Under the patronage of His Excellency Mohammed Bin Salim Bin Said Al Toobi, Minister Of Environment and Climate Affairs, MAN celebrated a historic milestone – 100 years of commercial vehicle manufacturing.
Gracing the occasion were Ambassadors, leading personalities from the public and the private sector and a top management team from MAN, Germany.
On this historic occasion, presenting Sheikh Mohammed Saud Bahwan, Chairman, Saud Bahwan Group with the prestigious Management Excellence Award, Mr. Markus Geyer, Senior Vice President, MAN Truck & Bus AG, remarked, “I would like to congratulate Mr. Mohammed Saud Bahwan for the outstanding performance of Arabian Engineering Services. I also would like to express my thanks to the Chairman for his wise leadership and huge investments in state-of-the-art facilities, human resources and customer care initiatives which have brought MAN to its premium position in Oman today. My thanks also go to the Arabian Engineering Services team for their compelling commitment and customer orientation, which has created great confidence in our brand over the years.”
“Tonight we are here to celebrate 100 years of Commercial Vehicle Manufacturing by MAN. Within this long history, Oman played and especially will play a major role and we are much honoured to be represented by Arabian Engineering Services our long standing partner in Oman since 1981. We are looking forward to celebrate 35 years of partnership with Arabian Engineering Services next year, which makes them our longest standing partner in Middle East. With that history there comes a lot of experience and we are proud to have one of the most experienced teams in the Middle East here in Oman with an excellent knowledge of the MAN product and service portfolios.”
Further elaborating on MAN’s historic 100-year journey, he said, “Everything started in 1915, June 21st, when a new company was entered in the trade register of the City of Nuremberg: “Lastwagenwerke M.A.N.-Saurer”. Soon the first MAN- Saurer 3-tonne truck left the joint factory in Lindau at Lake Constance. It was followed by the first buses, which were used for long-distance-routes by the Imperial Post Office. They transported passengers as well as letters and parcels. This was the starting shot of successful commercial vehicle business at MAN – it has already lasted 100 years and it still continues! Today, we offer our customers a complete truck and bus portfolio of light, medium and heavy-duty trucks, as well as city and intercity buses, coaches and chassis.”
Accepting the award Mr. Mohammed Saud Bahwan remarked, “I humbly thank our valued customers for their continued patronage over these years. I also take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Mr. Geyer and the team at MAN Truck & Bus AG for their constant support, guidance & encouragement.”
Earlier in the evening, in the welcome speech, a Saud Bahwan Group representative said, “It is a matter of great pride that this year, MAN Truck & Bus celebrates the important milestone of 100 years of commercial vehicle manufacturing.” Reflecting on the various steps Arabian Engineering Services has taken towards customer satisfaction he remarked, “AES gives top priority to customer satisfaction and has made considerable investments in state-of-the-art facilities across the country and a nationwide network of branches. This has been backed by innovative marketing strategies, strong after-sales support and extensive customer care activities. As a result, today MAN trucks & Buses are among the most preferred heavy vehicles in the market and are increasingly being relied upon to carry out demanding jobs.”
“I am delighted to inform you that in the last two years, in Oman, MAN has achieved outstanding sales figures which are amongst the highest in its history, demonstrating the confidence that customers have placed in Arabian Engineering Services and MAN. Thank you customers for your trust and support which has helped make this happen.”
The special evening had two very valued customers share their experiences with MAN and AES. Mr. Rashid bin Saif bin Mohammed Al Rajhi, Chairman, Al Rajhi Group of Companies, conveyed, “We are a 100% Omani owned Group, consisting of 10 different companies offering a range of products. We have a special liking for MAN and bought our first truck in 1986. Today I am happy to inform you that we have an active fleet of about 80 MAN trucks. It is indeed commendable that MAN has been a brand leader in Oman for the last many years. It certainly speaks volumes about MAN’s product quality, consistency and durability and I compliment the MAN team present here for being a part of such a wonderful organisation.”
“Arabian Engineering Services has equally contributed to the success of the MAN brand in Oman. After all, a product like a truck – which is a commercial product has to be kept running well if it has to succeed. Excellent back-up is required in terms of a wide service network, easy availability of spare parts, expertise in customer education and above all willingness to do that little extra for the customer when he needs it most. I thank Arabian Engineering Service for fulfilling these requirements and being a reliable, trusted partner of the trucking industry in Oman,” he concluded.
Another very important customer, Mr Sultan bin Saud bin Ahmed Al Shidhany, Managing Director, Sultan Shidhany Group of Companies spoke about the trust and confidence he places on MAN and AES. Elaborating on his experience, he said, “We bought our first truck in 1990 and it was a MAN. We have not looked back since then. Today we have a fleet of almost 120 MAN trucks. Our company is involved in meeting the logistical needs of the Oil and Gas industry. We work with several clients including PDO, Occidental, BP, Halliburton, Schlumberger to name a few. My experience with the MAN product has been extremely satisfying. As I mentioned when I started this company 25 years back I started small. I needed a reliable, rugged truck. I needed a truck with reasonable cost of operation. I needed an assured after sales back up to ensure that my trucks are not off road for too long. I must say MAN and Arabian Engineering Services fulfilled all these needs. I have experienced other brands of trucks too but overall I found MAN trucks to be best suited for the varied operating conditions which we experience in Oman. No doubt the product is excellent, technologically advanced but a truck unlike other products requires a lot of support in terms of after sales service, spare parts availability, training of drivers, operators and maintenance staff. Arabian Engineering Services has excelled in all these areas and has made MAN a brand leader. I compliment Sheikh Mohammed Saud Bahwan on his visionary leadership and dynamic approach that he has adopted in setting up world class facilities for the MAN brand.”
The evening evoked positive responses from guests. As one customer remarked, “MAN’s 100-year journey has been remarkable and they have an excellent partner, AES here in Oman.”