**MÉRIDA, YUC.** – The premise of Grupo GAL in its unit renewal strategy is clear: the focus is on the operator. However, placing drivers at the gravitational center of the business has also resulted in an unusual shift.
This logistics group, with significant influence in the Yucatán Peninsula, acquired a total of 50 Scania R 450 6×2 cab-over trucks, units that are hard to find in this region of the country.
Traditionally, this group had been a frequent customer of Freightliner. In fact, 85% of their current fleet, around 400 units for both primary and secondary distribution, is composed of the German brand.
Grupo GAL received its first 17 Scania units this Thursday and expects to deploy the rest by the end of the year.
Their executives are adamant in stating that the decision to bet on the Swedish brand was also based on the promise of its after-sales service. “With the circumstances that occurred a couple of years ago, we decided to diversify our fleet,” said Alejandro Vargas Canto, Chairman of the Board of Grupo GAL, during the symbolic handover ceremony.
The executive was referring to the exit of Volvo Trucks from the Mexican market in 2020, which left various transport companies, who preferred the brand, adrift.
“It is a nationally significant account, and we are very excited to work with you,” said David Hernández, National Sales and After-sales Manager of Scania Mexico, who also revealed that the manufacturer will invest around 10 million dollars to expand its after-sales service network, especially in the Mérida branch, where it plans to triple its service capacity.
The southeastern region of Mexico has yielded good results for Scania in recent years. According to Aidé Rincón, sales representative for the Southeast and Caribbean Division, this area represented between 13 and 14% of the manufacturer’s total sales in 2023, and saw a growth of around 300% compared to 2022.
Last year, Scania sold 2,520 trucks in the Mexican market, according to data from the Administrative Registry of the Automotive Industry of Heavy Vehicles of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
In the last two decades, Grupo GAL (ranked 60th in the Top 100 Autotransport, by Grupo T21) has specialized in providing logistics services focused on perishable consumer goods (such as live animals or processed food), including transportation, distribution, warehousing, and inventory management.
Their influence in the market extends beyond the Yucatán Peninsula to the Bajío region of Mexico. Armando Cantú, Director of Operations of Grupo GAL, stated that the new Scania units have created high expectations among their drivers, positively impacting talent retention. “This will help us with the issue of the shortage of operators,” he said.
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