Quietly almost surreptitiously Daimler Truck and Bus has been moved into a new stand alone corporate entity in Australia moving it out of the structure of Mercedes Benz Australia and its car and van divisions.
There was no official announcement made nor apparently will there be for some reason, but the move was confirmed by Daimler Truck and Bus execs in Melbourne over the weekend.
Until now Daimler Trucks was part of Mercedes-Benz Australia Pacific but the move sees Daimler Truck and Bus Australia now operating as its own corporate entity in the truck and bus business.
“This is a great development for Daimler Truck and Bus. We are now a fully dedicated truck and bus company. This change will allow Daimler Truck and Bus to intensify our focus on our customers who have different needs to van and car customers. It also gives us increased flexibility and will enhance our ability to better respond to customer needs as we pursue our sustainable growth strategies,” said Daimler Truck and Bus Australia CEO Daniel Whitehead.
“Daimler Truck and Bus is in the unparalleled position of offering our customers a complete commercial transport solution with our three unique brands; Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, and Fuso.”
“Our dealers are a one-stop shop for trucks and buses, covering all the major market sectors with the best products from Europe, the United States, and Japan. Following this process, we are now in an even better position to leverage this strength through our extensive dealer network.”
The structural changes seem largely administrative although Daimler execs are emphasising that it will deliver the operation more flexibility as well as streamlining reporting processes and other lines of communication and does not signal any sort of ugly or messy divorce.The truck operation still remains a subsidiary of the Daimnler global corporation.
Realistically the Truck and Bus operation, Mercedes-Benz cars and Mercedes-Benz vans have all been operating as separate divisions in Australia since 2014 but the latest phase means that the three divisions will function as separate legal entities from October 1 as part of a global Daimler strategy.
Daniel Whitehead as head of Daimler truck will see his title will change from managing director to CEO of Daimler Truck and Bus Australia.
Similar structural changes have already taken place in the UK and Spain and more are expected to come in other markets soon.
Daimler Trucks Aust. has already hired more staff and will be adding more in time given that many previously shared functions are now separate.
Nothing will change for any of the 42 Daimler Trucks Australia dealerships across all three brands
