•Sights set on tomorrow's transportation

•TRATON media event on October 2 in Stockholm/Södertalje

•'Innovation Campus' of three brands (MAN, Scania, Caminhões e Ônibus), together with customers and external partners

•World debut: First live showcasing of an autonomous concept truck

•First information at https://innovationday.traton.com

The three main drivers of innovation for TRATON are also the core components of the Innovation Day program include: modularization, software and systems, and people and collaboration. The TRATON management will be presenting solutions and new approaches from across the Group. The focus will be less on the manufacturer's brands alone, but also on customers and external partners from several industries and continents, who will be presenting their first-hand experiences and challenges.

Debut of autonomous vehicle and the innovation campus

A key highlight at the event will be an autonomous concept vehicle, being showcased to the public for the first time. The comprehensive program set up as a 'TRATON Innovation Campus' aims to create an atmosphere of in-depth interaction between invited journalists, TRATON management, experts, and customers, instead of just one-sided presentations. Many other partners and areas of the Group including e-mobility, automation, digital services, and new business models will be presenting exciting projects at an 'Innovation Expo.' The event is being held under the adage that a lot more can be accomplished together than by traditional manufacturers on their own.

Since it was established in 2015, known at the time as 'Volkswagen Truck & Bus,' the TRATON GROUP's stated goal has been to create a strong Group from three independent brands. With its performance over the past few years and setting the course for leveraging synergies and joint growth potential, the Group is progressing toward achieving the goal it set for itself of becoming a 'Global Champion' of the commercial vehicle industry.

Under Andreas Renschler's leadership, the three brands (MAN, Scania, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus), which are direct competitors in many regions, have stepped up their collaboration. One thing is certain: by working collaboratively, there are greater opportunities for growth to succeed in a competitive industry that is also undergoing enormous change like the transportation industry. 'In the beginning, many people doubted we could do this,' says Renschler looking back, 'but today you can see, how quickly and strong we have grown as a Group. And we still have a lot planned,' says the CEO of TRATON, a company posting nearly €26 billion in sales revenue and a record over 233,000 vehicles sold in 2018. The first half of the year was also successful for Renschler's Group: €13.5 billion in sales revenue and operating profit of over €1 billion within six months mean another positive milestone.

Increased collaboration

Working more closely with the competitor was of course not always easy at first — but it is now rapidly progressing, and collaboration is therefore given priority in the Group: This starts at the top with the TRATON GROUP's Executive Board, which includes Renschler, CFO Christian Schulz, CHRO Carsten Intra and COO Christian Levin as well as the CEOs of all three brands: Joachim Drees (MAN), Henrik Henriksson (Scania), and Roberto Cortes (VWCO).

The Company's headquarters are in Munich, with core functions split between Germany and Sweden. As COO in Södertalje, Sweden, Christian Levin brings together the areas of research and development, purchasing, alliance management, strategic product planning and production network strategy. Levin: 'Previously, everyone was interested in creating the best solution for their brand. Today, we coordinate our efforts in detail, and we can jointly plan where individual brands' products and services as an adapted model for the entire Group can benefit our customers. Step by step, this enables us to become stronger and faster.'

Three clearly positioned commercial vehicle brands

In a market such as for commercial vehicles, where volumes are considerably smaller and the diversity of variants considerably greater than for passenger cars, this synergy effect is particularly evident. 'In saying that, one thing is certain: we have three brands that are clearly positioned differently in the market; and that will also stay that way,' says Renschler emphatically. What is meant here is the Group's segmentation into three important positionings: the Swedish brand Scania as a premium and innovative brand, German MAN as a reliable business partner offering a full range of products from light commercial vehicles to heavy-duty trucks, and VWCO from Brazil specializing in emerging markets primarily in Latin America and Africa.

The Group's IPO, initiated by Volkswagen in June, was met with widespread interest from international investors and analysts and underscores the fact that the growth story of the TRATON GROUP is sound and credible. Since then, the Group's shares have been dual listed on the Frankfurt and Stockholm stock exchanges. Just recently, the TRATON stock entered the SDAX indes in Germany.

Photo credit: Volkswagen Group
posted on conceptcarz.com

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