Scania starts bus and coach production in India

Scania starts bus and coach production in India

Mar 31, 2015  | Mechanical engineering 

Scania starts bus and coach production in India
(Photo by: Scania)

Scania will inaugurate its first bus and coach production facility in India tomorrow, 31 March 2015, in the presence of the Swedish and Indian transport ministers.

The bus production facility is located at the Scania Narasapura facility, in the Indian state of Karnataka, 40 km east of Bangalore. Scania has been assembling trucks here since 2013 and has so far invested about SEK 400 million (EUR 40 million) in the facility.

Scania’s President and CEO Martin Lundstedt says:
“The inauguration of this bus production facility is an important milestone for our Indian operations. The buses and coaches produced here will also be exported to other regional markets in the future and to the rest of the world in the longer term.”

Scania’s industrial operations in Narasapura already include final assembly of truck and bus chassis as well as bodybuilding and the fitting out of complete vehicles. The production of fully-built long-distance coaches has already started and production of city buses will begin shortly, with the first deliveries planned by year-end.

The production facility is currently designed for 2,500 trucks and 1,000 buses per year and has 600 employees. Scania expects to recruit a further 200 employees by the end of 2017 and to double capacity within the next five years. The head office of Scania’s Indian subsidiary is also located in Narasapura as well as a service workshop and a central parts warehouse.

Sustainable solutions

In line with India’s rapid economic growth and initiatives to improve efficiency in the transport sector, demand is increasing in the country for vehicles with Scania’s quality and performance as well as service-related products. The Indian Government’s various initiatives to improve the environment and transport system in the country’s cities are also creating great opportunities for Scania’s sustainable solutions.

Anders Grundströmer, Managing Director, Scania India and Senior Vice President, Scania Group, says:
“Already today, here and now, we can deliver trucks and buses that can run on biofuels, which are increasingly being produced, for example, by using waste from the cities. Scania can also contribute with competencies and experience relating to biofuel production and efficient public transport systems.”

Scania has had a presence in the Indian market since 2007, when cooperation was initiated with Larsen & Toubro (L&T). L&T has successfully established Scania’s trucks and services and has developed a close partnership with customers in the mining industry. During 2011, Scania formed the company Scania Commercial Vehicles India with the aim of boosting its presence through sales to additional segments of the Indian commercial vehicles market.

Via Scania
Image,video ©: Scania