Scania’s new company-owned sales and service outlet at Eastern Creek in Sydney’s west is taking shape as it prepares to open for business early next year.
The shell of the building is now complete, with the floor going in, along with many of the fixtures and fittings that couldn’t be installed due to construction industry lockdowns.
“It’s full speed ahead at Eastern Creek now that lockdown has lifted,” said Lionel Saunders, Scania state manager for NSW and the ACT.
The Eastern Creek branch will open with a team of Scania experts at the helm, many of whom are currently working at Scania Prestons, with decades of experience under their belts.
Eastern Creek will be Scania’s ninth company-owned capital city location.
According to Scania, it is being established to cope with the growth in demand for new vehicle sales and service. The company says that over the past decade, Scania has doubled its footprint in Australia, requiring additional capacity to supply service and parts to its heavy-duty truck, bus and industrial and marine engine customers.
As with all Scania workshops, trailers and trailer equipment can be serviced on site along with prime movers, vocational rigids (such as construction and jetvac trucks and fire appliances).
“We have wanted for some time to open a second company-owned location in western Sydney,” said Sean Corby, regional executive manager for Scania NSW and Victoria.
“We see Eastern Creek as being part of a growth corridor and close to many existing customers and conveniently located to the intersection of the M4 and M7 freeways, so we can service interstate customers as well.”
The new premises will feature seven work bays including two B-double length inspection/service pits, a wash-bay and a separate rebuild area. State-of-the-art equipment such as a load-simulation brake tester will also be installed, well ahead of the NHVR mandate for such technology, due to come into force in 2023.
Scania has also constructed a standalone Environmental Station, a waste management unit that will secure scrap metal and other waste, to avoid run-off into the storm water system.
“We will be teaming new technology with some wise and experienced Scania heads,” said Saunders.
“Our Eastern Creek branch manager will be Chris Nobbs who has had a lot of experience with Scania and has been a crucial part of our two victorious Top Team global skills competition winning teams. He’ll be joined by several other staffers who have similar levels of expertise with Scania systems, as well as strong links with our customers.
“A newcomer to the team will be Laney Anderson who joins us as a parts supervisor. Laney has already started work at Prestons to familiarise herself with our systems and processes, and we are excited to have her on the team. While we have most of the positions filled, we’re still looking for a few critical members to join us.”
Laney says she is delighted to start working for Scania. She grew up in a trucking family spending her school holidays in her father’s truck travelling the country, and has almost a decade’s experience in automotive and heavy transport parts.
“I am extremely excited to be a part of the start of a brand-new Scania dealership in Eastern Creek and am invested in helping to get it up and running,” she said.