Scania Australia reignites its focus on value and customer service with some new initiatives
Scania Australia introduced its first daily parts delivery van a year and a half ago in Victoria, followed by Queensland in February this year, and is likely to introduce a service in NSW early next year.
Scania Australia national after sales manager Sean Corby says much work has also been done to turn around the misconception that Scania’s genuine parts pricing was too dear.
“Two and a half years ago, I could understand where those ideas came from and we recognised that ourselves,” he says.
“We’ve dropped our prices across the board, across our whole parts inventory, and are trying to get the message out to customers and fleet-operators that we are competitive now.”
The new Scania vans are running two parts deliveries a day and also giving operators a chance to interact with Scania staff, who can offer guidance regarding their fleet.
A lot has changed in the parts department over the last two years, Corby says, and one of the most exciting developments is the availability of new replacement Scania engines – as an alternative to reconditioning existing engines on older buses.
“After running a bus for more than 20 years, some operators are looking to change the engine out rather than do a rebuild,” Corby says.
A bus engine rebuild can take up to a month, whereas an engine can be replaced with a new one within three days.
“The cost of a Scania replacement engine is usually around $30,000, with a two year warranty,” Corby says.
“I’d say that’s fairly competitive. “A new engine is better than a reconditioned one and rebuilt engines sometimes come with no warranty.”
Scania Australia already has three different types of new replacement engines available, and its two other bus engine types will also become available in the near future.