Scania Group President & CEO Henrik Henniksson On Driving Customer Profitability through Sustainable Transport Solutions

Scania Group President & CEO Henrik Henriksson was in Malaysia recently and had a short meet-up session with a small media group at the company’s headquarters in Bukit Jelutong. 

The first question that the group raised regarded Volkswagen Group’s proposed float of Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH. Volkswagen Truck & Bus is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG and a global leader in commercial vehicles with it brands MAN, Scania, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus and RIO. Its product range includes light commercial vehicles, trucks and buses. 

Sitting on two boards, Scania as well as the Management Board of Volkswagen Truck & Bus, Heninksson was clearly the right person to answer this question. He said although the ownership question was being raised of Volkswagen Truck & Bus, the developments that they had were very successful. They were keeping all the doors opened for the future and he said there were also global expansion plans. 

Scania benefits from resources of Volkswagen Group 

“Scania is part of the Volkswagen AG’s commercial unit and this allows us to benefit a lot from the resources of all the 12 brands under the Group. We work together mainly on the research and development side such as long-term product development and platforms on battery technology as well as autonomous, connectivity and powertrain components. Group synergies enable us to boost innovation and increase energy and cost efficiency, resulting in solutions that create value for our customers. Operation-wise, we are competitors in sales and services. We meet the other brands under the Group in the market but we have different positioning. We are strong in different areas and have separate strategies. ” 

He pointed out that Scania invested heavily on the integrating value chain. Thus, it was not just a manufacturer but also a solution provider. 

“Scania operates in 120 countries and has about 50,000 employees. Of the 50,000 employees, about 22,000 work in the sales and services network worldwide, which shows its strong focus on service and customer relationships. I would say the Scania’s ‘Go and See’ concept best describes the reason for my visit to Malaysia. As a solution provider, we need to meet our customers and the team in this region. Meeting customers on a regular basis is a routine so that we know the market trend and situation. To create value for the customers, we have to be aware of the opportunities and challenges that they face.”

Sustainable transport, he explained, was all about moving people and goods while contributing to economic and social development without jeopardising human health and safety or endangering the environment. For Scania, it was evident that sustainability and profitability go together, here and now, and increasingly so in the future.

According to him, Asia was one of the most encouraging areas for Scania where its model –which focused on total operating economy and vehicle uptime – was starting to resonate with customers.

Profitable and Sustainable Transport Solution Approach

To do that, Scania tailored solutions that eliminated waste and improved efficiencies in the entire transport flow based on its three-pillar approach to sustainable transport – Energy Efficiency, Alternative Fuels and Electrification, Smart and Safe transport – which included vehicles and services, optimised for its customers’ operations to improve fuel efficiency and maximise  vehicles’ time in operation.

Its sustainable transport solutions also included driver training and coaching that were aimed at better fuel economy and reducing the impact on the environment, thus creating value for its customers and making their businesses resilient for the future

Driving customer profitability through sustainable transport solutions and pursuing responsible business, stressed Henriksson, were complementary, long-term perspectives to continuing to be a profitable company.

That approach saw Scania’s net sales rising to a record high for its 2017 financial year – during which it intensified efforts to drive the shift towards a sustainable transport system – with an increase of 15 per cent compared to the previous year along with increases in operating income and revenue while vehicle orders surpassed the level of 100,000 for the first time as order bookings for trucks rose by 30 per cent compared to the previous year.

“Our success is built on our ability to provide our customers with profitable and sustainable transport solutions that contribute to the success of their businesses. Scania’s business model, our principles, working methods and approach to sustainable transport would continue to be the platform for how we create value for our stakeholders.”

This included initiatives in Malaysia where Scania was the first to introduce an enhanced and industry-leading 3-year warranty with unlimited mileage together with 3-year Scania Assistance and 10-year Scania Fleet Management for the trucks sold for operators to get the best Total Operating Economy.

Demand for sustainable transport solutions was also increasing from the customers of Scania’s customers who were the buyers of transport services for urban authorities, already prompting a switch to transport that used biogas, electric or other fossil-free energy sources.

“We work across boundaries with cities, operators and their customers too, taking the whole transport system into consideration in a systematic way. The world can’t wait for a ‘one size fits all’ solution; the conditions and issues vary so much from place to place that there is no silver bullet. We urge authorities and institutions to enable and simplify the use of them all. We have solutions here and now!

