatopoetic sound of wind, taking on the meaning ‘run as if flying swiftly against the wind’. Kuzer is the ideal truck for urban distribution and a perfect combination for both business owners and truck drivers as it delivers reliability, durability, fuel efficiency, power, performance, comfort. Kuzer comes with a modern touch and carries the UD Trucks’ heritage and design of the hexagon grille, a family look that can also be found on the Quester and Croner.
Built with the latest Japanese technology, Kuzer is flexible enough to pass through tight and limited road access, maneuver optimally with its short radius, providing a pleasurable journey. Kuzer has the largest cab in its class, providing the driver a spacious and comfortable environment when driving or taking a short break. Combined with a new generation of CRS engine, the Kuzer offers superior power and performance, taking the light duty commercial truck productivity to the next level.
Kuzer is set to revolutionize customers’ day-to-day business and it is the perfect light duty truck for modern city distribution. The optimized engine, gear ratio and aerodynamic cab design of the Kuzer gives superior fuel efficiency, hence lowering cost and increasing profitability.
