Freightliner’s Dave HamesFreightliner today at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis unveiled its new Frameworks Truck Equipment Manufacturers Program. Dave Hames, general manager for Freightliner, says the new program is designed to formalize the relationship between the OEM and truck body upfitters.
“We recognize that for many of our customers we are not the final manufacturer of the vehicle they depend on,” Hames explained. “This combined package approach is designed to create ways to support truck equipment manufacturers with a variety of initiatives from design upfit planning and support, to financing. All of which is designed to make their jobs easier.”
Specifics include a two-day training program on Freightliner chassis’ and upfitting procedures. This educational program includes three dimensional digital layouts to help upfitters map out installation procedures using Freightliner engineering input. A v”visibility package” will also give upffiters greater transparency in tracking a vehicle thorough the entire upfit/transportation process — to avoid “black holes” where the truck’s location and status is uncertain, allowing upfitters and customers to manage their schedules better.
In other news, Daimler Trucks North America has also positioned its entire product portfolio on a “Daimler Row” on the Work Truck show floor to remind attendees as to the full scope of its product range. In fact, the company’s entire North American product range, from Mercedes Sprinter vans, Mitsubishi Fuso cabovers up to Freightliner SD Class 8 vocational models are represented in the new arrangement.
Here’s a video from the press conference:
[youtube pzcCMqdlXMg nolink]
