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FIRST VOLVO-IRIZAR COACHES DELIVERED FOR BHP MINING CONTRACT

ONLY TWO MONTHS after a supply agreement was signed, the first of 33 Volvo chassis, Irizar-bodied coaches have been delivered to West Australian operator Go West Tours for its BHP Pilbara mining contract, it’s reported.

The partnership between global bus and coach manufacturer Irizar and Volvo Bus Australia secured a contract to supply the 33 coaches for a major seven-year contract with BHP, to provide transport services for its Pilbara mining operations.

The contract was signed by Go West Tours director David Houst and Irizar managing director, Asia Pacific region, Daniel Castro in Perth on 22 November, 2019.

The first batch of special-built vehicles made their way to Perth on 15 January, only two months after the contract being signed, Irizar confirms.

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It is a quite remarkable lead time given the chassis were built in Sweden and the bodies were built in Brazil at Irizar’s factory, they state.

The Irizar i6 3700 Mining-spec body equipped with Volvo B8R chassis combination was also recently supplied to mining sites in South Australia and Queensland and are designed for remote mining conditions, Irizar confirms.

It will be the first time that Irizar has delivered a complete fleet with the i-Service system integrated and fully maintained by the Irizar Group, it says.

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ON PAPER

The Volvo B8R power train includes the latest 8L Volvo engine, producing 330hp matched to an automatic gearbox to reduce driver fatigue.

The vehicles are equipped with special safety items including: passenger seat belt monitoring system; ABS, EBS, ESC, ECAS; in-vehicle monitoring and telematics; park brake alarm with anti-rollaway system; driver duress system; fire-suppression system; driver fatigue monitoring system, back-to-base tyre pressure monitoring system, and CCTV with remote access.

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ON-GOING PARTNERSHIP

Castro says the contract was the start of an ongoing partnership with Go West Tours.

“Securing this contract with Go West Tours is a reflection of 130 years of history in transport across 90 countries and the expertise we have developed over this time to design first-class vehicles for remote locations” he said.

“Delivering in such quick lead-time was a remarkable achievement for Irizar and Volvo that keeps a strategic batch of at least 40 vehicles as rolling stock and more chassis to be built to the specification of the customer,” Castro explained.

David Haoust says he looks forward to taking delivery of the state-of-the-art coaches.

“We are delighted to partner with renowned and respected European manufacturers Irizar and Volvo to purchase the latest technology coaches, which will ensure a high level and reliable service to BHP,” Haoust said.

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STAFF INDUCTION

The training sessions for Go West drivers and workshop staff started this week, confirms Irizar, which are conducted by the Irizar and Volvo technical teams in the Pilbara region. 

“The team at Volvo and our long-term dealer partner Truck Centre WA in the west are extremely excited about the opportunity to supply Go West with our latest Volvo B8R product,” said Lauren Downs, general manager, Volvo Bus Australia.

“Volvo have proudly offered industry-leading service and support across Australia for almost 50 years. This continues even in the depths of the Pilbara with service trucks and vans visiting all of the Pilbara mine sites on a regular basis with highly trained technicians and parts supply for the coaches and Volvo trucks on site.

“The new coaches will also be connected to Volvo Connected Services (telematics) meaning our specialised technical team can monitor the vehicles remotely – no matter how far or how remote,” Downs explained.

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ABOUT IRIZAR

Irizar arrived in Australia in 2007. Throughout the company’s history, Irizar has always responded to customers’ different needs and is continuously improving the safety, reliability and comfort of its vehicles – offering the best service possible with 130 years’ experience, it states.

Irizar is a world-leading business in the road passenger transport sector, with production plants in six countries and a sales presence is more than 90 countries across five continents, it explains.

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ABOUT VOLVO

Volvo Buses is one of the world’s leading bus manufacturers, with a strong focus on vehicles and systems for long-term sustainable public transport, it says.

The company is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction machines, as well as drive systems for marine and industrial applications.

Volvo has been the market leader in the Australian bus and coach industry for the past decade, it states.

The Volvo Bus Australia team comprises 21 dedicated bus specialists with more than 300 years of combined bus industry experience, it confirms.

Truck Centre WA has been a dealer partner of the Volvo Group for more than 50 years, with a dedicated bus workshop and highly skilled ‘Key Bus Technicians’, says Volvo. 

ABOUT GO WEST

Go West Tours is Western Australia’s leading supplier of modern charter, rental and tour vehicles, servicing the mining, education, tourism and government sectors, it says.

Reliable service and a first-class safety record have made Go West the integrated transport provider of choice across regional and metropolitan centres and remote sites, it explains.

 

 

Photography: Paul Aldridge + Carl Parkhouse

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