Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
MAN Truck & Bus Korea to expand service network for sustainable growth
Peter Andersson, managing director at MAN Truck & Bus Korea, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of MAN Truck & Bus Korea
By Lee Min-hyung
MAN Truck & Bus Korea will aggressively expand its service network, as part of its core growth strategy in Korea's competitive commercial vehicle market, the head of the company said Thursday.
The plan stands at the top of the firm’s MAN CORE 360 strategy — the latest corporate growth vision to drive its service-side innovation.
The truck and bus manufacturer opened its third headquarter-controlled service center in the southeastern city of Busan on Wednesday, expanding the total number of its own and partnered repair and maintenance facilities to 22 across the nation.
Three of them, including the one in Busan, are directly controlled by the local subsidiary of the European commercial vehicle maker.
MAN Truck & Bus is also scheduled to open another major service facility in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province in the fourth quarter of 2025. The region is home to multiple logistics centers and manufacturing facilities from Korean companies.
Peter Andersson, managing director at MAN Truck & Bus Korea, said the company will enhance its after-sales service for sustainable growth here.
“We are growing step by step, and there is not a big difference between many of our competitors (in the number of service centers),” Andersson said during a press conference in Seoul.
He pledged to level up the company's overall services, not only on repair and maintenance, but also its workforce.
“The MAN CORE 360 encompasses the full vehicle lifecycle through a four-pillared service enhancement strategy,” he said. “They include the expansion of our service network, a new app launch, more value-added customer programs and systemic training of our workforce.”
As part of the drive, the MAN Technical Training program has been launched in Korea. MAN Truck & Bus Korea categorizes its technicians into three levels: novice, advance and master.
The company operates systemic educational programs for each rank of technicians to offer more efficient and reliable services to customers, according to the company.
Regarding questions on its potential partnership with Korean battery manufacturers, the firm’s head of global sales said the possibility remains open.
All-electric trucks assembled by MAN are equipped with batteries from China’s CATL. So far, no Korean firms have supplied batteries for MAN electric cars.
“Currently, battery cells are sourced from China, but there is always an opportunity to Korean players,” Thomas Hemmerich, head of international sales at MAN Truck & Bus, said during the media event.