Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. announces investment of up to 5 billion yen over 2019 in its owned retail network in Japan

• The Mirai Project is a seven-year initiative to revolutionize MFTBC’s domestic owned retail network.
• Select outlets will be refurbished, rebuilt or relocated.
• All outlets will implement comprehensive process improvement and mindset change initiatives.
• Seven outlets will undergo refurbishment in 2019: Tomakomai (Hokkaido), Koriyama (Fukushima), Kita-Itabashi (Tokyo), Hoshizaki (Aichi), Himeji (Hyogo), Matsuyama (Ehime), and Tosu (Saga).
• Hartmut Schick, President and CEO, MFTBC: “The Mirai Project underlines our commitment to being number one in customer service in the Japanese commercial vehicles industry. With upgraded facilities and improved processes we will service our customers better and help to make them more successful.”

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC; headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President and CEO Hartmut Schick), in line with its Mission to be number one in customer satisfaction in the commercial vehicles industry, announces an investment of up to 5 billion yen in projects initiated in 2019 for its owned retail network in Japan.

This investment is part of the Mirai Project, a seven-year initiative that aims to revolutionize MFTBC’s owned retail network in Japan. With Japan’s declining population and rapid shift of populations to urban centers, MFTBC must service a customer map that looks very different than it did in decades past. Looking toward the future, upgrades to equipment and facilities are needed to help customers make the most of new technologies like all-electric drivetrains and connected vehicles, both of which MFTBC has been rolling out steadily in recent years, namely with the world’s first series-produced all-electric light-duty truck the eCanter, and the commercial vehicle connectivity platform Truckonnect/Busconnect. Customer expectations for swift and high quality service are high as competition remains tough in the Japanese commercial vehicle market.

The Mirai Project meets these challenges by combining “soft” and “hard” approaches. On the soft side, all MFTBC owned retail outlets will implement comprehensive process improvement and mindset change activities as had been previously begun at certain outlets under the “Retail Excellence” initiative.

The hard side of the Mirai Project is an assessment of all of our domestic owned retail outlets based on “the three R’s”: Refurbish, Rebuild and Relocate.

·       Refurbish: Selected outlets will be upgraded with enhanced interiors, increased numbers of work bays and expanded parking space

·       Rebuild: Selected outlets will be rebuilt to the same standards described above

·       Relocate: Based on a broad reassessment of our retail footprint in Japan, select outlets will be relocated depending on where our customers need us to be. Where needed we will relocate outlets to increase ease of access and turnaround time.

Further, all owned retail outlets in Japan will have at least one work bay dedicated to e-solutions installed. Within 2019 refurbishments will be completed in the following 7 locations: Tomakomai (Hokkaido), Koriyama (Fukushima), Kita-Itabashi (Tokyo), Hoshizaki (Aichi), Himeji (Hyogo), Matsuyama (Ehime), and Tosu (Saga).

At the announcement of the Mirai Project, MFTBC President and CEO Hartmut Schick said, “The Mirai Project underlines our commitment to being number one in customer service in the Japanese commercial vehicles industry. With upgraded facilities and improved processes we will service our customers better and help to make them more successful.”

Media Contact

Florian Laudan, Head of Communications, Daimler Trucks Asia
Phone: +81 44 330-7970 E-mail: florian.laudan@daimler.com

Humza Ahmad, Manager, International and Domestic PR, Corporate Communications, MFTBC
Phone: +81 44 330-7857 E-mail: humza.ahmad@daimler.com

FUSO at a Glance
FUSO is a Daimler Truck brand, covering nearly all regions around the world. FUSO’s light-duty to heavy-duty trucks (GVW 3.5–49 tons), vans, industrial engines, and buses are sold in more than 170 markets. The FUSO brand is based on four core brand values; Trusted Quality, Economic Efficiency, Solid & Functional Design, and Committed Services.

MFTBC at a Glance
Based in Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. In 2018, the company sold 164,000 vehicles including light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks and buses under the FUSO brand, with 89.29% of its shares owned by Daimler AG and10.71% by various Mitsubishi group companies. MFTBC is an integral part of the Daimler Trucks division of Daimler AG.