“Our aim is that wherever in the world you go to buy a Scania solution, you should be offered an alternative to a fossil-fuel vehicle. We are committed to making sustainable solutions our standard offer and fossil-fuelled the alternative. We have decided to take the lead in the shift towards a sustainable future of transport and logistics and we stand by it.”

Southeast Asia is future growth area

Henriksson noted that accelerating urbanisation was putting a huge strain on cities worldwide such as Kuala Lumpur where traffic congestion, environmental challenges and safety issues are facts of life.

“The huge growth in cities is driving innovation in both logistics and public transport as cities tackle congestion, pollution and road safety by turning to partnerships to provide new transport solutions.

“The world urgently needs to break the correlation between increasing demand for transport and increasing carbon emissions, noise, congestion and accidents. We are approaching a tipping point where the convergence of new technology and business models would result in a state where sustainable transport solutions would take off and become the ‘new normal’ and the current unsustainable solutions would be phased out.

“By being at the leading edge of this change journey Scania is better positioned to help its customers maintain and improve their profitability in a fast changing world. At Scania, we believe that there is no single solution that would take us to a sustainable transport system. Rather a holistic approach is called for, considering the specific transport assignment and the maturity of the logistics and infrastructure in different parts of the world.”

The good news, he added, was that Scania’s customers did not have to wait to adapt their businesses to a sustainable transport system because the solutions were already available.

Henriksson sees Southeast Asia as a future growth area and would continue to invest in Malaysia. “Our core markets such as Europe and Latin America had reached saturated growth. While we are looking a lot at the Middle East and Africa, the actual powerhouse now is Asia, with the centre of gravity being Southeast Asia.” 

Meanwhile, Scania Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Managing Director Marie Sjodin Enstrom said apart from building a new assembly facility for truck and bus chassis in Thailand, Scania had refurnished and extended its workshop in Port Klang, and would continue to invest in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak to be closer to its customers.

斯堪尼亚集团主席兼首席执行员亨里克松：透过可持续交通解决方案提升客户获益能力 

斯堪尼亚集团主席兼首席执行员亨里克松（Henrik Henniksson）近期在公司位于马来西亚武吉日落洞的总部，与媒体进行一场见面会。 

媒体向该集团提出的第一个问题是大众汽车集团献议的大众卡客车有限责任公司的变动。大众卡客车有限责任公司是大众汽车公司的独资子公司，也是全球商用车领域的领导品牌，旗下拥有曼（MAN）、斯堪尼亚、Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus和RIO等品牌。其产品范畴包括轻型商用车、卡车和公共巴士。 

亨里克松分别是斯堪尼亚和大众卡客车有限责任公司的董事成员，无疑是回答此问题的适当人选。他表示，虽然大众卡客车有限责任公司的拥有权引起市场揣测，但是该公司的发展非常成功。他们正在为未来敞开大门，甚至推出全球扩展计划。 

斯堪尼亚受益于大众汽车集团资源

“斯堪尼亚是大众汽车公司商业部门的一部分，这使得我们能够从集团旗下12个品牌的资源中获益。 我们主要是在研发方面合作，例如长期产品开发和电池技术平台、自动化，连接和动力总成零件。 集团的协同作用让我们能够创新，提高能源和成本效益，从而为客户创造有价值的解决方案。 在经营方面，我们在销售和服务领域是竞争关系。 虽然我们会在市场上遇到集团旗下的不同品牌，但我们有各自的定位。 我们在各别领域很强大，并且有不同的策略。” 

他指出，斯堪尼亚在整合价值链上投入巨资。因此，它不仅是一个制造商，而是一个解决方案供应商。

“斯堪尼亚在120个国家运营，具有约5万名员工。在这些员工当中，其中全球销售与服务网络就占约2万2千名员工，这说明我们非常注重服务与客户关系。我想说的是斯堪尼亚‘去看看吧’（Go and See）的概念，最能说明我到访马来西亚的原因。 作为一家解决方案供应商，我们必须与整个区域的客户和团队见面。定期与客户会面是一个例行惯例，以让我们更了解市场趋势和当前情况。 为了为客户创造价值，我们必须了解他们正在面临的机遇和挑战。” 

他解释，可持续交通运输的目的是透过人员和货物的移动，进而促进经济与社会发展，同时又不危害人类健康与安全和对影响环境。对于斯堪尼亚来说，可持续发展和盈利能力显然是并进的。未来只会越来越好。 

