Below is a Q&A TLME recently put together after interviewing the experts at Scania Middle East on the present industry, the future of it and how to remain number one in the sector.
1. Scania is world-renowned for its expertise in trucking, what has kept you at the top for so long?
Scania with its 127 years of history has made a mark based on its core values – customer first, respect for the individual, elimination of waste, determination, team spirit and integrity.
These values reflect our journey towards a more sustainable future and a role in the ecosystem, as well as our position within Volkswagen Truck & Bus. These values will continue to be integral to the way we run our company, building a global leadership in sustainable transport.
Scania being a world leading provider of transport solutions helps customers choose from customised heavy trucks, buses, engines and services, building a variety of cost-efficient and low-carbon solutions.
Adapting to industry-specific requirements and tailoring solutions to customer’s needs, Scania supports owners of truck fleets across the world and helps them increase their profits.
Whether the assignment is transporting heavy loads across continents, negotiating narrow laneways to deliver groceries, or carrying timber on rudimentary forest roads- Scania Trucks always have that little bit extra as a standard. Thus making them the natural choice for operators everywhere.
Currently, together with our partners and customers, we are driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system, creating a world of mobility that is better for business, society and the environment. Scania is at the forefront of technology and innovation when it comes to Automation, Electrification and Mobility.
We try to combine amazing driver experience with outstanding performance and efficiency, moving the business forward.
2. We understand you’ve now launched the ‘New Truck Generation’, could you explain some of its key features?
The New Truck Generation “NTG” was launched in the Middle East in October 2018. We were very pleased to have seen high interest and positive customer reaction on all our events in the different markets – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Scania takes a giant step into the future introducing new technologies, services and insights that help customers to get an overview of both costs and revenues.
This is not just a new truck range, it’s also a unique, ingenious toolbox of sustainable solutions with products and services that Scania is first in the industry to really be able to deliver.
Some of the key features of the NTG are its new design and shape of the front and chassis for improved aerodynamics, its powertrain updates resulting in exceptional fuel efficiency and driving performance, its extended storage options and Enhanced driver’s seat adjustment options, its maintenance based on your operation which results in increased uptime and profitability and unique safety features such as roll-over curtain side airbags.
3. Sustainability looks to be a huge theme in 2020, how are you leading the way in this regard?
Climate change is undeniable and is largely driven by the release of carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.
The inevitable effects are visible on Earth today. We all have a responsibility to stop global warming and to succeed, all forces must be engaged.
That is why Scania incorporates sustainability into each tailored solution we offer and everything we do, from research and development to its products and services.
While electrified vehicles might be the best alternative for some, biogas or HVO will be the only option for others.
In order to meet your specific demands, such as driving at night or in low-emission zones, Scania offers the widest range of alternative fuels in the industry. In 2018, Scania initiated ‘The Pathways’ study to see how a future fossil-free transport system could look like by 2050.
Taking a “back-cast” modeling approach Scania could see how different scenarios could look like. The main conclusion from the study is that it is possible but also financially attractive from a societal perspective.
As a forerunner to the UN Climate Action Summit in September, Scania conducted the Scania Climate Day taking a small step by pausing operations to carry out training in climate science and sustainable operations and also asking our employees to suggest measures that can reduce their Climate footprint at work in the short, medium and long term. In addition, we also learned about the devastating effects of climate change.
4. Safety is another key theme at the moment, what are you doing to increase the safety of people?
When it comes to safety, there are some people who know what needs to be done before everyone else.
Spending entire days in their vehicles, tackling the health hazards that come with the job and always focusing on the safety of their fellow road users, our drivers are the key to creating the safest vehicle. That’s why every single feature is born out of their experience.
At Scania, we’re taking the driver’s seat to create the safest possible vehicle based on our drivers’ experience of ensuring the safety of other road users. Thanks to generations of thorough research, design and testing, Scania vehicles have proven to be exceptionally safe.
5. How do you see the future of trucking?
A couple years ago, we at Scania introduced 3 new technologies – Connected, Electrified and Autonomous which we believe will change and shape the future of the transport industry.
These are the main technological advancements that Scania is using to drive the shift and make a change
If we go back in time, it all started with the invention of the wheel, which was the first major invention to land-based transport.
The next major shift took 5,000 years later and that’s when we had the steam & coal-based transport system and then we further moved to the oil & combustion.
These inventions have undeniably shaped the transport system as we know them today and we can also see the GDP growth, the economic development and the welfare system has improved substantially due to these technological advancements.
However, the CO2 emissions have also been accelerating faster that the GDP growth rate due to these technologies, which is a huge problem we are facing today and cannot neglect.
Hence, we need to break this CO2 emissions curve from rising and luckily enough at Scania, we can do so with the new technological shift to – Connected, Electrified and Autonomous solutions which further leads to a sustainable transport eco-system.