EINDHOVEN, NL. – While driving along Rijksweg 2, the highway that connects Amsterdam with Eindhoven in the Netherlands, the just over 125 kilometers that separate both cities allowed a group of Mexican transporters participating in DAF Experiences to confirm the brand’s presence not only in the country but also in Europe, and to learn about the multiple applications that exist with the various models, which were put to the test on the DAF track.
DAF Experience is DAF ‘s proposal for customers, in this case Mexican transporters, to have an immersion with what this brand of Dutch origin represents and which will reach a century of life in 2028.
“DAF Experience brought together 26 transport companies from Mexico, along with the brand’s dealers in our country, and also featured the financial proposal with Paclease,” highlighted Jorge Cañedo, Sales Director of DAF Mexico.
At the presentation of the DAF plant in Eindhoven, the brand’s manufacturing headquarters, Jorge Cañedo stated that PACCAR, owner of the DAF, Peterbilt and Kenworth brands , has the mission of creating value for its companies and providing support for all trucks.
“PACCAR, like all global companies, has 87 years of positive returns for its shareholders, but those profits aren’t just distributed to investors. Instead, they’re focused on creating more and better trucks with greater technological capabilities worldwide. In the last five years, more than five billion dollars have been invested to generate more capacity and new technologies, to achieve a more efficient and environmentally friendly transportation system,” Cañedo added.
During a three-day visit, the transporters had the opportunity to tour the Eindhoven plant , witnessing the site where 200 trucks and tractor-trailers are manufactured daily, using advanced technology, and allowing them to see firsthand the high-tech manufacturing processes.
This factory consists of the engine plant, the stamping plant, the truck assembly line, the development center, an engine testing center, and the electric truck assembly plant; all in an area of 260,000 square meters (m2) where 7,500 employees converge.
The PACCAR Distribution Center (PDC) was also visited , from where the process for globally locating parts for the various models available, such as the Peterbilt, Kenworth and DAF brands, as well as TRP products, which can be used by other brands, could be identified.
Mexican transporters and distributors were also able to visit DAF’s cab and axle plant located in Westerlo, Belgium; from where 200 cabs and 550 axles are manufactured daily to meet the production needs of the Eindhoven plant.
At the Westerlo plant, which houses the cab and axle assembly facilities and paint booths offering over three thousand different color combinations, more than 140 robots play a key role in the cab and axle assembly process. This factory covers an area of 132,000 square meters and employs 2,500 people.
Globally, PACCAR has a presence with its Peterbilt and Kenworth brands, mainly in North America and some South American countries, as well as Australia, while in the rest of the world its presence is through DAF: Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
In addition to introducing the brand globally, Tim Plasberg, DAF’s Marketing & Sales Support Manager, spoke about the competitive advantages of DAF models, with advances in aerodynamics that allow it to offer better fuel performance and efficiency, as well as passive and active safety with new camera systems in the rearview mirrors or the development of the cabins.
In terms of efficiency, Plasberg specified that the new generation of engines for the XF, XG and XG+ models provide greater torque, better performance at low engine revolutions and thus greater productivity for carriers.
One aspect that Tim Plasberg highlighted is the evolution that PACCAR/DAF engines have undergone in complying with the EURO emissions standard, and where from EURO 4 in 2005 where the average consumption was 34 liters per 100 kilometers (2.9 km/lt), they are now at just over 25 liters with the new generation, that is, close to 4 km/lt.
In addition, Plasberg presented to Mexican carriers DAF’s capacity to meet decarbonization needs, with its diesel engines and emissions reductions, as well as electric vehicles, hybrid systems, and hydrogen alternatives.
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