UD Trucks Southern Africa (UDTSA)’s historic founding dates back in 1962 and this year, marks 90 years of the brand’s existence globally. This significant milestone reflects the brand’s legacy locally as one of the leading brands in the commercial vehicle industry. Renowned for offering cutting-edge products in the Light, Medium, and Heavy segments, produced from its assembly plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria.
As is customary, UDTSA started the year with its Annual Press Conference on 27 January 2025, at Cradle Boutique Hotel near Johannesburg with local media stakeholders in attendance. At this exclusive event, UDTSA announced its annual business results, which highlighted the overall new vehicle market at 10.2% with aggregate industry sales at 32 912 compared to the total sales of 30 807 in 2024. Additionally, UDTSA recorded laudable performance of over 50% in Service Agreements and remains market leader in Euro 5 vehicle sales, attesting to its vision of “Better Life”, bringing more sustainable transport solutions to South Africa.
Filip Van den Heede, Managing Director UD Trucks Southern Africa comments on the performance: “2024 was a year marked by both domestic and international unpredictable operating conditions which to a certain degree impacts how we do business. However, I am particularly pleased at the company’s overall performance and the unwavering support we offered our customers throughout the year despite the prevailing industry conditions. This is testament to the right resources we have in place that helps us continue to go the extra mile for our customers to keep their trucks on the road where they belong – a robust nationwide dealer network, excellent OEM support, fit-for-purpose products and aftermarket services, parts availability, and most importantly, improved uptime, ensuring our customers profitability, productivity, and continuing to pave the way for Better Life for South Africa and its people with more sustainable transport solutions.”
Product improvements to meet growing customer business needs
With the brand’s proven success of providing ultimate dependable trucks, that offerhigh- level of fuel efficiency, reliability, durability, drivability, and uptime. UDTSA continues to challenge itself with product development and future mobility solutions to cater directly to the customer’s business requirements and industry’s demanding safety and environmental standards with modern technology.
With innovation that puts people first, the Quon feature enhancements that set the benchmark on safety and uptime have been introduced and these include features such as traffic eye control cruise with stop and auto go, improved traffic eye brake system with VRU (Vulnerable Road User), improved driver alert system and emergency brake signal.
Rory Schultz, Sales Director, UD Trucks Southern Africa comments: “Our aim is to be our customers’ ultimate business partner to help them move their businesses forward. It is for this reason that as a brand, we constantly review our local product range in line with customer business requirements. Over and above these enhancements, UD Trucks globally continues to innovate in the new NEV spaces through engaging in different partnerships.”
In addition to product innovations, UD Trucks places a strong emphasis on driver training as a core offering to ensure customers derive maximum value from their vehicles. This commitment was exemplified in 2024 when UDTSA participated in the global finals of the Extra Mile Challenge where it received notable recognition for performance excellence. The challenge highlights not just vehicle reliability but also the critical role of skilled drivers in delivering value for customers’ businesses. By focusing on comprehensive solutions that include both advanced products and driver training, UD Trucks truly goes the extra mile for its customers.
Maximizing uptime, maximizing profitability
Maximizing uptime and profitability remains at the core of UDTSA’s offering, ensuring customers avoid unexpected interruptions and costly repairs. These solutions allow vehicles to spend more time on the road driving business success and less time in the workshop.
The uptime services include among others: UD Trust Standard or Ultimate Service Agreements (offering predictable maintenance costs for up to five years with options for service-only). With these comprehensive plans, UDTSA continues its strong trajectory of growth, with penetration rates reaching new heights. In 2023 the brand indicated an increase of over 40%, whilst in 2024, the team took it a notch higher with a further realization of 50% Year to date (YTD). This success underscores UDTSA’s commitment to delivering lifetime value to its customers, guaranteeing uptime, profitability, and increased second-hand value.
Furthermore, one of the biggest impacts on customer uptime is the time lost while waiting for parts and improving customer uptime is when parts are available at the dealership. Through the support from Japan with specific focus on the South African market, implementation of predictive systems, a dedicated team that investigate exceptional demand patterns, as well as the data received from vehicle sales and collaboration with Service Agreements data. UDTSA has been able to strive for a minimum availability of 96%, the best achievement in the last decade. This has ensured that at dealerships parts are available in the morning when they start working on the trucks, resulting in efficiency and productivity in the workshop, demonstrating ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction and uptime.
