Page 42 - CEN 13 Apr.indd

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APRIL 2013
freight and logistics
Scania has been present in southern Africa since
the 80s, when assembly took place through a
privately owned assembly plant in Botswana and
SAAB Scania trucks were brought into South Africa
through a local import company. A truck workshop in
Cape Town, during the 80s, also specialised in Scania
trucks that were brought in cross-border.
In 1995, Scania AB bought the South African-based
import company and re-named it Scania South Africa
(Pty) Ltd, making it the first official Swedish-owned
Scania distributor in the country, operating from a
small depot on Elandsfontein, home to head office,
workshop, parts warehouse, training centre and
assembly plant.
Also in that year, Scania SA took over the Cape Town
workshop, making it into a dealership, opened another
in Durban, followed by satellite workshops in Kimberly
and Vryheid. As the company’s presence grew, in 1996,
the Elandsfontein operation became an assembly plant
only, with head office moving to what became the
Aerton branch in Johannesburg.
1997 saw a brand new client, Great Northern Transport
(GNT) – in then Pieterburg, now Polokwane – place an
initial order for 60 buses, which spurred Scania on to
open two new factories in the area: one for Scania
bus chassis and the other one as a joint venture with
Brazil’s MarcoPolo, to build and install bus bodies, with
the proviso that opening the factories would create jobs
locally. GNT supplied the buildings and the initial order
of 60 buses grew to a fleet of around 600.
The Vryheid workshop followed the migration of
its timber customers to a more efficient facility in
Richards Bay, and Scania also opened a workshop in
Bloemfontein, inaugurated by Christopher Ljungner, a
member of the Scania Board at the time.
In February 2003, the Aeroton branch and head
office split, with the former becoming the Alrode
dealer workshop and assembly moved to a new
facility in Aeroton as part of the head office complex.
Scania: A decade of continued growth
Gideon de Swardt, Corporate Relationship Manager,
Scania South Africa, took CEN through a number of
innovations that this renowned Swedish OEM has
undertaken over the past decade.
Simultaneously, the East Rand branch was established
at the original Assembly Plant facility, becoming the first
East Rand dealership.
Scania continued to grow at the rate of one dealership
facility a year with an operation in Nelspruit, a new
East Rand branch, one in Middelburg and another in
Rosslyn, Pretoria. Middelburg’ s dealership complex
was inaugurated once again, by Christopher Ljungner,
in September 2011 and the Cape Town facility – the
biggest in Africa – was inaugurated in October 2011.
The most recent opening took place in Durban at the
end of March this year.
Recently renamed Scania Southern Africa, moved
into Sub-Saharan markets, establishing branches in
Namibia, with Windhoek as a the combined head
office dealer workshop, and workshops in Walvis Bay
and Tsumeb. So too, Gaborone in Botswana saw the
establishment of an impressive head office dealership.
The existing Tanzania operation, previously controlled
by Sweden, became part of the Scania southern Africa
region. Franchises are also present in Malawi, Zambia
and Zimbabwe.
During the past decade, Scania SA became the first
OEM to be part of the Rapid Transport system (Rea Vaya)
operating in Johannesburg. The OEM also brought the
first ethanol-powered bus (fuelled by locally produced
ethanol) to the city of Johannesburg. So too, it is the first
company worldwide to manufacture a Euro Vl engine.
In 2010 the Scania R-Series truck range won the
International Truck of the Year Award, scoring the
highest points to date in the competition, adjudicated
by a panel of renowned automotive journalists. In the
same year, the company introduced the R730 V8,
(730hp) truck, the most powerful production truck in
the world.
The company shares its parent company’s global
network of plants, as well as its values – Customer first,
Respect for the Individual and Quality in everything
we do – as well as pride and trust in the brand, while
enjoying the fullest support from Scania Sweden.
During the past decade, Scania SA became the first
OEM to be part of the Rapid Transport system
(Rea Vaya) operating in Johannesburg.
Far right: Scania’s
Aerotan dealership and
head office.
Right: The first Scania
truck off the
assembly line.