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VOLGREN BOLSTERS BUS TEAM; JONES PROMOTED

FIVE NEW appointments across multiple departments at Volgren includes two additions with extensive experience working closely with parent company Marcopolo S.A., the company confirms.

Touted as ‘strengthening its connection to Marcopolo’, Volgren has appointed new people and made changes across its sales and marketing, engineering, and production departments, it states.

Two of the executive appointments – Joaquim Gomes, Volgren’s new engineering manager, and Yuri Tessari, sales and marketing manager – between them have decades of experience at Marcopolo.

Volgren chief executive officer Thiago Deiro says the executives will inject new talent into the company and improve the connection between Volgren and Marcopolo.

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“In the last year we’ve been working hard on a company-wide transformation focusing on lean manufacturing and implementing standardised processes that bring us into greater alignment with Marcopolo,” Deiro said.

“The appointment of Joaquim and Yuri are part of that strategy, deepening the connection between the two companies and creating a knowledge exchange across our design, manufacturing and engineering teams.

“Each step in the restructuring process is about improving culture and mindset – the way that we do things, values, behaviours and attitudes.”

Deiro adds that by clarifying responsibilities he hopes to accelerate decision-making processes and remove disturbances on the production line.

“Our goal is to make the company easier to manage, improve communication flow, reduce duplication within and across functions and teams, and ensure the right people with the necessary skills are in the right place.”

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ABOUT THE CREW

Gomes, an expert in engineering processes and bus building, has spent more than two decades with Marcopolo S.A, Volgren states. The mechanical engineer is focused on a global improvement of Marcopolo’s engineering system and improving Volgren’s engineering processes using the lean methodology, it says.

“Having [Marcopolo] engineering teams across the world working in the same rhythm helps us better utilise our knowledge and resources. For instance, we have a team in Brazil with more than 20 years’ experience with FEA (Finite Element Analysis), which can be incorporated into Volgren’s product improvement programme.

“The strategy is one of continuous improvement. It’s a practice that never ends. Everything that I’m learning at Volgren can be incorporated into our global teams to ensure we have the best possible engineering process,” Gomes said.

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Tessari worked at Marcopolo for a decade and has recent experience with Scania in Sweden, confirms Volgren. He says the Australian bus market is unique and Volgren’s high-quality, safe and comfortable buses meet the distinctive demands of the industry.

“The demands in terms of quality and durability are singular; they can be quite challenging since material and labour costs required to meet such standards are extremely high. However, the public transport sector can rest assured they will have a reliable operation on their hands,” Tessari said.

“Volgren’s product portfolio is aligned with Marcopolo’s global product range. The company aim has always been the full and deep understanding of each customer’s needs and a hand-crafted solution to meet those demands and expectations,” Tessari added.

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LOCAL PROMOTION

Volgren local Jim Jones previously was responsible for sales and marketing in his role as commercial manager. Jones has now been promoted to chief operating officer – responsible for Volgren’s three manufacturing sites in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.  

Jones also retains commercial responsibility for Volgren’s major bus supply contracts, in Western Australia with the Public Transport Authority, and in Queensland with Brisbane City Council.

Deiro says the restructuring process would not change Volgren’s ‘DNA’.

“This is an Australian company that was built by Australians and you have to keep that,” he explained.

“Regardless of what new people come into our team, the number one rule is to treat our people with respect, listening to them and work with them. “This is part of our values, the main pillars of our culture. I’m trying to promote this human side of the business.

“We have to make sure that our people work in a safe and positive environment, they’re well trained, motivated and committed to our success and our customers’ success.”

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Photography: courtesy Volgren

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