MAN Truck & Bus Middle East, the regional representative of Germany’s MAN Truck & Bus, saw a strong surge in performance in region to close 2014 with a 35 per cent increase in sales in the UAE and 4 per cent in Jordan.

The positive sales performance comes on the back of a stronger brand perception and steady growth for the transport sector and demonstrates the strong growth momentum for MAN moving into 2015, a statement said.

Mohamed Razzaqi, brand manager of Darwish Bin Ahmed and Sons, the exclusive MAN distributor in UAE said: “2014 was a very successful year with 35 per cent growth in volumes compared to 2013. With the Government policies prioritizing economic diversification, we see a stimulus for investments which will also have a positive impact on the transport industry. With our product solutions, which we adapt according to the market requirements and our excellent after sales services we expect to continue our growth in 2015.”

“We had a very successful year in 2014. One of our successes was a follow-up order of 70 units, a mix of MAN products like garbage compactors, rotopress trucks, tippers and tractor heads which shows the high level of trust for MAN products from our customers,” said Zeyad Zeidan, sales & marketing manager of Integrated Automotive, the exclusive MAN distributor in Jordan.

“In 2014 we also entered the bus market delivering the first two MAN coaches to Jordan. We expect further growth in 2015 comparing to 2014 but the willingness to invest and the economic growth depends on the political situation around us.”

Franz von Redwitz, managing director of MAN Truck & Bus Middle East, said: “We have witnessed steady growth in the Middle East region in 2014 and see that in markets where MAN holds the market leadership, we were able to stabilize and even increase this position. In other markets, we have increased our share tremendously to become market leaders in 2014.”

“We are therefore very satisfied with the performance in 2014 and are looking forward to a very promising 2015 in which we can already see an increase in order intake of 19 per cent. With a full order book, this sets up a good platform for us and we will continue to provide our customers with our innovative and diverse product range and the excellent support from our valued distributors to be their preferred partner of choice in 2015,” he added.

Globally, the MAN Group generated sales revenue of €14.3 billion ($15.4 billion) in 2014, down 10 per cent year-on-year.

MAN Truck & Bus generated sales revenue of €8.4 billion ($9 billion), down 9 per cent compared with the previous year. By contrast, there was a slight improvement in operating profit, which increased from €309 million ($333 million) in 2013 to €384 million ($413.7 million).

MAN Truck & Bus recorded an operating profit of €152 million ($163.7 million), while MAN Latin America contributed €65 million ($70 million). The MAN Group’s operating return on sales increased from 1.9 per cent in the previous year to 2.7 per cent in 2014. – TradeArabia News Service