Scania remains steadfast in its commitment to growth, sustainable development, and operational efficiency while fostering trust among its clients. This was the key message from Erik Bergvall, Managing Director of Scania Southern Africa, during the inauguration of the company’s state-of-the-art assembly plant in Aeroton, south of Johannesburg.

Having recently celebrated three decades in the South African truck market, Scania has locally produced over 40 000 units since its return to the country in 1995. The new assembly plant is designed to facilitate faster delivery and enhance customer support, aligning with Scania’s global mission to drive the transition towards sustainable transport while maintaining a strong focus on service excellence.

A sustainable approach to manufacturing

With sustainability at the forefront, Christian Håkansson, Head of Scania RPC South Africa, proudly announced that the new assembly plant recycles 98% of its waste. This initiative underscores Scania’s dedication to minimising environmental impact while continuing to deliver high-quality products that offer excellent value for money.

The new plant was strategically designed to eliminate previous bottlenecks in the flow of parts, ensuring a more streamlined production process. Components move seamlessly from pre-assembly to the main assembly line, before final quality control checks are conducted. Each completed truck undergoes rigorous testing, including a mandatory brake inspection to ensure compliance with South African regulations.

Every completed Scania unit is tested to ensure it meets the highest standards. Here the brakes are being stringently checked to ensure that they are up to standard and to ensure the safety of the operator and other road users.

Retaining expertise and expanding capacity

“When we moved to the new facility, we aimed to keep operations as close as possible to those of the original plant. Over the past 30 years, we have built a highly skilled workforce, and it was crucial for us to retain the expertise we have invested in. Fortunately, we were able to keep our valued employees,” said Erik Bergvall.

The assembly plant currently has the capacity to produce 3,200 trucks and buses per year. While truck models are fully assembled on-site, bus chassis are completed before being sent to industry partners such as Marco Polo or Busaf for body fittings. The assembly line is flexible, allowing multiple models to be produced simultaneously. Should demand increase, production output can be easily scaled up with additional staff and shifts.

A commitment to South Africa’s future

“We are not here simply to sell trucks. Our mission is to create lasting solutions for sustainable transport while continuously contributing to the South African economy,” stated Christian Håkansson.

With its new cutting-edge facility, Scania is poised to strengthen its position as a leader in the South African transport sector, ensuring innovation, sustainability, and superior service for years to come.

Scania takes pride in their staff and each member on the assembly line is a specialist in his or her job. Therefore, it was important to retain the expertise of the staff members when the assembly plant moved from the previous location.