UD Trucks has this week announced the launch of an innovation roadmap which aims to deliver a variety of solutions for smart logistics.
The plan which includes moving to fully-electric and autonomous trucks towards 2030 has been titled “Fujin &Raijin. Vision 2030”.
UD says that the road map focuses on the key areas of automation and electromobility to address the challenges of a rapidly-changing world. The company says the plan stays true to its vision to ‘provide the trucks the world needs today’ and that the innovation roadmap takes a step-by-step approach together with customers to offer commercialised solutions for select automation and electromobility applications from 2020 with a view toward full-fledged commercialisation by 2030.
UD says in its statement that demand for parcel delivery is expected to grow 50 per cent by 2030, compared with the volume of 2014. UD goes on to say that to meet this demand, the logistics industry faces significant challenges, including a responsibility to reduce CO2 emissions, the growing scale of online commerce and driver shortages.
UD believes that transformative innovations in automation and electromobility are key to overcoming these challenges and providing customers with the trucks that fit their needs.
“When delivering on our promise to provide the trucks and services the world needs today, we have always done things a bit differently from others in our industry. As we now look forward, we are convinced that the world needs smart logistics,” said UD Trucks chairman, JoachimRosenberg during the roadmap’s announcement at the Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo on 23 April.
UD says it has taken inspiration for its innovation roadmap from the gods of wind and thunder, as depicted in a famous gold-embossed Japanese folding screen,“Fujin and Raijin”.
UD Trucks’ progress in automation is inspired by Fujin, the god of wind, who symbolises the power of movement, while its work in electromobility is inspired by Raijin, the god of thunder, who symbolizes the power of energy.
With “Fujin & Raijin. Vision 2030” UD says it is committed to developing smarter logistics solutions in these key areas, enabled by advances in connectivity and digitalization.
