Scania maintains momentum

Scania Australia finished strongly in 2015, achieving an impressive 134 deliveries in December to give a solid tally of 707 sales for the year.

While that figure falls short of the 779 units delivered in 2014, Scania Australia says the company enjoyed considerable success in parts sales, in its truck rental business, and with the launch of its Driver Services Division.

The firm also delivered 297 locally built Scania buses and factory fully built Scania-Higer A30 school and charter buses.

The company maintained its status as the third-best-selling brand in the over 16 tonnes cab-over segment.

Scania Australia's Managing Director, Roger McCarthy, said the company's efforts continue to bear fruit.

"Scania's performance in 2015 reflects the effort we have put into building and maintaining confidence in the brand with our Total Transport Solutions concept," he said.

"We delivered more than 700 trucks for the second year in a row and we finished fifth overall in the market over 16-tonnes, and third overall if you look only at the cab-over segment in which we compete.

"As the market numbers show there was a significant downturn in single trailer 'supermarket' specification type deliveries (trucks with outputs ranging from 421 to 499hp), which affected us, and some other competitors, during the year.

"We have been successful in developing the Scania business to stand for more than just the delivery of new vehicles, and our expanding services divisions have played a key role in supporting our growth and our continuing financial stability.

"Our parts division has been hard at work delivering more genuine Scania replacement parts to customers; our wholly owned Truck Rental business continues to run at very close to 100 per cent utilisation; and our newly established Driver Services business signed up more than 830 vehicles to our connected services programme in 2015.

“We were also able to deliver our Scania Peak Efficiency Training programme to 846 drivers in 2015, helping operators to reduce their fuel consumption, vehicle wear and tear, and driver fatigue.

"From a pure vehicle sales perspective we have increased our in-house sales force and have welcomed more of our service and parts dealers into the sales fold, bolstering the number of outlets from which a new Scania can be purchased to 14.

"Also importantly, our Used Truck business continues to show solid performance, underpinning Scania's residual values and proving to be an increasingly popular destination for high-quality used Scanias and other the makes we have stocked during the year.

"In 2016 we aim to continue to sign up more vehicles and operators to the Scania OnBoard and Optimise Driver Services. Scania Optimise includes our industry-unique follow-up driver-coaching programme, which aims to extend the benefits of driver training efficiency tips over a prolonged period.

"Throughout 2016 we will continue to bring to market products and services that work to improve efficiency and profitability for our customers."