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Scania give Australian market body import option with Irizar

Scania are the latest chassis supplier to offer a body ready for import into the Australian market. The company say coach

Scania are the latest chassis supplier to offer a body ready for import into the Australian market.

The company say coach operators seeking shorter delivery times and European design and manufacturing quality can now get access to Irizar products — one of the world’s largest and most successful coach builders.

They say the Scania K-series coach chassis can now be delivered fitted with coaches built by Irizar,

“It is the first time Scania has been able to offer coach bodies with European design and build,” Scania say.

Scania Australia National Manager Bus and Coach Trevor O’Brien says the decision to import Irizar Century coach bodies gives customers a new standard of product with much shorter delivery lead times.

“Irizar is a mass producer of coach bodies, so the Century is a totally different body to the hand-built short-production-run coach bodies that are available in Australia,” he says.

“There are simply some things that mass production offer that short-run production does not, from the fit and finish to the use of injection mouldings.

“Mass production also brings that uniformity of design and uniformity of manufacture that means that whether it’s the first or the 100th delivery, every coach will be the same.

“This brings enormous advantages from the point of view of servicing and maintenance — and that’s even without consideration for the sleek, aerodynamic design of the Century, which is clearly apparent the first time you see one.”

O’Brien says delivery lead times are expected to be cut dramatically.

“Irizar has six manufacturing plants globally, operates in 65 countries and employs over 3000 people – that’s quite a level of support,” he says.

“Furthermore, Scania is one of Irizar’s largest customers globally, so to be bringing Irizar coaches to Australia is merely the extension of that relationship rather than the creation of a new one.”

The Century range is available for installation on Scania K-series 4×2 or 6×2 chassis in either 3.5-metre or 3.7-metre heights. Body lengths include 11.3 metres, 12 metres, 12.8 metres, 13.7 metres and 14.5 metres.

Initially, Century coaches bound for Australia will be manufactured in Brazil. Irizar Oceania is responsible for parts and after sales support for the Century range.

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