In a major development, German truck manufacturer Magirus has announced it will not participate in this year’s Intershutz.

The firm said it made careful considerations, not to take part at the Interschutz 2022 exhibition and “allocate part of the planned investment to charitable initiatives in support of firefighters in the Ukrainian conflict”.

After two long years marked by the global pandemic, which has deeply depressed the business environment, the brand was already focusing its resources on the development of its “Next Generation Firefighting” portfolio.

A statement from Magirus added: “Now, the unexpected war in Ukraine is further impacting the whole automotive and firefighting industry. Issues ranging from chassis supply to logistics challenges and very significant cost increase acceleration require Magirus to take an even more decisive step in focusing on core activities: developing the best firefighting products and services to ‘serve heroes‘.”

The brand will continue its marketing efforts for the entire product portfolio through plans to conduct an roadshow, to participate at the September IAA Transportation event in Hannover, and to host an in-house Magirus fair in the latter part of the year on its home turf in Ulm, Germany.

Additionally, in light of the ongoing crisis, Magirus has donated two turntable ladders to firefighters in Ukraine and has decided to use part of the planned Interschutz investment where it can make an immediate positive impact, contributing to the German Fire Services Association’s charitable initiative in support of Ukraine. “Magirus remains more committed than ever to its clients, dealers, suppliers, and all its stakeholders and will start planning right away to find new direct and effective ways to engage with them on an ongoing basis,” the firm added.