他表示，亚洲是斯堪尼亚最令人鼓舞的地区之一，该地区的模式侧重于总体营运经济和车辆正常运行时间 ，这些开始引起客户的共鸣。 

盈利和可持续运输解决方案

为此，斯堪尼亚根据可持续交通的三大支柱：能源效率、替代燃料和电气化、智能和安全交通运输（包括汽车和服务），针对整个交通流制定解决方案，从中减少浪费并且提高效率，同时也提升燃油效率和在最大限度内提升车辆的运行时间。 

其可持续交通解决方案包括驾驶员培训和指导，旨在提高燃油经济性，并且减少对环境造成影响，从而为其客户创造价值，使公司业务适应未来趋势。

亨里克松强调，通过可持续交通解决方案和追求负责任业务来推动客户盈利能力，是公司长期达到盈利的因素。 

该措施使斯堪尼亚2017财政年净销售额创下历史新高。在这段期间，该公司加倍努力转向可持续交通方案，营运收入和营业额按年增长15%，同时，所有卡车订购数量首次突破10万辆，按年成长30%。 

 “我们的成功建立在为客户提供盈利和可持续运输解决方案的能力，这些解决方案有助于他们在业务上取得成功。 斯堪尼亚的商业模式、我们的原则、可持续交通的工作方法和措施，将继续成为我们为股东创造价值的平台。” 

其中包括马来西亚的倡议计划，斯堪尼亚率先推出行业领先的3年保修服务，无限行驶里程，3年斯堪尼亚辅助（Scania Assistance）和10年斯堪尼亚车队管理（Scania Fleet Management） ，为卡车营运商获得最佳营运经济效益。 

斯堪尼亚的客户对可持续交通解决方案的需求也在增加，这些客户是城市里运输服务的购买者，他们正在转向使用生物沼气，电力或其他化石能源的交通工具。 

 “我们也与城市、营运商和他们的客户跨界合作，以系统化方式考虑整个交通网络。 世界不能等待‘一体适用’的解决方案，因为各地的条件和问题都不尽相同，这里没有银色子弹。 我们敦促有关当局和机构启用和简化所有使用措施。 我们现在就能提供解决方案！” 

 “我们的目标是无论您在世界上任何一个地方购买斯堪尼亚解决方案，您应该获得化石燃料车辆的替代选择。 我们致力于将可持续解决方案和替代化石燃料变成我们的标准产品。 我们决定率先转变，带领运输和物流迈向可持续的未来。” 

东南亚是未来增长区域 

亨里克松指出，城市化加速正给世界各地带来巨大压力，例如吉隆坡的交通堵塞、环境挑战和安全问题都是生活中的实例。 

“城市的巨大增长推动物流和公共交通领域的创新，因为城市通过寻求合作伙伴关系来解决阻塞、污染和道路安全问题，从而提供新的交通解决方案。” 

 “世界迫切需要打破不断增长的运输需求与碳排放、噪音、阻塞和事故之间的关联。 我们正接近一个转折点，新技术和商业模式的融合，将让可持续交通解决方案起飞，并且成为‘新常态’，目前，无法持续的解决方案将逐步被淘汰。 

 “通过处于这次变革的前端，斯堪尼亚能够更好地帮助客户在快速变化的世界中保持和提高盈利能力。 在斯堪尼亚，我们相信没有单一的解决方案可以将我们带入可持续的运输系统，而是要考虑到具体运输和世界各地物流基础设施的成熟度，从而采取一个整体方法。” 

他补充说，好消息是斯堪尼亚的客户不必等待其业务适应可持续交通系统，因为该公司的解决方案马上可以使用。 

亨里克松将东南亚视为未来发展领域，并将继续在马来西亚投资。 “我们的核心市场如欧洲和拉丁美洲已经达到饱和增长。 虽然我们在中东和非洲寻找很多机会，但现在的实力火车头是亚洲，重心则是东南亚。” 

同时，斯堪尼亚马来西亚私人有限公司董事经理玛丽（Marie Sjodin Enstrom）表示，除了在泰国建造卡车和客车底盘的新装配工厂外，斯堪尼亚也在巴生港口进行翻修和扩建工厂，并将继续在马来西亚半岛、沙巴和砂拉越投资以更贴近客户。