Owing to its geo-strategic location, the UAE has been a hub for logistics solution, with some of the biggest names in the industry availing its infrastructure and facilities. In the sphere of material handling equipment, no other brand comes close to Toyota as it consistently provides logistics solutions to fulfill customer expectations. Established in 1926 by Japan’s ‘master of invention’, Sakichi Toyoda, Toyota Industries Corporation was founded produce his innovative automatic loom. Toyota Motor Corporation became independent from Toyota Industries Corporation in 1937 with the ambition to produce ‘Made in Japan’ automobiles.
Deep commitment to high quality products and service, and a passion for pioneering creativity and innovation are the driving powers for Toyota, enabling it to become the world’s leading brand of material handling equipment. In more than a half-century of successful history since 1956, Toyota has been dedicated to realising superior material handling solutions, carefully analysing customers’ demand at their actual worksites. TMH has become a market leader in light duty trucks with the company operating in the UAE since the late 60’s and currently enjoy the majority market share in the Japanese branded vehicle market segment.
A Commercial Success
Hino, an established Japanese truck brand which is now a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, was founded in 1910 and established as a separate company in 1942. It is the largest manufacturer of trucks and buses in Japan. Since 1987, Al-Futtaim Motors has been the sole distributor of the Hino brand in UAE.
Al-Futtaim Motors’ Commercial Vehicles (AFM-CV) division supplies businesses in the UAE with a range of Hino trucks and Toyota Material Handling equipment. Furthermore, the division offers customers a well-established network of facilities with 3S facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Al-Futtaim Motors is the exclusive distributor for Toyota forklifts and BT warehouse equipment.
Under the Hino brand, HML represents the Toyota Group in the global market for trucks and buses. The company enjoys a large market share in other Asian markets and in Australia too with its global operations serving a growing range of customers in North America and in other regions. AFM-CV shares strategic synergies and collaboration with Hino and TMH specifically in terms of a customer-centric approach, best-in-class systems and business excellence protocols, investment in new sustainable product lines (electric and hybrid technologies), and offering full-value chain solutions.
In recent years, the division has worked closely with Hino and TMH to achieve remarkable results in the UAE market. This includes winning multiple annual sales achievement awards, witnessing increased market share growth and dominance y-o-y. Ultimately, this has made AFM-CV the largest Hino distributor in the region, in terms of volume and expansion network. The company’s growth came as a result of increased demand for commercial vehicles and to provide comprehensive tailor-made solutions to Hino customers including genuine spare parts, service contracts, 24/7 service support, and specialised technicians in addition to financial, rental and insurance packages. Worldwide sales of Hino brand trucks and buses total about 100,000 vehicles a year. Hino and its global distributors are working to assert an even stronger presence in the global marketplace.