NLC to start assembly of Mercedes-Benz trucks in Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: Daimler AG, owners of Mercedes Benz and The National Logistics Cell (NLC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the local assembly and production of Mercedes‐Benz trucks in Pakistan.

NLC Director General Major General Mushtaq Faisal, Pak NLC Motors Chief Executive Officer Zia Ahmed, Mercedes‐Benz Special Trucks Head of Executive Committee Klaus Fischinger and Head of Sales Dr Ralf Forcher signed the MoU.

Also present at the signing ceremony were Shahnawaz Limited Director and General Manager Naseem Shaikh and Ahmed Naeem.

In a statement issued on Saturday, NLC said the local assembly of Mercedes‐Benz trucks will mark a major shift in the logistics and transportation industry’s preference towards European manufacturers who offer technologically advanced products that combine superior performance, environment friendliness, reliability and road safety.

Major General Faisal termed the MoU a historic moment for Pakistan’s commercial vehicle industry. “The local assembly of Mercedes‐Benz trucks would prove as a strategic opportunity that would leverage the modernisation of Pakistan’s logistics industry,” said the official.

“Because of the incentives given in the Auto Development Policy 2016‐21, locally-assembled Mercedes‐Benz trucks would be offered at competitive prices.”

He added the development will ensure healthy competition in the trucking industry and meet the logistics requirements of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Dr Ralf Forcher said Pakistan’s infrastructure and construction sectors have registered significant growth in recent years, giving a boost to the logistics industry that, in turn, means increased demand for commercial vehicles.

It is pertinent to mention that strong growth in Pakistan’s GDP has contributed towards a significant boost in greater demand for commercial vehicles. In addition, CPEC, which includes a wider transportation network that link seaports in Gwadar and Karachi with northern Pakistan, as well as points further north in China and Central Asia, has given a boost to the auto sector in the country.