Scania Australia’s new managing director, Manfred Streit, has arrived in Melbourne, following 15 years working for the company in Austria.
Streit, 49, replaces Mikael Jansson, 63, who recently announced his retirement following five years in the role down under.
Involved with trucks since he was a youngster, Streit said he developed a life-long affinity for Scania early on. His tertiary studies in business and commerce were funded by driving many of the Swedish trucks during university holidays, where he developed a deep passion for transport and logistics.
“From the start of my career I have been involved with moving people and goods. This is something I am passionate about,” he said.
After a short spell at French signalling manufacturer Alcatel, Streit moved to Renault in Austria, before accepting the role of dealer director with Scania near his hometown in north central Austria. He was there for eight years before becoming country manager for Scania in Austria, in 2016.
Having had a taste of Australia as a tourist more than 20 years ago, Streit and his family are looking forward to a longer spell here, this time.
“Scania in Australia has a very solid base – thanks to 12 years of growth – that I plan to build on, assisted by a very experienced executive management team. I can see there is a lot of depth among our local Scania family, and we will work together to develop further innovations and services for the benefit of our customers,” Streit said.
“Scania is not only focused on growing our business and maintaining customer uptime, but also driving the shift towards a sustainable transport future. We have already begun this in Australia, and the transformation will continue in line with the needs of the market.
“Having transferred from a small country in the middle of Europe to a large continent far away, I am looking forward to exploring Australia and meeting with many customers and understanding their business needs.
“Although Austria and Australia are far apart, customers all over the world value the same critical business elements: respect, credibility and being a reliable trading partner. I am proud that Scania lives these values, just as I am proud to be part of the continuing story of Scania in Australia.”
Streit arrives after another solid month of sales for Scania in July, in which the Swedish badge moved 100 units and cemented its fourth spot on the heavy-duty table behind Kenworth, Isuzu and Volvo.