Stuttgart - On a regular basis Jörg Howe, Head of Global Communications & External Affairs Daimler Truck, is inviting exciting guests to the “be a mover talk”. The current episode features his colleague Marcus Claesson (CIO Daimler Truck), responsible for digitalization and IT at one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.

In the course of their conversation the two talk about how software is becoming a decisive factor in the purchasing decision for commercial vehicles in the future, when we should expect the first fully autonomous trucks on the road and why the traditional manufacturer currently has the unique opportunity to reinvent itself.

The “be a mover talk” format can be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DQIlLFn_s8c

Marcus Claesson has been with the company for six years now. The offer to take over the position as chief information officer (CIO) at Daimler Truck initially caught the native Swede by surprise. However, he did not need to think twice because he was sure: "Looking forward technology will have a very strong impact on the automotive industry and I felt this was a great opportunity to be part of that change and to shape the future of transportation.”

When it comes to the importance of software, there is a major difference between trucks and passenger cars, the top manager points out. Customers of commercial vehicles need their trucks to be always operational. Software is paramount here. Not only inside the vehicle, where driver-assistance systems and intelligent engine controls increase security and reduce consumption. For fleet managers on board data sources create new possibilities as well. Precise data from the vehicles can be transferred, analyzed and used for optimized service offers.

Marcus Claesson talks about the IAA Transportation fair 2022, where Daimler Truck presented a new solution that enables fleet managers to not only check on the status of their vehicles, but also retrieve data about consumption, warranty status, upcoming repairs, financing information and a lot more. This allows customers to deploy the trucks more efficient and the digital offers can lead to improved operational profits. Claesson is convinced that soon this kind of service offers and digitalization of the vehicle will play an important role in the decision-making process for the purchase of a particular brand.

To push the ambitious digitalization goals of the company and their products, the split of Daimler AG last year created new opportunities for the CIO. Although the disentanglement of more than a thousand IT-Systems is a herculean task, it offers great opportunities to realign processes in the company: “We have set ourselves a very aggressive target. We want to take this once in a lifetime opportunity to think in a new way, to be more lean, more agile. We want to live up to our full potential.”

Attracting talent is another important aspect of successfully pushing forward Daimler Truck. As a global player with high market shares all around the world, Marcus Claesson has no problem recruiting highly qualified employees. “We shape the future of transportation. Now, with the Zero-Emission transition and everything that comes along with that, we have a very purposeful role to play. I think that is attractive to a lot of people.” At its core, the company remains a German corporation but at the same time benefits from the diversity in its international teams. From Marcus Claessons view, this diversity is a real competitive advantage, since the core challenge remains to find the best solutions for customers and partners all around the globe.

As a final question, Jörg Howe asks what Claesson would wish from his company. Daimler Trucks top IT-executive answers swiftly: “I think my wish would be to accelerate the shift of our mindset, from a product driven company to a product and software driven company, even more.”