Truck assemblers move to explore ways of meeting localisation demands

The local truck assembly industry does not fare as badly as widely perceived in terms of the local content on heavy vehicles produced in South Africa, says Daimler Trucks and Buses executive director Kobus van Zyl. Despite the fact that truck tractors are assembled in semi-knockdown (SKD) fashion in South Africa, with the cab fully imported, local content on a linked truck–trailer vehicle can reach around 50%, he notes.