Vehicle Dealers International (VDI), the national distributor of Yutong buses in Australia, has announced its new state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility in Brisbane’s Eagle Fam has officially opened.
Yutong bus sales has increased by 60 per cent over the past five years, bringing the previous Yutong centre close to capacity. Now, the new facility will support the expansion of VDI’s Brisbane-based new vehicle manufacturing program, serving as a centre of excellence for technical training and engineering support for Yutong products.
VDI has strategically partnered with Yutong to create localised assembly products, starting with the E12 battery electric full size city route bus that is currently being assembled at the Eagle Farm facility through VDI/Yutong’s Drivable Knock Down (DKD) program.
VDI managing director Peter Woodward says convenience and accessibility for operators will be enhanced at the Eagle Farm site, as it’ll optimise its supply chain network, providing faster service and improved parts inventory levels.
“Service capability is greatly improved with an increase in service capacity,” Woodward told ABC.
“For Yutong bus customers, it is the service and business benefits they receive once they leave the dealership that are equally as important as the sales experience.
“We know that Yutong buses are built with the perfect combination of quality, safety, reliability, durability, comfort and energy efficiency which is why customers keep coming back to our products.
“But if something does go wrong, they also want to know that they can access a high level of customer support. Being able to accept and respond to all enquiries within the walls of our Brisbane facility represents the ongoing focus that places our customers at the centre of our operation.
“The advantage for businesses is connecting them directly to the nerve centre of Yutong knowledge and the peace of mind that we have the solutions to keep them on the road for longer.”
As electric buses continue gaining momentum in Australia, VDI says it is responding to the changing landscape in the bus industry for locally sourced zero-emissions buses with enhanced safety and reliable product offerings.
Recent appointments have solidified VDI’s commitment to Queensland, with Paul Lancaster being promoted to sales account manager for south-east Queensland, while Helen Milios has been appointed to the newly created role of national systems and compliance manager.
With more than 25 years of heavy transport industry experience, Milios’ experience includes the design and development of manufacturing systems for bus and coach, including quality, risk and safety management systems.
VDI says Yutong customers in Far North Queensland will continue to be supported by the Cairns team, with David Green the sales contact.