Dammam-based Al-Khaldi Transport recently concluded a deal with Daimler Commercial Vehicles MENA and Juffali Industrial Products Company (JIPCO), the authorised distributor of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles in Saudi Arabia, for 539 units of the full range of Mercedes-Benz medium- and heavy-duty truck models sold in the MENA region.
According to a statement by Daimler, the models include the Accelo and Atego, the Actros 4×2 tractor-heads equipped with Mercedes PowerShift automated transmission, the Actros 6×4 and 6×6 tractor-heads, and the Actros 6×4 and all-wheel drive chassis.
All trucks ordered by Al-Khaldi come with tailor-made after-sales packages, including Driver Training, Technical Training and 24/7 Roadside Assistance, Daimler said. The trucks will be delivered by JIPCO in the second and third quarters of this year.
It is our clear ambition at Mercedes-Benz to build trucks fulfilling the highest standards and requirements, delivering quality and excellence to our customers. The latest major order of 539 Mercedes-Benz trucks by our standing customer Al-Khaldi Transport further proves that we (are succeeding) in our ambition, said Stefan Buchner, head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
This fleet deal is also the result of our new Regional Centre MENA in Dubai, which makes us even more effective in the Middle East and North Africa not only in sales, but also in customer services.
Sheikh Hamoud Al-Khaldi, chairman of Al-Khaldi, added: We have decided to further expand our truck fleet and, with this latest order, we will increase our total fleet of Mercedes-Benz Trucks to more than 1,000 units. With JIPCO and Mercedes-Benz we have strong and reliable partners ensuring our fleet operates at low cost and the highest availability, which is key to the success of our business.
Roland Schneider, president & CEO of Daimler Commercial Vehicles FZE, said: The order of 539 Mercedes-Benz Trucks, including after-sales package, impressively underlines the competitiveness and leadership of Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Saudi Arabia. We congratulate our strong and long-term partner JIPCO on this impressive deal and we thank Al-Khaldi Transport for their continuous commitment and trust in our brand and products.
Daimler added that Saudi Arabia is a core market in the MENA region for Mercedes-Benz trucks, with more than 43,500 units delivered since 2002, the year of the foundation of JIPCO. With a fleet of more than 1,000 Mercedes-Benz trucks, Al-Khaldi is one of the key customers of JIPCO.
Kobus van Zyl, CEO of JIPCO, said: This order has been the result of our customer centric approach where we are aiming to not only understand our customers operational risk and challenges, but also agree on solutions to ensure the highest uptime and lowest cost of operations. This was and will be an incredible team effort for the total term of the contract and beyond.
