Daimler gears up to be future-ready for trucks and buses

The BharatBenz brand manufacturer is working on a host of initiatives this decade in the mobility space. Satyakam Arya, MD &CEO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, tells Murali Gopalan what the roadmap could look like.

- Murali Gopalan

It is a catchy, yet profound, line from Satyakam Arya's point of view. "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war," says the MD & CEO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV).

The reference is to the extensive efforts that have gone into making the company more robust especially during the last two years when Covid-19 spread like wildfire across India. "When the markets are low, the more you sweat and when they return, the less you bleed." says Arya while exuding confidence that the BharatBenz brand maker hopes to reap the dividends from a strong market this calendar.

Sure, the Russian onslaught in Ukraine continues unabated while crude prices continue their rollercoaster ride. Input costs have gone through the roof too but it is not as if it is the end of the road either. "We always play in the long-term and have started our journey of transformation for the next decade. The vision is to be future-ready," continues Arya while outlining his company's top four priorities for 2022.

One, to be the frontrunner in redefining mobility in commercial vehicles; two, to have greater focus on mobility as a service; three, create a lean, digital and agile organisation which can deal with volatility and transformation aspects; and finally, make DICV the preferred choice of employer.

"Skills and talent are another area of focus because this is what is important for the transformation. We are changing things that were a given for decades," says Arya. For instance, diesel was always the fuel of choice but this could change going forward. Likewise, there was no talk of digitalisation for processes or interface with customers earlier.