60 years of the Mitsubishi Fuso truck factory in Portugal

Daimler Truck AG is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its production facility in Tramagal, Portugal. The Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europe SA (“MFTE”) plant is one of the largest employers in the region and the third largest vehicle manufacturer in Portugal. In 2023, the plant built almost 11,800 trucks – setting a production record for the plant. MFTE is FUSO’s production facility for the Canter and eCanter light trucks and supplies the European markets.

Arne Barden, MFTE CEO: “The enthusiasm and high level of qualifications of our staff is impressive. And with the all-electric eCanter we are driving change forward – while our knowledge, experience and culture will guide us from the past to the future.

History of the Tramagal plant

In the 60 years since production began, more than 260,000 vehicles have been manufactured in Tramagal – including the Canter light truck from FUSO, which has been manufactured at the plant since 1980. Today, the vehicles assembled at MFTE are delivered to 33 markets in Europe and Morocco.

The Tramagal factory was founded in 1964 as a joint venture between the Portuguese family business Duarte Ferreira and the former French truck manufacturer Berliet. Operations began in 1980 with Total Knockdown (CKD) assembly for Mitsubishi Fuso Bus and Truck Corporation (“MFTBC”). In the following years, the plant produced the FUSO Canter light duty truck for the Portuguese market, as well as the Fuso medium duty truck, the Mitsubishi L 200 pick-up, the L 300 van and the Pajero.

In 1990 the factory was taken over by the Portuguese company Mitsubishi Motors of Portugal. In 1996, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation took over the factory and decided to focus on manufacturing the FUSO Canter. After taking over the majority of Mitsubishi Fuso in 2004, the plant became part of Daimler AG. In 2017, the factory began producing the first FUSO eCanter in a small series. From 2023, the current generation eCanter will be produced in mass series.

Since 2022, the plant has been CO2 neutral due to on-site green electricity production and other measures₂– not neutral. The factory has set itself the goal of becoming a climate-friendly production facility and continues to improve its ecological strategy to this end. MFTE is also testing technologies for local production of green hydrogen, among other things. Another step in the area of ​​sustainability is reducing water consumption: MFTE’s new water treatment system already treats more than 60 percent of process water and returns it to the production cycle. Meanwhile, an improved rainwater harvesting system for more sustainable irrigation of green areas is in the works.

Those: Daimler truck AG