The release of an updated truck series, production improvements, parts growth and expectations of a market recovery late in 2026 have Hino Australia president and CEO Richard Emery feeling upbeat about the future of his business.
Talking to journalists touring Hino’s Horsley Park Parts Distribution Centre on Wednesday Emery said he was excited about the opportunities for Hino Australia in 2026 and beyond.
Emery says that at the top level of the Hino business worldwide, the creation of Archion, a new entity formed by a joint partnership between Hino Motors Limited and Fuso Truck and Bus in alignment with Daimler Truck (AG) and Toyota Motor Corporation, is likely to have little impact on the immediate day to day operations of Hino Australia.
He says Hino Australia will continue to be 100 per cent owned by Hino Motors Limited – however HML will have different shareholders to report too from April 1.
For Hino Australia Emery says the company expects to record a small decline in sales volumes for the 2025 calendar year compared to its original forecast of 5,000 sales, however the arrival of 700 series, and improvements in the delivery window for the 300 series Euro 6 models were good news for 2026.
“I think we view that the economy will probably start to get back into a growth phase at the end of next year, early into 2027,” he says.
“If you have a look at capital expenditure from governments, big projects, they’re all still in the in the works.
“We think consumer confidence will probably come back at the end of next year, and we think this is just people just taking a breather, just considering things, slowing decision making down, get through the next period of time, and then get moving again.”
Emery says with the market surge through 2021-24 there was not a lot of old trucks being replaced, leaving the average truck age at 14 years or older, which is likely to lead to a period of upgrades in 2026 and beyond.
While 2026 will present some challenges for Hino’s 500 series as it rolls over from Euro 5 to Euro 6 production, Emery said going into 2027 he expected the Hino Australia would benefit from having full production of all models back to normal.
In recent times, Hino Australia has been taking steps to future-proof its business, including the evolving operation of its 9,272 sqm purpose-built Parts Distribution Centre at Horsley Park.
Now in its fifth year of operation the PDC has improved Hino Australia’s ability to service the demands of its dealer network, reducing supply times and boosting parts sales in the process.
Hino Australia vice president of Product Support, Greg Bleasel, says the new facility has driven growth across a number of parts of the business.
“In the four years since opening the new PDC, we have seen a further 37 per cent increase in parts sales. The PDC has strengthened our supply-chain network and delivered a consistently higher supply rate,” Bleasal says.
“We have increased our inventory stock level by more than 50 per cent and, thanks to a 97 per cent supply rate, we can generally supply our dealers with stock within a day.
“When we purpose-built the PDC in 2021, one of our goals was to improve our already strong ‘pick rate’ – it now sits at 54 lines per hour, which is a 69 per cent improvement on our previous PDC.
“Up to 97 per cent of parts are available on the shelf for same-day or next-day dispatch meaning less downtime for our customers.
“Doubling our floor space has allowed us to future proof our business while an additional eight loading bays mean multiple vehicles can be loaded and unloaded simultaneously.”
The PDC has been built with future growth in mind too. It is currently at 80 per cent capacity on its current configuration, with the potential to double in size on its existing site in future if needed.