"We will put emphasis on our duty to save energy and respecting the environment"
Interview with Skip Clark, Director General of Allison Transmission to Europe, Middle East and Africa
Drafting Interempresas18/03/2008
March 18, 2008
allison transmission is a provider of automatic gearboxes recognized worldwide for commercial vehicles and hybrid propulsion systems. During his visit to Spain, Skip Clark, Director General of Allison Transmission to Europe, Middle East and Africa, provided an overview of the results and objectives of the company through this interview.
In general terms, how it assessed the performance of Allison during 2007?
2007 has been another good year for Allison Transmission. It has been characterized by a remarkable change in the structure and ownership of the company, as well as continuing our business worldwide expansion and success.
How you appreciate the presence of Allison in Europe, Middle East and Africa in recent years?
2007 was the third successive year with record of performance in the Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2000, Allison began to prepare the foundations for its future growth generating the capacity to produce the boxes of the 3000 series in Hungary changes. The capacity of these facilities were further expanded in 2005 and Allison added the series 4000 products to its portfolio of products manufactured in Hungary.
During the past three years, Allison has made important investments both at the level of staff and the service channel necessary to promote and support the rapid expansion that we have achieved. We have opened offices in Sweden and Russia and are in the process of doing so in Turkey and Middle East. We have expanded the coverage of our services and our support in Eastern Europe, as well as working with our channel partners in the region to increase an already consolidated presence.
What are your products 'Star' and why you think that they have come to be?
The business of Allison focuses primarily on four areas: trucks, off-road vehicles, military vehicles and buses.
As for trucks, the 'Star' products are series 3000 and 4000 which for a long time have been the reference point for fire, emergency and waste collection vehicles, although lately they demand for other sectors such as distribution and construction. Allison gearbox technology has contributed significantly to facilitate driving and increase the performance of these vehicles.
With regard to transport out of road or off-road vehicles, thanks to their products of the 5000 Series 9000, Allison is the only company sufficiently qualified and positioned to provide its support to the transport of passengers, goods and work with heavy metals.
In the area of military vehicles, the 1000 and 2000 Series are fast becoming a point of reference for vehicles of 4.5 to 12 tons. This is explained by the enormous performance and reliability of the Allison gearboxes in this demanding sector.
Finally, on buses, stand out the series of products Torqmatic and innovative hybrid systems Ep40 / Ep50. This combination of products for bus provides a wider range of coverage of industrial products, and has helped Allison reach a development unparalleled in this sector of the market.
Allison gearbox technology has contributed significantly to facilitate driving and increase the performance of these vehicles
What is the State of Allison in the Spanish market? What Spanish sector role in his most important Allison products?
We have seen that our presence in the Spanish market has grown steadily over the past years. This growth has been driven by the increasing acceptance of the automatic gear boxes in our main sectors (collection of waste, fire and emergency) and our growth sectors (distribution and construction) goal. In addition, our efforts in the military sector with Transdiesel and Urovesa have been very productive.
What role plays Transdiesel for Allison in the Spanish market?
Transdiesel is the face of Allison in this market. Ensures that Allison could play 'the brand promise' offer a "unique combination of quality, reliability, durability, professional value and service to the customer".
As for the future, what they can expect truck drivers and owners of fleets of Allison, especially with regard to product development?
Our customers can continue to wait that the technological innovations of the sector of gearboxes will couple to the development of the new European engines and the evolution of the client's expectations. We will put emphasis on our duty to save energy and respect the environment.
Why do you think that Urovesa chose the automatic transmission of Allison Transmission for a very special as the Vamtac vehicle? How would you describe the result?
It was by the excellent performance of the product, by his superb value proposition by the excellent maintenance provided by Transdiesel and the community of European engineers of Allison. I think that Urovesa and customers are happy with the performance of the Vamtac and Allison Transmission.
Which sectors it hopes to have greater potential for Allison in the immediate future?
The bus, with the Torqmatic product range and our hybrid systems. The trucks: the traditional sectors of fire and emergencies, and a new development in the construction and distribution sectors. As far as the military transport, we will see increased demand for the products of the 1000 series.
What expectations does Allison for 2008 and the next few years?
Allison Transmission introduced the automatic transmission in the market for commercial vehicles in 1947. In 2007 he produced and we sold our number 5,000,000 gearbox.
Our hope for the coming years is to continue leading the technology of automatic changes boxes. We want to increase our presence in markets outside North America and capitalize on the trend continued towards a better automation in the international market of commercial vehicles.
Skip Clark, left, and José Sierra, Managing Director of Urovesa.
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