FAW Trucks reached an important milestone at the end of April when the 7 000th locally assembled vehicle rolled out of its Coega manufacturing plant. The unit was a JH6 28.500FT model, which has since been delivered to a well-established fleet customer.
Says Jianyu Hao, CEO of FAW South Africa: “This is an understandably proud moment for us. It reaffirms our commitment to the local market and is just reward for what is one of the largest investments made by a Chinese entity in this country.
Funded by the China FAW Group Corporation and the China-Africa Development Fund, the first vehicle rolled off the Coega assembly line in July 2014. The facility was built at a cost of R600-million and spans some 30 000m². This includes a state-of-the-art training facility, a body shop and a paint shop. The plant provides employment for 148 staff members.
All units arrive in South Africa in semi knocked-down form and are then assembled at Coega.
Currently the Coega facility has a production capacity of 3 000 units per annum but this is scalable to 5 000. All models are assembled to exacting standards in order to be able to withstand the harsh conditions of the African continent.
“Since first entering the South African market 27 years ago, we have gone from strength to strength, providing local buyers with products of high quality that are not only well suited to local conditions but also boast high levels of safety, convenience and comfort,” says Hao.
The 7 000th unit is the largest of the truck tractors from FAW Trucks, the JH6 28.500FT. It features a full floating extended-roof cab with an innovative flat floor design for optimal comfort and interior space. Its 13-litre, six-cylinder common-rail turbocharged and intercooled diesel power plant produces 370 kW at 1 800 r/min, has 2 300 Nm of peak torque on tap at 1 400 r/min and is commonly referred to as China’s most efficient engine.
It is mated to a ZF 12-speed TraXon AMT transmission, with parabolic spring suspension front and rear to address vehicle weight requirements. A full air dual circuit WABCO braking system with ABS enhances the long hauler’s safety features.
FleetWatch congratulates FAW Trucks on this milestone.
