MAN Truck & Bus is reorganising the management of its bus business as part of a comprehensive package of measures to transform the unit. In the newly created role of “Head of Bus” (HoB), Barbaros Oktay will assume overall entrepreneurial responsibility for the bus unit. He will report directly to MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp and will have direct organisational responsibility for managing the Bus Engineering, Production and Sales units. The Bus CFO (Chief Financial Officer), Bus CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer) and Bus CPO functions (Chief Procurement Officer), which have also been newly created in the bus organisation, act as business partners of the HoB.
“Barbaros Oktay is an internationally experienced manager with proven competence. His main task will be to consistently implement our comprehensive package of measures to improve earnings and to make the bus business sustainably profitable again. To ensure that this succeeds, we have significantly strengthened the role of the Head of Bus and the overall entrepreneurial responsibility for MAN’s bus business,” says Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus SE. “On behalf of the entire Executive Board, I would like to welcome Barbaros Oktay to his new role and wish him continued success in this responsible task. After all, the bus business will continue to be an important part of MAN’s product portfolio in the future – alongside trucks, vans, and engines as well as services related to passenger and cargo transport.”
Barbaros Oktay began his career at MAN Truck & Bus in 2004 at MAN Türkiye A.Ş.’s production site in Ankara and has since held various bus management positions within the Group. Most recently, Oktay held the positions of Head of Bus Solutions at TRATON and Head of Bus Engineering, Product & Project Management at MAN Truck & Bus SE as Senior Vice President. In his new role as Head of Bus, he takes over the leadership role in MAN’s bus business from Rudi Kuchta, who becomes the new Managing Director of MAN Truck & Bus Austria and replaces Robert Katzer. Katzer is moving to MAN Truck & Bus SE after six years in Austria and will take over as Head of Sales Bus in the new structure.
“Rudi Kuchta managed the bus business for many years and was an important and trustworthy contact for our customers. Most recently, he led the business through the difficult phase of the pandemic, where important sales markets were lost. On behalf of the entire Executive Board, I would like to thank him for his extraordinary achievements and his great commitment to the bus business and wish him every success in his next task as our new Managing Director of MAN Truck & Bus Austria,” says Alexander Vlaskamp.
Comprehensive measures for a sustainably profitable bus business
Sales in the bus business had fallen from around 7,400 units in 2019 to around 4,600 units in 2021. The situation also remained tense in the past 2022 financial year. Although sales here increased by about 180 units to about 4,800 vehicles compared to 2021. But the recovery, especially in the coach market, which has been hit particularly hard by the Corona crisis, continues to be delayed. In addition to the crisis in Ukraine, further challenges exist due to the clouding of the overall economic situation in Europe and the associated rising material and energy costs.
For a successful turnaround of the bus business, MAN has defined comprehensive measures to improve earnings, including measures to improve both costs and sales. With the organisational realignment, another important step is being taken to lead the bus business back to the path of success.
CEO Alexander Vlaskamp is convinced that the MAN bus business can look to the future with confidence despite the tense situation: “MAN has one of the most modern and innovative portfolios of city buses, intercity buses and coaches on the market. The multi-award-winning vehicles are extremely well received by operators, drivers and passengers. These great products, our highly motivated team and the proximity to our customers are the best prerequisites for a positive development in the bus segment.”
SOURCE: MAN Truck & Bus
