Vipar’s President Baer Named CEO

Chris Baer Photo: Vipar Heavy Duty

Vipar Heavy Duty has successfully completed its leadership succession plan with the board of directors naming company president Chris Baer as the new CEO, effective immediately.

Baer assumed the duties of president of Vipar late last year. He replaces former president and CEO Steve Crowley, who retained his role as CEO during a transition period. After serving 16 years with Vipar, Crowley has officially retired.

“The board adopted a strategic succession plan nearly three years ago to ensure the long-term success of the organization,” said Bill Nolan, Vipar chairman. “By building upon the talent and experience of our existing leaders, we were able to execute the transition while continuing to invest in the development of our team. Assuming the role of CEO was a natural progression for Chris, who has proven to have the experience and vision necessary to succeed in the ever-changing aftermarket and to strategically position Vipar Heavy Duty and its family of companies for growth both now and into the future.”

In January, Baer introduced a new management structure and new leadership roles to help the company achieve its aggressive growth goals. Before joining Vipar Heavy Duty, Baer was with Chicago Rawhide/SKF for 17 years in a variety of sales management roles, including director of automotive aftermarket sales.

Baer also served as a member of the AWDA Young Executive Society (YES) committee and earned the Automotive Aftermarket Professional (AAP) designation from the University of the Aftermarket. He is a 2014 recipient of the Northwood University Automotive Aftermarket Management Education Award. Baer is a graduate of North Park University in Chicago.

“I appreciate the board's confidence in my leadership and the talented individuals that support our organization on a daily basis,” said Baer. “As we kickoff ‘G3,' the third phase in our history, our entire team ...Read the rest of this story

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Mack Takes Upfitting Online with Body Builder Portal

The Mack Granite dump model. Photo: Mack Trucks

Mack Trucks has introduced the Mack Body Builder Portal, which brings all of the company's body builder resources together in a single online location.

The Body Builder Portal acts as a one-stop shop for body builder needs, giving customers, body builders and dealers the tools they need for a body upfit process. Resources available through the portal include wiring schematics and links to industry associations, such as the American Concrete Pumping Association, as well as contact information for Mack's Body Builder Support Team and Mack's concrete pumper support line.

In 2015, Mack created its Body Builder Support Team, including a body builder order manager position focused on ensuring effective collaboration among body builders, dealers, and customers during the body ordering process.

Also included are revised body builder manuals for all Mack models, which have been updated with simpler navigation. A custom-designed PTO pump speed calculator is also available.

“Mack's strong reputation for application excellence is built on delivering trucks that meet our customers' specific needs, which in many cases includes body modifications from body equipment manufacturers,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales, Mack Trucks North America. “With the new Mack Body Builder Portal, we're making it even easier for customers and body builders to easily access the information they need to best modify their vehicles.”

The company also recently announced that the Mack Granite model is the top selling heavy-duty conventional straight truck in the U.S., based on IHS Markit U.S. new commercial vehicle registrations.

“Mack is proud to have earned the trust of customers who chose the Granite model more than any other heavy-duty straight truck in 2016,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales for Mack Trucks North America. “We look forward to continuing to meet the needs of our customers' applications.”

For more information ...Read the rest of this story

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Freightliner’s Inside Man

Martin Daum Photo: Daimler Trucks North America

Martin Daum is the type of fellow who gets things done. Case in point: Last year, in his role as president and chief executive officer of Daimler Trucks North America, Daum got The Rolling Stones to play at the American Trucking Associations' convention in Las Vegas to help Freightliner celebrate the launch of its new Cascadia model Class 8 truck.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to negotiate with Mick Jagger or to get The Rolling Stones to do anything?

Last week, Daimler Trucks North America caught a huge break when the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG – essentially the strategic/leadership committee that guides Daimler's worldwide operations – named Daum to its Board of Management with responsibility for the company's global truck and bus operations. He is succeeding Wolfgang Bernhard, who left for personal reasons, Daimler said, after overseeing some of the most stunning technological advances the trucking industry has witnessed in decades.

I have to think my friends at Daimler Trucks North America were turning backflips when the announcement was made. Because Martin Daum oversaw Freightliner attain the dominant position in Class 8 marketshare during his tenure and is intimately familiar with the wants and needs of this market. The news that Daum will now head up Daimler's global truck and bus business cannot be construed as anything but positive for the Freightliner and Western Star brands.

North America – and the United States in particular – remains the preeminent truck market in the world. Daimler has hardly ignored this part of the world, as its recent technological and marketshare successes confirm.

But now, with the global head of the company's truck and bus operations taking over fresh from the States, it seems logical to assume that Daum's intimate knowledge of this market, the concerns ...Read the rest of this story

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