UD Trucks Southern Africa brought together dealer principals, business leaders, and key stakeholders from across Southern Africa and the wider African continent for its Annual Importer and Dealer Conference 2026 (ADC 2026), recently held in South Africa. Convened under the theme “Own the Future,” the conference reinforced the organization’s growth ambition while aligning the network on strategy, performance, operational excellence, and emerging opportunities across the region.
The ADC remains one of the most significant annual gatherings on the UD Trucks calendar, serving as a critical platform to align importers and dealers behind strategic priorities, deepen collaboration, exchange best practices, strengthen partnerships, and recognise excellence across the business ecosystem.
This year’s edition marked a defining milestone for the organization. For the first time, the opening day was dedicated exclusively to Sub-Saharan African (SSA) Markets, underscoring UD Trucks Southern Africa’s commitment to expanding its footprint across the African continent and advancing its long-term growth agenda toward 2030.
The dedicated SSA Markets programme created a focused environment for collaboration, strategic alignment, and knowledge sharing among partners across the continent, further reinforcing Africa’s central role in the company’s future growth trajectory.
Speaking at the conference, Fabrice Gorlier emphasized the strategic importance of the dealer network in sustaining long-term business performance:
“As customer expectations and the transport industry continue to evolve, our dealer network remains one of our strongest competitive advantages. By driving network excellence, strengthening capabilities, and expanding our market presence, we are positioning ourselves to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities emerging across the region.”
A key highlight of the SSA Markets programme was the recognition of outstanding performers through the UD Champions initiative, which celebrates excellence across critical dealership functions including service advisory, technical expertise, parts sales, and driver training. The initiative continues to reinforce the importance of capability, professionalism, and customer-centricity in delivering exceptional service experiences.
The evening programme adopted a celebratory tone, culminating in an awards ceremony honouring top-performing importers and dealerships across the region. Notable recognitions included Motruck Eswatini, which received the SSA Markets Medium Importer of the Year award, and Nors Namibia, which was awarded the prestigious SSA Markets Importer of the Year title.
The second day of ADC 2026 opened with a Dealer Council meeting attended by members of the UD Trucks global executive leadership team, providing dealers with a direct engagement platform on strategic issues shaping the future of the business and the broader transport industry.
Subsequent business sessions focused on market dynamics, evolving customer needs, operational excellence, retail performance, and the growth opportunities emerging across the UD Trucks network.
Reflecting on the importance of the gathering, Filip Van den Heede said:
“The Annual Importer and Dealer Conference remains one of our most important platforms for aligning the network around a shared vision, strengthening collaboration, and recognizing those who consistently deliver excellence. As we continue to evolve our business and expand our presence across Southern Africa and the broader African continent, our dealers remain at the heart of our success. Their unwavering commitment to our customers, our products, and our brand enables us to deliver on our promise of Going the Extra Mile every day, while positioning us for sustainable growth in the years ahead.”
The conference concluded with the highly anticipated 2026 Dealer Awards ceremony, recognizing dealerships for their outstanding contribution to business performance and customer value delivery.
Among the key award recipients were:
- Service Dealer of the Year (Medium) – UD Trucks Lichtenburg
- Service Dealer of the Year (Large) – McCarthy Commercial Vehicles Alrode
- Medium Dealer of the Year – UD Trucks Ermelo
- Dealer of the Year – CMH Commercial Pinetown
Commenting on the strategic importance of the SSA Markets focus, Graham Kolm noted:
“The decision to dedicate a full day to SSA Markets reflects the growing importance of our business across the African continent. We see significant opportunities ahead and are committed to working closely with our partners to strengthen market presence, develop capabilities and unlock sustainable growth. Owning the future means investing today in the relationships, skills and foundations that will drive our success tomorrow.”
Closing the event, Marle Visagie reinforced the central role of people development in sustaining long-term success:
“Strong dealerships are built by strong people. By continuously investing in competence development across our network, we equip our teams with the skills and confidence needed to support customers and adapt to an evolving transport industry. This commitment not only strengthens the customer experience but also reinforces the long-term value of investing in the UD Trucks brand.”
As UD Trucks Southern Africa continues to advance its growth ambitions across the region and continent, ADC 2026 highlighted the strength of its dealer network and reaffirmed the shared commitment required to truly own the future—together.
