ZAYANI Motors, one of Bahrain’s biggest dealerships which this year commemorates two decades of service to the market, is poised to mark yet another milestone in its history: the company will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter truck.

More than 500 customers will be invited by Zayani Motors to the 50th anniversary celebrations in Bahrain. An open day will be held to provide customers with an opportunity to view the oldest and the newest versions of the award-winning truck.

The first generation of the Fuso Canter truck came on the market in March 1963. Fifty years and eight generations later, the truck is described as a best-seller hit with global sales of more than 3.7 million units since its market launch. The light-duty Fuso Canter truck is the flagship of the Daimler subsidiary Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), one of the many brands represented by Zayani Motors.

Zayani Motors sources some of the finest brands from around the world meeting the need of a range of sectors of the local market and has been providing quality services through state-of-the-art service centres and showrooms.

The brands it represents include those from as far afield as Japan and China to Europe and, in addition to MFTBC, include Shantui China for heavy vehicles, Kalmar from Sweden for cargo handling solutions, PM Group of Italy for hydraulic cranes, Oil and Steel of Italy for aerial platforms, and others.

The SE450 excavator from Shantui.

Samarth Dhond, commercial and equipment manager, comments: “Zayani Motors has and will always aim at providing the best quality products and services from the automotive industry to its commercial and non-commercial clients.”

He says the company is the recognised official dealer for many prestigious brands and boasts two state-of-the-art showrooms and service centres with the latest technology. It also launched a highly specialised bus and truck workshop in February 2004.

In addition, the company has five parts sales outlets throughout Bahrain and intends to expand further, he adds.

Zayani Motors was established in 1994 and is managed and run by Nawaf K Al Zayani. It has a highly trained 190-member workforce.

Elaborating on the brands the company markets in the country, Dhond says MFTBC is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.

“There are good reasons why Mitsubishi Fuso cabovers are known as the right trucks for the job. They’re dependable, versatile, economical and easy to drive,” he says.

The Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid was developed specifically for stop-and-go traffic in densely populated Asian countries such as Japan, and received the “Car of the Year Special Award” in 2012. It runs on up to 23 per cent less fuel with a conventional diesel engine.

A PM crane ... reaching great heights.

Zayani Motors also represents the Mitsubishi joint venture Mitsubishi Cat Forklift Europe (MCFE), which produces electric-powered and internal combustion engine (gas and diesel-powered) forklift trucks, as well as warehouse equipment.

MCFE is totally dedicated to manufacturing superior materials handling equipment under the Cat Lift Trucks and Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks brands, with a view to be a leader in counterbalance and warehouse products.

Meanwhile, Shantui Construction Machinery offers the entire gamut of construction machinery, from wheel loaders and excavators, to graders, rollers, pipelayers, cement trucks, forklifts and much more. The bulldozer remains Shantui’s flagship product, as the company has become one of the world’s largest brand-makers of this top-of-the-line product in the construction machinery industry.

Kalmar from Sweden offers a wide range of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centres and to heavy industry. “It is the industry forerunner in terminal automation and in energy-efficient container handling, with one in four container movements around the globe being handled by a Kalmar solution,” says Dhond.

Zayani also markets truck-mounted hydraulic cranes from PM Group of Italy. At present, the PM product range includes more than 50 series, with over 350 set-ups available. From the design to the structural building, from the material quality control to the final inspection, everything is done in the PM works.

Zayani’s range is not only restricted to mobile machinery but also includes aerial platforms from Oil and Steel, a prestigious brand in European markets. Its product range consists of five lines and over 30 models, which can be mounted on trucks ranging upwards of 3.5 tonnes.