INDUSTRY NEWS: Daimler plans regional consolidation for growth
WITH the Brazilian economy in major decline, many companies are focusing again on Africa. One of these is Daimler, which flew top management into SA to announce the formation of the new Daimler Regional Centre for commercial vehicles."On a global scale we have a very strong position," said Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the board of management of Daimler responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses. Global sales for the company increased 1% last year to 502,000 units. Bus sales were down 15% however, mainly due to the collapse in the Brazilian economy.Bernhard says the company is placing more emphasis on separating its business units."We believe it is important to separate passenger cars from commercial vehicles," he said."You don’t want to take a (Mercedes) Actros to the local coffee shop."It was also better to have markets managed by a region rather than from Stuttgart or Tokyo as had been the case, he said. The company is planning to have six regional centres around the world, with the...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.