In addition, UDTSA’s uptime services also include industry-leading UD Connected Services, telematic solutions that enable business owners to monitor driver behavior and vehicle health, ensuring operational efficiency, and safety. Genuine Service is also a key contributor to delivering uptime by providing maintenance schedules customized to individual specification and conditions of the vehicles, keeping them in prime condition to deliver the maximum uptime.
Lastly, complementing these offerings is the UD Road Support Call Centre, available 24/365 days, working hand in hand with the robust nationwide and strategically positioned dealer network which allows customers access to expert assistance whenever they need it.
Sanjay Naipal, Aftermarket Director, UD Trucks Southern Africa emphasizes the importance of these solutions: “As UD Trucks, we understand that for any fleet owner, the biggest pain points are unexpected breakdowns and downtime. With our fully-fledged uptime solutions, we are confident in giving our customers complete peace of mind, reaping the benefits of the preventative measure which result in significantly improved organisation of workshop visits and huge reduction on breakdowns.”
Reaffirming commitment in Southern Africa
2024 unfolded as a triumphant year for UDTSA, as the company was once again recognized by naamsa, The Automotive Business Council amongst the best-performing brands in the entire automotive value chain, across various segments and categories. At naamsa’s 2024 Accelerator Awards, UDTSA scooped three awards for its distinguished efforts of driving transformation and empowerment in the medium-heavy commercial vehicle (MHCV) sector, namely: Job Creator - MHCV Employment Award, Youth Empowering MHCV Award, and Women Empowering MHCV Award. This recognition not only concedes UDTSA’s ongoing efforts in driving meaning change in the industry and societies but further strengthens the company’s dedication and commitment in making Better Life for people – particularly in the areas of job creation, youth development, and gender inclusivity.
In another noteworthy industry recognition, UDTSA was bestowed with a gold award in the commercial vehicle sector by National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) DSI Awards – a coveted recognition that speaks to the company’s relentless commitment to going the extra mile and the confidence and faith dealers have in the brand. The awards follow a stringent survey of the local dealer network, which measures areas such as dealer standards, communication, relationships, training and overall aftermarket support.
Better Life - making life better for people and societies
Furthermore, UDTSA expanded its partnership with Commercial Transport Academy (CTA), following the launch of CTA’s first-ever Bus Driver Development Program in 2024. There are approximately 30 female trainees that will benefit directly from this initiative, off which, UDTSA sponsored a new Croner Bus PKE 280 65-Seater to CTA to intensify the training efforts. As a company that is guided by its purpose of “Better Life”, it is this very purpose that spurs UDTSA to join forces with companies such CTA through the shared vision of making life better for people and the societies we operate in.
In another industry transforming initiative which further cemented UDTSA’s efforts to making Better Life for people and societies. The company took part in the inaugural Truck Driver Safety and Wellness Symposium, hosted by the National Department of Transport, in collaboration with SaferStops Association. The initiative was curated with the key objective to recognize truck drivers for their invaluable contribution to the economic success of South Africa – in addition to giving prominence to the important issues such as health, safety, and wellness faced by truck drivers. A key symbol of meaningful collaboration that aims at keeping the wheels turning for the industry.
Additionally, to mark Mandela Day UDTSA and SaferStops Association joined forces to donate winter hampers to approximately 350 truck drivers at Vaal Truck-Inn Truck Stop - situated next to the N3. The hampers included essential winter items aiming to provide comfort and warmth during the colder months. This initiative underscored UDTSA's unwavering commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its dedication to the well-being of those at the heart of the logistics industry.
90 years of providing products and services that the world needs today
2025 is a special year for UD Trucks globally, celebrating 90 years of innovation since its establishment in 1935 and over the years, the brand has continued providing products and services that the world needs today.
With the brand promise of “Going the Extra Mile”, UD Trucks offers products with a high level of fuel efficiency, uptime, reliability, durability, drivability, while meeting future mobility solutions. Always providing the best solutions to transportation challenges, UD Trucks will continue to support the development of the logistics industry and contribute to the economic growth in all the markets it operates in for the next 90 years.
“As we gear up to the remarkable future, we remain dedicated to the success of the Southern Africa region and going the extra mile to provide our customers with ultimate dependability for the next 90 years,” concludes Van den Heede.
