VDO at the ComTrans trade fair in Moscow: Equipped for growth
Continental is presenting itself at the ComTrans trade fair in Moscow under the VDO brand. The company, a leading supplier to the commercial vehicle sector, is however not just a visitor to the trade fair in Russia: two plants and a national sales organization bear testament to the importance the company places on the up-and-coming Russian commercial vehicle market.
Moscow/Russia, 13 September 2011. Alongside China, India and Brazil, the Russian market for commercial vehicles is one of the most dynamic and promising markets in the world. In order to profit optimally from this growth and to be able to respond as quickly as possible to local trends, VDO is focusing carefully on this region, which acts as a link between Europe and Asia. The leading supplier and service provider to vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators and service operations is therefore not just presenting itself at the ComTrans industry summit (13 to 17 September) in Moscow with a large stand. The company is already also operating its own sales organization in Russia. "This allows us to keep a close eye on the market and gives us a direct point of contact to our customers", says Alexey Pokatilov, manager of the national sales organization in Moscow: "Our company thinks globally and is active worldwide but here we can, of course, also respond to our customers' needs on a local basis." This also applies to production: the parent company Continental first set up its own plant in Chistopol 15 years ago. The Kaluga site of the Powertrain division was added to this in 2005.
The main focus of VDO's trade fair and market development activities is on analog and digital tachographs and their sensor systems as well as electronic speedometers, toll systems and the KIBES on-board electronic systems. At the trade fair, VDO will also be presenting modular solutions such as cockpits along with its expertise in commercial vehicle systems integration. Furthermore, the KIBES electronic system will be presented live at the trade fair in the latest truck generation from KAMAZ and also in the new LiAZ city bus from the GAZ Group.
Here, the company is targeting fleet operators, vehicle owners and service operations as well as the vehicle manufacturers themselves. The company already has long-standing and close ties to the manufacturers in Russia. Accordingly, the Russian customers benefit from the worldwide expertise of their supplier and thus obtain access to global innovations which can be easily adapted to local needs.
The Russian market is still primarily oriented towards cost-efficient, sturdy and tried-and-tested technologies and products. However, there are currently a number of political initiatives which are accelerating technical progress and may make new solutions such as a digital tachograph or on-board unit for toll collection necessary in the medium term. VDO is also extremely well-equipped in this area: it is no mere coincidence that the company is one of the market leaders in these technologies in many regions of the world.
