MAN and the Fuel Duel fallout
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like its rivals, MAN has been watching ERF's Fuel Duel campaign with keen interest. While acknowledging its marketing merits, Knorpp says: "Fuel consumption is a complicated matter; more complicated than ERF is going about it and the results don't reflect that. There's no doubt it's a good initiative, but what I don't like is the way they're taking the results. I respect the idea, not the way they're handling it.' But wouldn't he have leapt at the idea if MAN's promotions people had come up with it? Knorpp reckons not. "I'd have said to them: 'It has to be scientific., that's not possible?. ..well then thank you very much!'. "Reliability in today's logistics chain is very important," he adds. "Fuel is too, but if you break down what difference does it make then?"
MAN claims to have won a duel that has yet to be published. It asked ERF for confirmation that an 18.373 operated by Tetrosyl beat an ERF ED 1 in a recent Fuel Duel. ERF says it has only lost three duels, all to Scanias, and told MAN: "The Duel was considered unsuitable for publication as the operator was unable to supply the evidence which we insist upon to ensure accuracy. This would include copies of tacho charts and fuel receipts following the tank top-up. Until we receive this information we are unable to acknowledge any firm result."