Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino
TRANSPORT and Logistics Philippines recently held its sixth exhibition, which showcased exciting lineups of trucks, commercial vehicles, automotive parts and supply chain solutions.
Held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Global-Link MP Events International Inc. hosted the exciting event that attracted visitors to check out the latest offerings in the industry. “Since we started five years ago, it has been the goal to help brands connect and engage with various stakeholders in the industry,” said CEO Patrick Lawrence Tan.
No less than Senate Committee Chairman for Public Services, Sen. Grace Poe led the joint opening ceremony joint with other distinct industry key players in the country. Participating brands include Chevron Philippines Inc., Hyundai Asia Resources Inc., JVF Commercial And Project Development Support And Services, MAN Automotive Concessionaires Corp., Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.—Fuso, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum, Sobida Motors Corp., All Prime International, Auto Global Inc. (JMC), Autokid, BSB Junrose Autoparts, Cheska Freight, Dennis International Merchandising, G-Tecnica Equipment Corp., Hino Motors Philippines, Honda Logistics Philippines, Inteluck, JAC Automobile, Japan Venture, Monark Equipment, Prime Quest Transport, United Asia Automotive Group (Foton) and ZL Machinery Philippines, among others.
Aside from the expo, the event also featured the second Transport and Logistics Forum, where policy-makers and key players in the private sector form a dialogue discussing the future developments set for the logistics and supply chain sectors. Moreover, Automechanic Philippines was held back to back with Transport and Logistics Philippines to showcase the leading international manufacturers of auto aftermarket parts and accessories. This features Taiwan Pavilion, where visitors were able to inquire about opportunities for being local distributors.
Heavyweights on display
Various manufacturers and distributors caught our attention with their respective front-runners in eye-catching presentations. One was known European truck maker MAN, greeted guests with its Kann heavy-duty tractor head side by side with the RR3 Coach Chassis bus. Another was Hino with its 700 series heavy-duty tractor head and its sibling 500 series medium-duty truck. Fuso, meantime, exhibited its two FJ series haulers—the FJ2528C (Dump truck) and FJ2528R (Aluminum container).
Even Hyundai had its own share of heavy-duties on display with the Xcient series trucks both in tractor head and dump-truck variants. Another European hauler on display was the Volvo FM13 6×4 tractor head along with its sub-brand UD Trucks with its GKE series 4×2 tractor head. Last, we also liked how Foton showcased its Auman heavy-duty tractor head with a model engine shown on the side.
Modern jeepneys and compact lifters
Exhibitors also took the opportunity to showcase their respective modern jeepneys. Just outside the main hall were two colorful concept modern jeepneys on display from Fuso and Hyundai. Hino, along with its other light commercial vehicles, also presented its air-conditioned Class II Hino jeepney based on the 300 series platform.
While massive haulers dominated the event scene, there were compact lifters on display that we also found interesting. These machineries may be small, but its contribution to the industry says otherwise. Yellow color moniker CAT flaunted its 30 series model lifter in a simple yet catchy presentation. Even the brand known for producing compact machineries HME Demag/Wacker Neuson also paraded its own versions of small loaders along with miniature-sized scale models.
Image credits: Randy S. Peregrino