Ben Clay, Managing Director, DHL Supply Chain(K), East Africa Cluster tries his hand in the driver’s seat of the new Isuzu truck that is part of a fleet supplied by General Motors EA. Looking on is Charles Kariuki, Chief Financial Officer, GMEA, at the auto firm’s premises in Nairobi.
DHL Supply Chain (SC) (K) Ltd kicked off a partnership with General Motors EA (GMEA) through an acquisition of Isuzu fleet of trucks for supply chain transport solutions.
This engagement is the first time the logistics firm has contracted a local motor assembler to supply truck units for specified customer needs.
The deal was cemented by a hand over ceremony of six Isuzu trucks, valued at approximately Kshs. 50 Million and will complement an additional 89 trucks, owned by DHL SC, following a great relationship between the firm and Isuzu Japan.
GMEA Chief Finance Officer Charles Kariuki commented that the partnership is a great example of successful business to business interaction in the country and signifies the continued growth of the truck segment in the local auto industry.
“In the global spectrum, Isuzu Japan and DHL SC have built a strong business relationship over the years and we are honored to kick off a business relationship,” Charles said, adding, “this first hand over of Isuzu trucks serves as a foundation for what we foresee to be a valuable strategic partnership,”.
The trucks purchased include the Isuzu FSR (two), Isuzu FVZ (three) and the Isuzu FVR (one) to be used in Kenya market specifically by Unilever- DHL customers- for distribution of stock within Nairobi area.
The fleet is the first procured by DHL SC (K) for Unilever, sourced down to size and load requirements, as originally the firm sub contracted vehicles to cater to Unilever’s transport requirements.
Ben Clay, Managing Director, DHL Supply Chain, East Africa Cluster applauded GMEA for the efficiency and turnaround time in completing the order placed at the end of February this year.
“This is the first time DHL SC Ltd buying a fleet from a local assembler and we are impressed by the delivery and quality of the vehicles set to hit the road by end of this week.” Clay added.
Moreover, the steady growth the local commercial vehicle segment, drove GMEA to engage a customer focused campaign targeting buyers at the county level, with the aim of increasing market share, which currently stands at 21.6%.
At the close of March 2014, a total of 4223 units were sold, up from 2878 by the same period last year.
@Miryamme Ogutu.