INDIANAPOLIS. Freightliner Trucks is introducing a new program called “Frameworks” to offer more detailed financial and technical support to the truck equipment manufacturers (TEMs) responsible for putting the final touches on vehicles destined for vocational customers.
“It’s a culmination of effort to make Freightliner a better vocational player in the market,” said David Hames (pictured), gm of marketing and strategy for Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) – Freightliner’s parent company – during a press event here at the National Truck Equipment Association’s 2013 Work Truck Show.
[To view photos of the products Freightliner brought to the show, click here.]
Hames explained that “Frameworks” is an all-encompassing program available for any TEM that aims to improve the ease and speed of body vocational body upfitting.
“For example, we’re offering two and half days of specific chassis training to TEMs so they better understand frame and exhaust configurations,” he noted. “We’re also offering 3D digital layouts so TEMs can design final upfits more exactly for their customers.”
Hames pointed out that the program also seeks to provide greater “visibility” of trucks during the production and transportation process, so TEMs know where the chassis they’ve ordered is in the production cycle so they in turn can provide more exact delivery times to the final customer.
“Again, we’ve not specifically aligned this program with any particular upfitter; it’s intentionally available to all of them,” Hames said. “Our goal at the end of the day with this program is simply to provide a better final product to the industry.”
