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NewsScania launches a newbranch in TanzaniaIn January this year Scania, one of the world’s leadingmanufacturers of trucks and buses, launched a newworkshop in Mwanza in Tanzania.The new Mwanza branch, located at Mbuguniin the Mabatini area of Mwanza town, is intendedto provide service and maintenance facilities for allthe Scania customers conducting business in theVictoria lake region which includes Mwanza, Maraand Shinyanga. The Victoria Lake zone is one ofthe most important markets for Scania Tanzaniaand the company felt it was essential to bring theirservices closer to these customers.Speaking at the launch ceremony, ScaniaTanzania Managing Director Claes Nyqvist saidthat the main objective in opening the MwanzaBranch is to take care of the lake zone customers’demands for genuine spare parts and qualifiedvehicle service.“Initially, our lake zone customers had to travel allthe way to Dar es Salaam in order to get spare partsor servicing for their trucks and buses. This processproved to be very inefficient and inconvenient to our customers,so we decided to work towards establishing thisworkshop, which will cater for all maintenance servicesneeded by our customers,” Nyqvist said.Apart from offering vehicle service and spare parts atthe new workshop, Scania’s Assistance Team (SCAT) willbe travelling to Mwanza regularly to conduct small workshopsand seminars which will assist the owners of trucksand buses to use their vehicles safely and efficiently.Scania recently launched the new G Series as partof its new global truck range. These efficient and costeffective vehicles are already proving to be a favourablechoice for transporters in Tanzania.Sparkling year forNamibia Trucks2008 was a significant year, with variousmilestones being reached for the truck divisionof Truck Namibia (Pty) Ltd. Notable amongst thedivision’s achievements was the delivery of 11Scania G420 and five Scania P380 6x4 models tovalued client Etosha Transport, adding a worthyand advanced line to the company’s fleet. Withthis new addition to their fleet, Etosha Transportnow has 60 Scania trucks, making them thebiggest Scania operator in Namibia.To mark the importance of this occasion,Mr. Ola Arnestam, Managing Director of TruckNamibia and Francois Bruwer, Scania SalesRepresentative, personally handed over keysto the new trucks to Mr. Jan Christo Coetzer,Managing Director, and Mr. Gawie Koen,Technical Manager for Etosha Transport.Etosha Transport’s fleet operations rely heavilyon state-of-the-art technology and well-equippedvehicles, as every year a huge number of longdistancetrips are undertaken by the company.250coaches for AngolaScaniaScania has completed its largest bus andcoach transaction to date in Angola, selling250 intercity coaches. The coaches will providecommuter service between major cities in thecountry and play a key role in improving theefficiency of scheduled transport in Angola.The decisive factor behind choosing Scaniawas strong confidence in the company as asupplier of a complete transport solution.“We see a big market potential for Scania inAngola, and this sale is proof of it,” says MathiasCarlbaum, Sales and Marketing Director atScania Latin America. “Our aim is to increaseScania’s presence in the country both in the buscoachand truck segments as well as in service.”The purchaser of the 250 coaches is GTDGoods, a Portuguese company in the EspiritoSanto Group that has been operating in Angolasince 1993 and is responsible for financing thebuses to the final users.According to GTD Goods, the key to thetransaction is the company’s great confidence inScania as a long-term partner and supplier of acomplete transport solution, including coachesadapted for the tough conditions prevailing in Angola.The coaches will be produced at Scania’splant in Brazil and bodyworked by the Braziliancompany Comil. Deliveries will take place duringthe first half of 2009.Angola is currently undergoing majorinvestment to build up the country, in whichthe expansion of infrastructure will playan important role. To strengthen domestictransport, the expansion of scheduled intercityservices using safer, more comfortable coachesis now under way.All the coaches will be built using Scania’srobust F 330 chassis featuring a front-mountedengine. With its generous ground clearance,the F 330 is specially adapted to the demandingconditions prevailing in many markets in LatinAmerica and Africa. The twin-axle coaches have alength of 12,5 metres and accommodate 49 seatedpassengers. They will be equipped with Scania’s11-litre, 330 hp engine.www.scania.com N o 3/2009 • SCANIA REVOLUTIONS