Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/821508
76 commercial carrier journal | may 2017 EQUIPMENT: LIGHT-DUTY UPFIT OPTIONS resources. Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales for Mack Trucks North America, says the portal makes it easy for customers, body builders and dealers to access vehicle modification information quickly and efficiently. Resources available through the portal include wiring schematics and links to industry associations such as the American Concrete Pumping Asso- ciation, as well as contact information for Mack's Body Builder Support Team and the company's concrete pumper support line. Also included is a custom-designed power-takeoff pump speed calcula- tor and revised body builder manuals for all Mack models, which have been updated with simpler navigation. Ram Commercial Trucks recently de- buted a pair of programs to assist com- mercial upfitters, dealers and customers in viewing, certifying and installing a variety of truck-mounted products. Ram Commercial's Augmented Reality Upfit Configurator and Q Pro both are designed to make it easier to determine the best work-related options for a Ram van and chassis cab truck. Introduced last year, the Configu- rator is a computer-generated visual program that allows upfitters and deal- ers to provide a virtual showcase of a variety of body upfit options. e plat- form allows perspective buyers to "walk around" the vehicle and "view inside" to assess the various options through computer simulation. e Q Pro qualification process is designed for upfitters to certify their product by allocating Ram Engineering resources to survey, make recommen- dations and certify upfitter products. "We have a lot of customers that say, 'I have a very specialized upfit, I've already talked to the supplier on it, I know exactly what I want, so what can you do to put me together,' " says Dave Sowers, head of marketing for Ram Commercial. Mercedes-Benz USA last year intro- duced its MasterSolutions program, a turnkey model for upfitting its Sprinter and Metris van models. MasterSolutions is a partner- ship between the automaker and Knapheide, Auto Truck Group and SmartLiner, which provides a range of vocational options that can be ordered directly from Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner dealers. Mathias Geisen, Mercedes-Benz USA Vans' general manager for van marketing, says preconfigured Master- Solutions are customized to fit Sprinter or Metris vans and can be ordered through the dealer. Mack's Body Builder Portal, an online shop for all of the truck maker's body builder re- sources, is designed to provide customers, body builders and dealers with a quick and efficient body upfit process. Ram Commercial's Augmented Reality Upfit Configurator is a comput- er-generated visual pro- gram that allows upfitters and dealers to provide a virtual showcase of a varie- ty of body upfit options. Mercedes-Benz USA Vans' Master- Solutions program allows customers to order select upfit options directly through the dealer.