MAN’s service initiative reaches the Baltics

With more than 7,000 square metres of usable floor space and capacity for over 1,300 vehicles a month, the new service centre in Kaunas is no small undertaking: it ranks among the largest MAN sites in Europe. MAN Truck & Bus opened it on 29 September together with the Adampolis Group, MAN’s official importer in Lithuania. Adampolis has invested more than €20 million in the project. 

Customers can access everything in one place: sales, service, maintenance, repairs and spare parts. Modern workshop and diagnostic technology helps keep vehicles in the workshop for as little time as possible and fleets available for operation. The future has also been factored in from the outset: the site is designed to service battery-electric vehicles and other alternative drivetrains, including its own dedicated charging facilities. 

At the site, MAN is relying on a partner it has known for many years: Adampolis has been on board since the 1990s and has since developed into one of the leading commercial vehicle groups in the Baltic region. “As MAN’s official importer in Lithuania, we have a responsibility to ensure that our customers can rely on professional support throughout the entire lifecycle of their vehicles,” says Vidas Čebatavičius, Founder and CEO of the Adampolis Group. “After more than three decades of partnership with MAN, we share the same conviction: the future of the transport industry will be built on strong service, faster response times and the ability to support new technologies.” 

Just how rapidly new technologies such as electromobility are gaining momentum in Lithuania is illustrated by a recent order: the public transport operator Vilniaus viešasis transportas (VVT) has just ordered 112 MAN Lion’s City E buses – the largest electric bus order in the country to date. 

Partners such as Adampolis are also contributing: over the same period, they will invest an additional €400 million. The programme includes new constructions, expansions and modernisation projects, as well as investment in infrastructure and employee training. 

“Unprecedented in scale” 

“These investments are unprecedented in scale in MAN’s history,” says Friedrich Baumann, Executive Board Member for Sales & Customer Solutions at MAN Truck & Bus. “Together with our partners, we will be able to support our customers even better in the years ahead. The new service centre in Kaunas shows how we are developing our network further – with high capacity, modern technology and a clear focus on our customers’ requirements.” 

Around one third of MAN’s planned investment is earmarked for electromobility and digitalisation – from high-voltage training for service staff and battery repair centres to publicly accessible charging points at MAN branches. The new sites in Lithuania and Portugal are also being prepared for electromobility: Kaunas has already been designed to meet the requirements of electric drivetrains, while charging stations for heavy and light commercial vehicles are being built in Castanheira do Ribatejo – some of which will also be open to the public.

“We are consistently investing where our customers need us – with modern infrastructure, short distances and a service network that is ideally prepared for both conventional drivetrains and electromobility,” Friedrich Baumann said in May, referring to the ground-breaking ceremony in Portugal. With the new service centre in Kaunas, the service drive has now reached the Baltic region.