Like many a successful start-up, Global Trailer Magazine was born out of a bold idea. In early 2011, John Murphy, Managing Director of Prime Creative Media, the largest independently owned business-to-business publishing house in Australia, and German-born automotive journalist Sebastian Grote embarked on a study tour to China to explore the country’s vast, yet largely unmapped commercial vehicle scene.
Deeply impressed by the sector’s exorbitant growth and profound eagerness to learn and mature – especially in the often-overlooked trailer building segment – they sensed a pressing need for the creation of a global knowledge sharing platform that would not only allow them to pass on what they had learned about the burgeoning Chinese market, but to connect the still widely fragmented trailer building community on a global level.
On the flight back to Australia, a draft business plan came to life – and Global Trailer was born. In a move to connect the world’s leading authorities on commercial road transport, trailer design and ancillary equipment technology, the first edition featured David Li, General Manager of CIMC Vehicles, on the cover – an industry first that instantly caused a stir across the transport equipment community.
From here on, Global Trailer evolved into a crucial business resource to promote, grow and inform the international transport equipment industry – not only through the provision of the most relevant and current information, but also by providing in-depth analysis from the sector’s most influential voices and exclusive data on the world’s most exotic marketplaces. As such, it has become much more than just a trailer-making gazette. Today’s Global Trailer is widely regarded as the heavy transport industry’s leading knowledge hub and an influential business resource for the extended logistics community.
With a mission to address and inform those who steer the fate of commercial road transport on a global level, Global Trailer has now turned five. The team would like to use the occasion to thank our readers, advertisers and contributors around the globe for half a decade of support and advocacy.
For our anniversary edition, we have come full circle with a follow-up story on CIMC Vehicles executive, David Li. For our exclusive title story, Managing Editor, Sebastian Grote, travelled back to China to find out just how far CIMC Vehicles’ global expansion has progressed since our first edition – and relive some of the crucial moments that have led to the very creation of the Global Trailer brand.
“Going back to China and see just how far the domestic market has come has been an incredible experience,” he says. “China is such a vast market and still has enormous growth potential, so it’s been truly humbling to realise we may have played a small role in connecting it with the rest of the world and help the local scene mature and progress.
“On the other hand, it’s been amazing to see just how many people know and appreciated the Global Trailer brand – not just because we understand China, but because we have built such a strong global voice. The fact that we have once been chosen as an official media partner for this year's IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Germany is proof of that.”
He adds, “For the next half-decade, we will continue to provide that strong, global voice for the trailer and truck body building sector, as we believe that by helping grow the industry as a whole, all businesses within will benefit. That was the original idea it all began with, and we intend to stay true to it.”
Background:
After half a decade on the market, Global Trailer magazine is now reaching more than 10,000 people in more than 100 nations worldwide. Some 43 per cent of our readership are based in Western Europe, followed by 22 per cent in the Asia Pacific region and 17 per cent in North and Central America.