Manufacturers have always cared about what the customer thinks about their products. In the commercial vehicle industry, this is often expressed in terms of economics. Perhaps it needs an industry outsider to make the question of customer satisfaction about empathy instead of, or in addition to, materialism. Recently, I spoke with somebody who is prepared to bring feelings into a conversation that normally deals with facts only – Ali Javidan, the founder and CEO of Range Energy, a startup firm based in Mountain View in California’s Silicon Valley.

Almost all the capital expenditure is to go on new product development, says CEO

In a press release announcing its half-year results, VDL Groep stated its intention to “strengthen” its bus and coach subsidiary through North American access and the acquisition of Van Hool’s factory in North Macedonia, where it produced vehicles for the NA market.

With the upcoming IAA Transportation event in Hanover, Germany (September 17-22), just around the corner, a company that is hoping to make a splash is Italian powertrain manufacturer, FPT Industrial (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Iveco Group).

This modern facility, one of Europe's most advanced cable plants, will allow the company to significantly increase production. The move involved transferring 870 staff members and 180 pieces of machinery from their former site in Stieberstrasse, Roth, which had been in use for over 100 years.

CEO Klaus Rinnerberger will be CEO until the end of 2027. Additionally, the contract of COO Ingo Spengler was extended until the same date, while CFO Dr. Harald Nippel will continue his role until April 2026.

The company will showcase a range of new products under the theme "Innovating transportation from road to cloud". This year's focus includes digitalisation, sustainability and autonomous driving technologies for commercial vehicles.

In our last feature on Maxion Wheels in Turkey, I made only brief mention of a very recent and significant development at the Manisa site: the construction of a new plant for forged aluminium wheels, designed not for light vehicles but for heavy trucks and other commercial vehicles. The decision to enter the CV aluminium wheel market was announced by Maxion Wheels at the last IAA Transportation in 2022; the news is important enough that it deserves an article to itself, and so I interviewed Matt Brest ahead of IAA Transportation 2024, where Maxion Wheels will show its forged aluminium wheels to the public for the first time.

The acquisition is expected to leverage the expertise of the Roberto Nuti Group to enhance SI Airsprings product offerings as well as strengthen its global market position.

The formal split and formal establishment of the two entities will take place at the start of the next fiscal year, i.e. April 1, 2025.

The facility houses a diagnostics lab and tear-down area with staff responsible for training service engineers on product maintenance and repair, remote diagnostics and engine optimisation.

According to GM, this transition is part of its broader strategy to streamline operations and reduce costs by consolidating its electric vehicle offerings under established brands.