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  • THE CANTER EU PLANT.
    READY FOR EUROPE.

    Development, sustainability, production

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IN THE CENTRE. THE FUSO FACTORY IN PORTUGAL.

With the start of production of the current and latest series, eight generations of the FUSO Canter will be rolling off the production line at Mitsubishi FUSO Truck Europe in Tramagal, Portugal, from the beginning of 2022. The plant, located around 150 kilometres north-east of Lisbon, is FUSO’s central production facility in Europe and manufactures all Canters and eCanter for the European market.

251.744

CANTER PRODUCED
FROM 1980 TO NOW

MADE IN EUROPE.
OVER FOUR DECADES.

A Canter FE 1 made the start on 1 February 1980, and since 1996 production in Tramagal has been completely specialised in building the light truck. The experience gained from over four decades of vehicle construction is a special promise of quality that distinguishes every Canter today.

With the plant in the heart of Portugal – Tramagal is located barely 40 kilometres south of the geographical centre of the country – the Canter has a European production facility that ideally represents its core: FUSO’s traditional Japanese values and its brand affiliation with Daimler Truck AG. Both together stand for the highest standards of quality and reliability. Moreover, the Made in Europe” label on the Canter does not only refer to final assembly.

OVER 50 PER CENT OF THE COMPONENTS COME FROM MORE THAN 90 EUROPEAN SUPPLIERS.

HIGHER GOALS.
ALL FOR SUSTAINABILITY.

As part of Daimler Truck AG, Mitsubishi FUSO Truck Europe is also committed to ambitious sustainability goals. The increased use of renewable and green energy sources and the adaptation of internal processes are important building blocks in the implementation.

ZERO EMISSIONS. CO2 FREE PRODUCTION.

The plant in Tramagal has already been able to gradually reduce its CO2 emissions in recent years, and in 2021 even by 50 per cent compared to the previous year. By the end of 2022, FUSO is specifically aiming for completely CO2-free production.

SOLAR ENERGY. UP TO 350 MEGAWATTS.

Thanks to its geographical location, the Santarém district is one of the regions in Portugal with the most hours of sunshine, the conditions for generating solar energy in Tramagal are ideal. Currently, 1,200 solar panels on hall roofs and other suitable areas of the factory site produce up to 350 megawatts per year. In the future, this is expected to rise to 600 megawatts.

GREEN HYDROGEN. PRODUCTION ON TRIAL.

In addition to the expansion of the solar plants, the plant is also testing technologies for the local production of green hydrogen. As a storage medium for the solar power generated, it could successively replace the consumption of natural gas in the future.

EMISSION-FREE LOGISTICS. PURELY ELECTRIC FACTORY TRAFFIC.

As a logical next step, and in line with the production of the all-electric FUSO eCanter, the plant is also converting its entire internal logistics and warehouse fleet to locally emission-free, electric vehicles.

LESS WATER. OVER 60 % REPROCESSING.

Reducing water consumption is another sustainability issue that the site is successfully addressing: Our own new water treatment plant already treats over 60 per cent of the process water and returns it to the production cycle. At the same time, an optimised rainwater collection system is in the works, for a more sustainable irrigation of the green areas.

MORE RECYCLING. EXPANSION OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY.

In addition to the other measures, the plant is constantly and actively evaluating all possibilities to make its circular economy more efficient. The goal is to avoid waste as much as possible and to recycle valuable materials.

OF SIGNIFICANCE.
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE.

Tramagal currently employs 530 people from seven different nations. The company is the largest employer in the region. The production currently manufactures up to 15,000 units per year, and the plant can expand its capacity at any time. From Portugal, the vehicles go to 32 European countries, as well as to Morocco and the USA. Mitsubishi FUSO Truck Europe is a major exporter and Portugal’s third largest vehicle manufacturer.

GLOBAL STANDARDS.
FROM TRAMAGAL TO THE WORLD.

In addition to quality assurance in their own factory, the quality management experts from Tramagal also keep an eye on the standards in various international markets. As part of the “Global Excellence Program they visit the assembly plants several times a year in countries such as Morocco, Turkey, Egypt or Kenya, where FUSO exports the dismantled Canter and where it is assembled on site. There they are responsible for the recurring process and system audits. They also accompany all the necessary steps for quality release, such as documentation and training, when a new product is launched on the respective market.

The “Global Excellence Program” guarantees the highest quality standards in all Daimler Truck AG plants.

DUAL PRODUCTION.
HIGH TECH MEETS MANUFACTURE.

Every FUSO Canter or eCanter that rolls off the assembly line in Tramagal is the result of a production process in which modern manufacturing and assembly systems on the one hand and genuine, valuable manual labour on the other are perfectly intertwined.

While some fully automated robots take on heavy and dirt-intensive tasks, such as painting or various welding tasks, at other points in the assembly process collaborative robots, so-called co-bots, support their human colleagues and interact with them, for example, when an activity requires a particularly high level of force.

At the same time, the plant in Tramagal has always retained the special character of a specialised factory over the decades. The details of each individual Canter and eCanter are the result of teamwork as well as the experience, knowledge and, above all, the very personal commitment of the dedicated and highly qualified FUSO employees.

FURTHER INFORMATION. MORE FROM THE CANTER.