Capital Equipment News

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS NOVEMBER 2015 26
Volvo Group Southern Africa has official-
ly opened the company’s new flagship
dealership for Volvo Trucks and Renault
Trucks in Bloemfontein.
Christian Coolsaet, Managing Director of Vol-
vo Trucks and Renault Trucks South Africa
said that the new facility was the first of its
kind in the region to be specifically planned
and developed to reflect the company’s multi-
brand portfolio.
“All the brands within the Volvo Group are
equally important to us. We believe that the
respective brands have unique products of-
ferings with specific characteristics and ca-
pabilities that address and appeal to a defi-
nite set of customers,” said Coolsaet. “The
facility reflects this business approach and at
the same time incorporates the Group’s core
values of quality, safety and environmental
care in a very effective way.”
The new facility, which was developed at an
investment of R45 million, was specifically
developed to provide state-of-the-art sup-
port for Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks fleet
owners who operate across the region. The
dealership is strategically situated next to the
N8 route that connects Upington, Kimberley,
Bloemfontein and Maseru in Lesotho, and is
also close to other major transport corridors
including the N1 between Cape Town and
Gauteng and Limpopo.
“We are seeing a lot of economic growth po-
tential in the region and are proud to have
made this investment in order to more effec-
tively support our customers operating in the
area, said Torbjörn Christensson, President of
Volvo Group Southern Africa. “We believe that
if you want to grow your market share, your
aftermarket service has to be outstanding.
We are therefore fortunate to have such a
strong team of experts at the new dealership
in Bloemfontein,” Christensson added.
The Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks deal-
er in Bloemfontein originally started out as
Swedish Truck Distributors in 1995 with a
staff complement of five. Since becoming
a wholly-owned Volvo Trucks dealership in
2000, the facility has grown its business to
selling up to 50 units a month with 37 well-
trained technical, sales, aftermarket and sup-
port staff to provide Volvo Trucks and Renault
Trucks customers with world-class quality
products and services.
The past 20 months or so have certainly been
eventful for Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks,
as the company successfully launched new
product line-ups for both brands during this
period. Both brands experienced their best
sales performance ever during 2014, and the
company is excited about the future of Volvo
Trucks and Renault Trucks in the region.
With the Volvo Group being on the cutting edge
of innovation in the commercial vehicle indus-
try, it is leading the way in supporting fleet
owners in a modern and practical way. Innova-
tions include telematics gateways, interactive
driver mobile applications and advanced fleet
management systems.
“As one of the world’s leading commercial
vehicle manufacturers, we focus a lot of at-
tention on aspects such as advanced training,
the innovative use of technology, communica-
tion, financial and business guidance, as well
the implementation of international best prac-
tices, in order to enhance our dealers’ service
to our customers,” explained Christensson.
He said that owing to the current economic
climate, fleet operators are now even more
focused on keeping their fleets’ operating
costs down.
“Fleet owners therefore need trucks and
services that are optimised for their own
business models and their own specific ap-
plications. They also have big expectations
in terms of proximity to the dealer network,
both with regards to service and availability
of parts, but also for meaningful and durable
relationships with truck experts,” said Cool-
saet. “That is why we believe that the new
facility in Bloemfontein, will go a long way to
addressing these market requirements in an
efficient, productive and timely way.”
The Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks Bloem-
fontein dealership offers a complete spec-
trum of truck sales, service, maintenance,
finance and parts support. In addition, the
dealership offers brake roller testing, 24-hour
NEW VOLVO TRUCKS AND RENAULT TRUCKS
dealership in Bloemfontein officially opened