From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:

Automotive manufacturer Scania Southern Africa has opened a new assembly plant in Aeroton, south of Johannesburg – which will produce between 3 200 and 3 600 units a year. Trent Roebeck has the story.

Trent Roebeck:

Scania Southern Africa MD Erik Bergvall says that the opening of the new “state-of-the-art” Scania assembly plant is a milestone in the company’s history and stands as a testament to the company’s longstanding dedication to the automotive and logistics industry in South Africa.

This new facility will be equipped with increased capacity and efficiencies to meet growing demands for Scania sustainable transport from various transport and logistics industry players.

Scania Southern Africa MD Erik Bergvall:

The opening of this new assembly plant is a reflection of our confidence in South Africa’s potential and our [Scania’s] ambition to support economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development.

With this facility, we are positioning ourselves to better serve our customers with high-quality, locally-assembled products, ensuring faster deliveries and enhanced support.

Trent Roebeck:

Scana South Africa RPC manager Christian Håkansson says that the company has put in immense effort to complete the new assembly plant in Aeroton, after having started the project in the middle of 2023, when the head office moved into its own workspace in Roodepoort, in Johannesburg.

He says that the new Scania assembly plant has been completed within the desired timeframe and budget, and will enhance the company’s volume growth by increasing the number of vehicles produced every day.

Scania South Africa RPC manager Christian Håkansson:

Our goal has been to establish a new footprint for the assembly, ensuring that we remain competitive and supply the South African markets with a high-quality product that our customers expect from us.

Another objective of this plant has been to retain our expertise, and that we have done by being in the same area … and with that, we have been able to keep our valuable assets and valuable competence that we have with all of our employees that have done this work with us and have moved with us to the assembly plant.

Scania South Africa RPC manager Christian Håkansson:

With our new assembly plant, we have improved the flows, the logistics, and the assembly setup. We are confident that we will achieve this one and meet new challenges for the future.

I would like to extend a really heartful thank you to all the employees at Scania who have made this possible. It has been incredible hard work for the past 15 months, but I really see the joy that we had . . . the energy that we had . . . when we came back from the vacation and entered the new facility.

Trent Roebeck:

The new assembly plant will be able to produce truck and bus chassis on the same line, making it an efficient and versatile way for Scania to meet the needs of the South African transport and logistics sector.

Scania plant manager Deon Flusk:

Our total volume for truck and bus assembly at the end of 2024, from the inception [of Scania SA] in 1995, was a total of 41 505 units – what a feat! I think that is really testament to the hard work and dedication of our assembly team.

Sashnee Moodley:

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy. Don’t forget to listen to the audio version of our Engineering News daily email newsletter.