A group of Angka-Tan Motor's clients were given the exclusive chance to visit Foton in China. The state of truck development came to many as a surprise.

Angka-Tan Motor crafted this VIP tour of Foton Daimler Automotive in Beijing and Weifang for selected VIP customers and dealers to make their way to China’s first heavy truck experience base, the Foton Super Truck Experience Center. With a massive facility covering total area of 15 000 square meters, the Super Truck Experience Center provides meetings at all levels with spacious place. The outdoor driving circuit covers an area of up to 12 000 square meters, with four kinds of simulated road conditions, product dynamic experience. A group of elite domestic driving coaches provides professional driver training.

High Quality Production
As so often, seeing is believing. In the case of Chinese trucks, the vehicles have certainly come a long way in the past two decades. In order to fully comprehend the statement and assurances that Auman makes about the quality and durability of their trucks, there is no better way than experiencing firsthand what it takes to produce them.

The VIP visitors were taken through the entire production process in order to learn how Auman instils their quality approach to the manufacture of the vehicles. The first station visitors got to experience was the welding workshop. Constructed in September 2010, it officially commenced operations in December 2010. The workshop is 192 meters long and 96 meters wide, covering a total area of 18 432 square meters. In order to improve the working environment, the workshop is painted and arc welding; smoke extractors and dust removal devices have been added. It is here where the production of a total of 19 models in the series starts out with left- and right-hand drive, basic flat, medium-length flat and high floor variants. Engineers can manage the workshop operation and running status in real time from a control centre, monitoring all the machine lines and robots in real time. At the same time, the engineers understand and collect the data and running status of the site in real time. The plant produces a wide range of models including the new Auman Galaxy, Auman EST, EST-A and H5 heavy trucks, as well as battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks.

As you can see, Foton Daimler, as the most professional commercial vehicle joint venture in China, utilizes its international advantage to integrate global technology resources and selects EU certified E-Mark parts, such as Cummins (USA), ZF (Germany), Sachs (Germany), Continental (Germany), WABCO (Germany) and other international first-tier parts and components suppliers, in order to ensure Auman trucks’ excellent quality,” emphasized Alvin Tan, Managing Director of Combine Motor Sdn Bhd.

Sold through dealers in Malaysia, the Foton brand has long been a common sight on Malaysian roads. Being able to provide professional consulting to customers requires Tan to be in close contact with the brand. The trip to Beijing not only meant he could spend time with Angka-Tan staff to learn about the latest offerings, but to get a regular update on the brand’s plans. “I have taken over this business from my father, who started it. I have been heading it since 2004 and been a Foton dealer from then on.” It is passion for trucks that has been in his blood since young.

Although having been around the brand for many years, the visit to the factory has given Alvin an extra boost in confidence. “Especially seeing the production has eradicated a lot of doubts. One has to remember that Chinese trucks had a very different perception in the market when they started exporting.” In his view, a personal visit to the principal is what more end users should be afforded to in order for them to fully understand the products. In particular, seeing the production facilities, boasting the latest robots producing the trucks has been an eyeopener.

"My main take-away from this trip is to have seen the impressive R&D that is happening here. The upcoming electric vehicles are of particular interest.”

Foton Full Range
Being participants of the VIP Trip to China afforded participants to access a wider range of vehicles to be tested. Of particular interest were the electric vehicles, especially the e Wonder. According to Foton, the Wonder mini pickup truck will cater to lifestyle travel while still adhering to the commercial needs of businesses. It will be available in both single and dual-cab body styles and can come with either an internal combustion engine or a fully electric powertrain. It also has a quirky exterior design that Foton says was inspired by fashion aesthetics.

“It is good to see that Foton has the entire range of commercial vehicles covered, which demonstrates that Foton understands the needs of the industry,” one participant commented after having tried most of the vehicles available for a drive around the production facilities.

Knowledge Transfer: China to Malaysia
Hailing from Prai, R. Shanmuganaidu Ramana, Maintenance & Facilities Assistant Manager, City Zone Express (CZE), naturally had an interest in learning more about the Foton brand. As the decision for or against any truck will impact the performance of the business, he values the information he could gather during the tour. “Although we already use Foton trucks, this has been a wonderful experience,” he told Asian Trucker. According to him, the possibility to experience what Foton is capable of, has strengthened his belief in the brand. “At City Zone Express, we are pushing heavily for the implementation of our ESG goals. Our trucks need to be the most environmentally friendly that we could possibly deploy.” According to him, CZE has Foton trucks in operation in China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.

Shanmuganaidu stated that the electric vehicles are now of particular interest, now that he had a first-hand experience with them. “This has been my first time visiting Foton and I am impressed with the production quality. Now, after seeing how the trucks are being made, I have a better understanding.” Upon his return to Malaysia, he will be busying himself for the introduction of electric trucks into the CZE fleet. In his words, the visit to Beijing has helped him tremendously to grasp the challenges and opportunities that the new drivetrain technology will bring with it.

Although having spent significant time in the Foton assembly, Shanmuganaidu stated that he would like to come back to learn more about the brand and the products. “It is a little bit like our food: we are familiar with the dishes, but somehow, they taste different. When you prepare for it, you think that there could be issues, but ultimately, this is about experiencing the differences. Certainly, I have a better understanding of Foton’s products and philosophy now and I can translate this to our operations in Malaysia.”