Do you ever wonder how some companies seem to continue to come up with innovative ideas over-and-over-and-over again? Perhaps you imagine they've found some magic formula.
The reality is that innovation doesn't just happen. You need to set up your organization so that it continually fosters innovative and creative thinking.
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...Read the rest of this storySpireon Inc. announced the appointment of Bob Burden as senior vice president of sales for Spireon's Fleet Division. An industry veteran with more than 12 years of experience in executive sales roles, Burden will spearhead sales to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as reseller and channel segments, with an eye toward continued market growth and executing industry-leading go-to-market strategies, the company noted.
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...Read the rest of this storyMADRAS, OR. Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) officially opened its new test facility here May 18, which the company said will speed the development of new vehicles and deployment of advanced technologies.
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...Read the rest of this storyMack exectives (l-r) John Walsh, Jonathan Randall, and Denny Slagle. Photo: David Cullen
">Mack exectives (l-r) John Walsh, Jonathan Randall, and Denny Slagle. Photo: David Cullen
">CHARLESTON, S.C. The head of Mack Trucks regards the state of the heavy-duty truck market as solid. “Everyone in the industry has succeeded in bringing inventory down to safe levels,” Dennis Slagle, president of Mack Trucks and Volvo Group executive vice president, said at a May 18 media briefing here.
“[Class 8] inventory industry-wide is now at a level that we can look forward to factories building for demand,” he continued. Slagle said the upshot is that this year Mack is forecasting North American truck sales of 215,000 units.
While he allowed that would be down from last year's total of 243,000, he said it reflects “the industry looking to adjust to true market conditions.” What's more, he said that "the underlying demand is healthier now than what we saw last year, so we see the market leaving 2017 in a stronger way.”
Along with the inventory correction, Slagle said he's pinning hope on President Trump holding true to his promise to foster policies favored by business interests. “We think, like everyone else, that the business-friendly environment of the Trump Administration— if he will get through the mismanagement he's done of the bureaucracy— could be helpful [to trucking], such as with infrastructure [spending] and reducing regulations.”
Slagle also hit on the importance of boosting customer uptime for the OEM. “Our greater focus will continue on the service side of the business,” he said, noting that when he entered the truck side of the business, coming from Volvo Construction Equipment, he was “surprised we were not talking as much about service as other things, such as fuel economy.”
He said Mack has in recent years “taken steps to really help customers manage and increase uptime,” including working “to harvest opportunities not just ...Read the rest of this story
May.18 -- Despite strong historical and cultural ties to China, the tiny state of Singapore has found itself in Beijing's crosshairs, in part for its stance over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Bloomberg's Brendan Scott reports on "Bloomberg Markets."
Chinese fighter jets have reportedly flown in an "unprofessional" manner near a US Air Force...
Photos: John G. Smith
">Photos: John G. Smith
">MADRAS, Ore. – Daimler Trucks North America has officially opened its High Desert Proving Grounds, representing a $18.7-million investment that will put the company's trucks through their paces – including connected, platooning and autonomous vehicles of the future.
“Every mile on the track is equivalent of 200 miles on some normal road,” explains Wilfried Achenbach, senior vice president – engineering and technology. Freightliner designs its trucks to last 1.2 million miles, so this track can replicate that level of wear in just 6,000 miles.
“The entire track has 3.5 miles and covers multiple maneuvers,” he says. “It replicates most of any road surface you can find around the world.”
Work to clear the 87 acres of land began in June 2015, while construction launched in May 2016. Now there are nine test lanes overall, as well as a 32,000-square-foot facility with 14 service bays, and several video monitors connect teams to Portland and beyond.
“The opening of this facility will ensure the future reliability of our products, as well as expedite future technologies that enhance our customers' bottom line,” said Roger Nielsen, president and chief executive officer.
It represents a new way for Daimler engineering teams to share information, too. The site is far closer to the company's Portland headquarters than an Indiana track that Daimler had been leasing from Navistar. These proving grounds won't be open to any other Original Equipment Manufacturers, but future tests could include selected suppliers, Nielsen says.
The 120-mile trip between Portland and Madras itself will itself be part of ongoing validation tests including portions of interstate, rural roads, and mountainous terrain through the Mount Hood pass, the company notes. For example, the route was used to validate the potential gains through truck platooning.
And many members of the Portland team will now be making regular trips over the ...Read the rest of this story
