Key to supporting the sustainable profitability of South Africa’s transport sector is ensuring transport operators have convenient access to the maintenance and repair services they require to maximise uptime. With a footprint of over 45 dealerships, Scania has built a formidable service and repair network that ensures customers who need support, have access to world-class workshop facilities.
The addition of a new independently owned dealership in Polokwane, located close to major roads, provides Scania customers located locally, as well as across the greater Limpopo region, with sales support for both trucks and buses, access to state-of-the-art workshop facilities, a full complement of vehicle servicing equipment and highly trained technicians.
“As an independently owned dealership, we are proud to support the management team’s entrepreneurial spirit and the new job opportunities the dealership will be creating”, says Marius Steenkamp, General Manager, Operations, Scania Southern Africa.
Skills development is a key focus with nationally recognised Apprenticeships and Master Technician qualifications available to new recruits. “Scania is committed to skills transfer and welcomes the opportunity to make these available at our new Polokwane dealership,” says Steenkamp.
Scania’s long-time concentration on maximising vehicle uptime ensures a truck is available to perform its intended function. Focusing on uptime, rather than avoiding downtime is a paradigm shift. By following a downtime focused or reactive approach, customers approach dealers with a problem that needs to be fixed. Embracing uptime goes beyond preventative maintenance. “It requires an understanding of a customer’s business, the operating constraints, schedules and deadlines” says Steenkamp. “The end result of our uptime approach is to ensure our customers benefit from a reliable and valuable partnership that works together to maintain an optimal operating schedule. Every dealership in our network follows this approach and Scania Polokwane is the latest addition to ensuring that our customers, no matter where they are located, enjoy the same level of service that affords them every opportunity to maximise their profitability”.
