Scania’s new factory owned sales and service outlet at Eastern Creek in Sydney’s west is taking shape and rising fast and is likely to commence operation early in 2022.
“It’s full speed ahead at Eastern Creek now that lockdown has lifted,” said Scania’s state manager for NSW and the ACT, Lionel Saunders.
The company reports the shell of the building has been completed, the floor is going in and much of the fixtures and fittings that could not have been installed due to the lockdown of the construction industry has been prefabricated off site and is awaiting delivery in the immediate future.
The Eastern Creek branch will open with a team of Scania experts at the helm, many of whom are currently working at Scania Prestons and have several decades of experience under their belts.
Eastern Creek will be Scania’s ninth company-owned capital city location, and the company says it has been established to cope with the growth in demand for new vehicle sales and service.
Over the past decade, Scania says it 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.
Scania says that as with all its 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 and the workshops will be open from 7.00am to midnight Monday to Friday and on Saturday until midday.
“We have wanted for some time to open a second company-owned location in western Sydney,” says 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 company says the new premises will feature seven work bays including two B-double length inspection/service pits, a wash-bay and a separate rebuild area. There will be a host of state-of-the-art equipment including a load-simulation brake tester, 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. This is part of Scania’s global move to contain waste and ensure environmental damage is avoided as far as possible.
“We will be teaming new technology with some wise and experienced Scania heads,” Lionel said.
“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. She has devised and successfully implemented an efficient parts handling and picking process for a previous heavy transport employer.
“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.
