Truck industry 2020: The future is global - Roland Berger

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Truck industry 2020: The future is global
> Many components/functions could certainly be interchangeable
between regions, although several executives see regional differences
in the forseeable future
> Minor regional differences will still be necessary to accommodate varying
legal requirements, differences in infrastructure and customer/driver
preferences. These differences should be catered to by an intelligent,
modular kit and must be kept as small as possible
> The synergies enabled by platform architectures must be leveraged
in two dimensions: across regions (as OEMs move into new geographical
territory) and across segments (as they increasingly cross the lines that
hitherto divided the premium, budget and low-cost segments)
Networks
> Purchasing, for example, should no longer be centralized but must
instead be regionally or locally based. One interviewee (representing an
OEM) realized savings of over 30% by applying this policy. At the same
time, strong global coordination is essential to ensure systematic
exploitation of all benefits
> Suppliers who have a global reach should deliver strategic parts worldwide.
This policy should be combined with using regional suppliers
for less critical low-value parts
> Harmonized truck concepts necessitate harmonized global service
networks. A global logistics provider that sources its worldwide fleet
with a single OEM, say, will expect the same level of service in
Mumbai as in Michigan