Page 28 - Newcom

Equipment
At 50, Western Star just getting rolling
From humble Canadian roots, Western Star celebrates 50 years in business
By James Menzies
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
The Western Star truck brand turns 50 this year, which seems improbable, given the truck mak- er’s humble Canadian roots and tumultuous past.
The company was launched by White Motor Company in Kelowna, B.C. in 1967 to serve the needs of
the logging industry. White Western Stars soon found a home in the oil- patch, the construction and mining industries, and in other off-road sec- tors. Its claim to fame was that it was a custom-built truck, made to order.
“If you had something specific you wanted on that truck, you could walk out to the assembly line and tell the guys you wanted the bracket a different shape, or the air tanks
C.U.T.C.INC
• Canadian Licensing
• FMCSA (ICC Authority)
• DOT Registrations
• IFTA Registrations
• Fuel Tax Reporting
• Unified Carrier Registration • PARS/PAPS/ACE
• Corporate Registrations
• Regulations
• IRP Registration
• Bonded Carrier Status
Western Star is offering a 50th anniversary paint scheme as it celebrates the milestone.
T
mounted here, and they would do it on the line,” said Kelley Platt, presi- dent of Western Star, when celebrat- ing the milestone at a press event here Apr. 27. “They could never repeat it twice in a row because nothing was documented, but you got exactly the truck you wanted.”
After several changes in ownership – and some years in which the very survival of the brand was in ques- tion – Daimler Trucks North Amer- ica (DTNA) purchased Western Star in 2000 and moved production to Portland, Ore., but still maintained the custom-design philosophy.
“We took the same concept and made it more formal, so that it’s repeatable these days,” Platt explained.
After 16 years as part of the Daimler family, the Western Star brand is beginning to see some steady growth, thanks largely to the expansion of the product line. The ‘Baby 8’ 4700 was introduced in 2011, giving Western Star an ideal product to pitch to municipalities needing a lighter-duty vocational truck for plow, light dump, and other applications. And in 2014, Western Star brought to market an edgy, aerodynamic highway tractor in the form of the 5700XE. For the first time, the brand had a highway tractor that could com- pete with the Freightliner Cascadia on fuel economy while also appeal- ing to those buyers who prefer the traditional styling of classic iron.
Peter Arrigoni, vice-president of Western Star sales, said the brand grew its market share to 3.4% in 2016, selling 7,323 units in the US and Canada.
“In 2016, we had a market that dropped significantly (year-over- year) and we were the only OEM that was able to retail more vol- ume than in 2015,” Arrigoni said. “So, that was a big accomplish-
ment for us. We’re expecting in 2017 to have a smaller market than in 2016, but as of today we are on track to meet these numbers in terms of build volumes.”
Longer term, Western Star plans to capture more than 8% of the market by 2025 and beyond. Sales in Canada have been fairly flat, but in the US, they’re growing.
“The 4700 gave us the tool to go after the lighter-duty markets, a lot of what the US buys, in appli- cations that require a lighter-duty product,” Arrigoni explained. “That has helped us drive some of our US growth. The US continues to pick up steam in terms of our overall per- centage of sales and we expect that to continue.”
“We want the next 50 years to be just as awesome, and more so, than the last 50 have been.”
– Kelley Platt, Western Star
Sales of the new 5700XE high- way tractor are also growing, while demand for the 4900 has been declining, in large part due to the lack of activity in the Canadian oil patch. But Platt said Western Star is seeing some signs of life in the Cana- dian oilfields, and orders are begin- ning to trickle in.
Large fleets are choosing the 5700 to offer as a reward truck for their best drivers, while small and medium-sized fleets are buying it to enhance their brand image. Platt noted some fleets have even adjusted their own branding to match the lines and design of the 5700XE.
But Platt said the company is not yet satisfied with its modest growth
T
g Simple
r
r
u
u
c
c
made
n
k
k
i
i
n
g
For more information call 866-927-8294 or visit our web site at www.cutcinc.ca
YOUR SOURCE FOR CONTAINERS ... AND MORE!
REEFER SHIPPING CONTAINERS 20' & 40'
ONE WAY SHIPPED
THE FLEXIBLE, REGIONAL & LONG DISTANCE CONTAINER MOVER
CONTACT US TODAY FOR FURTHER DETAILS 416-818-5338 I sales@Zsource.ca I www.Zsource.ca
Jimmy Zborowsky President
28 Truck News • June 2017