Local business leaders and government officials were out in force for the opening of IVECO and OMATRA’s new facility in Beirut Lebanon earlier this week.
The inauguration was held under the patronage of Lebanese President Michel Aoun and attracted more than 200 guests, including government representatives, local authorities, business leaders and the national press.
The full IVECO line-up was on show, featuring two 6×4 and one 8×4 Trakker heavy trucks, two Eurocargo trucks, a Daily Van, a Daily Cab, one 8×4 Astra HD9, and three Daily vehicles equipped as food trucks.
OMATRA has developed a solid presence in the Lebanese territory, promoting IVECO commercial vehicles and contributing to the country’s economy, security and infrastructure, said IVECO in a a statement.
Among its customers are government agencies and companies in the private sector with firefighting equipment, specialised border control vehicles, ambulances, concrete mixers, food distribution transport vehicles and many more.
“Why did we invest in a period of economic recession and political unrest in the whole Arab world? Why did we invest now in Lebanon?,” said Nicolas J. Tueny, president, OMATRA. “Firstly, because we have great confidence in the ability of our country and our people to overcome all our present economic difficulties. Secondly, we have great confidence in the extraordinary engineering behind IVECO trucks. We believe that the investment and capital expenditure in trucks and transport, which are at the heart of productive economic activity, will continue. We believe that our country can be a strong platform for cutting-edge technology and can participate fruitfully in what is called the third wave of innovation economics, which is the knowledge-based economy built on the human mind as an asset.”
Leading truck manufacturer IVECO supplies the Middle East with a full range of on- and off-road vehicles as well as tailor-made solutions.The company said the launch in Lebanon fits within the brand’s vocation as a “major player in the international markets focusing on its core values: technology, TCO, sustainability and business partnership”.
“In the past two years we have worked with our local partner OMATRA to enhance IVECO’s brand perception in Lebanon,” added Fabio De Serafini, IVECO Africa & Middle East business director. “In particular, we developed an expansion plan together for the Heavy range business, with the aim of standing out from our competition by offering new tools and a best-in-class Aftersales service. This new state-of-the-art site that we are inaugurating today is the culmination of this expansion plan, which will enable our customers to enjoy IVECO service standards at levels of absolute excellence in Lebanon.”
With the new state-of-the-art premises in Beirut, OMATRA and IVECO said they: “Aim to help customers capitalise on the ownership of their vehicle, protecting their capital asset through an innovative aftersales and parts service by providing best-in-class support. Both companies share a long-term commitment to the environment and to providing customers with the best value for their investment and quality product that meets their expectations.”
