Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa is founded
Connectivity, autonomous driving, digitalisation of transport services and electrification are just a few of the innovations that are revolutionising the concept of mobility.
Image Supplied by Mercedes-Benz South Africa
To sustain its pre-eminent positioning in the commercial vehicles market and to prepare it for the future, Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA) was established as a separate legal entity dedicated to focus on current and future truck and bus customer needs within the Southern African region (South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho). As a market-leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, DTBSA aims to become further established as a supplier of premium commercial products and services, placing customer satisfaction first.
Commenting on the establishment of the new entity, Chief Executive of Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa Jasper Hafkamp said:
“In everything we do, we focus on our customers. Our mission and reason for existence is to make our customers more successful – with the best products and solutions. The establishment of a new, legal entity in Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa will sharpen our strategic focus and provide the entrepreneurial freedom to respond quickly and flexibly to the unprecedented changes happening in the automotive industry. Becoming a standalone entity enables us to concentrate fully on our customers and enter into more flexible partnerships for the future success of the business. As such, 2019 promises to be an exciting year, and one that is full of opportunities. In addition to the new corporate structure, we will also be expanding our product range within the Southern African region whilst retaining our reputation as the embodiment of innovation, technology, safety and relentless commitment to our customers’ safety.”
The establishment of DTBSA as a separate legal entity is in line with Daimler AG’s implementation of its ‘5C strategy’, which is focused on the development of five closely-related themes designed to promote the growth and success of the Group: to strengthen the core business (CORE) globally, confirm the status of the Group as an industry leader in tomorrow's new mobility sectors (CASE), adapt the company's corporate culture as regards innovation and sustainability (CULTURE), and consolidate the divisional structure, making it more flexible (COMPANY). At the centre of these strategic components is our fifth and most important C: the CUSTOMER.
With regard to the fourth pillar, COMPANY, in July 2018, the Daimler AG Board of Management and Supervisory Board approved the Group's new corporate structure, which is divided into three legally distinct entities - Mercedes-Benz AG for the Cars and Vans divisions, Daimler Truck AG for the Trucks and Buses divisions and Daimler Mobility AG for Daimler Financial Services AG - under the aegis of Daimler AG.
In South Africa, the implementation of PROJECT FUTURE resulted in the establishment of DTBSA to offer increasingly targeted commercial mobility solutions to its customers. Now operating as a separate legal entity since 1 January 2019, DTBSA will continue to operate in the truck and buses market for our customer’s benefit by providing optimal experience, value-added and tailored applications and services as well as attractive Daimler brands in Mercedes-Benz trucks, Mercedes-Benz Buses, FUSO and Freightliner (parts & services). DTBSA also assembles Mercedes-Benz trucks and buses, as well as FUSO trucks from its East London London manufacturing plant.
