Manufacturing

Daimler and DHL launch truck parts centre in Dubai

By Richard Rawlinson

November 28, 2022, 12:43 PM

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz trucks are widely used in Middle East
Centre is part of DHL electric vehicle (EV) and battery logistics hub

Commercial vehicles company Daimler and logistics provider DHL are to launch a Daimler truck parts facility in Dubai in December.

The new parts centre will open in Dubai World Central, the economic zone supporting logistics and businesses around Al Maktoum International Airport.

Daimler Commercial Vehicles Mena (DCV Mena) and DHL Global Forwarding have forged a long-term strategic partnership to manage and operate the Daimler Truck Dubai Parts Centre.

It will serve as a state-of-the-art warehouse for truck parts in the Middle East, offering customers more dependable parts availability and shorter turnaround times.

Daimler Truck AG’s flagship Mercedes-Benz trucks are widely used by regional customers. The new centre is part of the region’s first ever electric vehicle (EV) and battery logistics hub, built by DHL Global Forwarding. It comes as the demand for battery-based EVs increases in the Gulf.

The new centre is part of the region’s first-ever electric vehicle and battery logistics hub, built by DHL

Alexander Schneider, general manager of customer services at DCV Mena, said the facility demonstrates the company’s “unwavering commitment to keeping the world moving by ensuring its customers’ vehicles are on the roads, with minimal downtime for service and maintenance.”

The partnership comes as UAE-based automotive service provider OWS Automotive last week signed an agreement with King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Saudi Arabia to establish its head office and main facility there.

The agreement will see the two groups provide vehicle remanufacturing, assembly, upgrade and reset facilities within the city, ultimately creating nearly 1,000 new jobs in the process.

It will help to further cement KAEC as a key hub for the regional automotive industry and also represents a significant boost to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, which seeks to diversify the kingdom’s economy.

“We’ve had a presence in the UAE since 2010 – every major government and fleet owner is now a customer of ours – and so it is time to look beyond the UAE’s borders,” Oweis Zahran, CEO of OWS Automotive, told AGBI.

“It was only a matter of time before we moved to Saudi Arabia. With all the investment they’re pouring into the economy it makes sense to get on board.

“We’ve seen how rapid the growth was in Dubai, as well as other emerging economies, and Saudi is catching up quickly. I believe it’s the future of the Middle East.”