Scania (M) Sdn Bhd, the Swedish truck marque in Malaysia, will open new dealer branches in Kuching, Bukit Kayu Hitam and Port Dickson by 2014-2015.
Scania MD for South-East Asia, James Armstrong, said the company is currently working on a network development plan, which will include a bigger presence in the Klang Valley and in Johor.
One branch was opened in Kota Baru last month.
“We have confirmed in our board meeting that we will open one in Kuala Terengganu this year, as we have identified a piece of land there. We expect the next three would be in Kuching, Bukit Kayu Hitam and Port Dickson and we will also look at our representation in the Klang Valley, which is where a lot of transport business concentration is,” he told The Malaysian Reserve in a recent interview.
He said the company is “closely monitoring” the economic development down in Iskandar Malaysia as Johor Baru could also be important for Scania to enhance its presence in the state.
As for East Malaysia, Scania has a branch in Bintulu and a mobile workshop in Kuching, both in Sarawak, a branch outlet in Kota Kinabalu and a mobile workshop in Sandakan, Sabah.
“Looking at the size of Kuching and the businesses there, it will be likely that we will have a proper fixed workshop there in the next year or so,” he said.
On Scania buses for Rapid- KL, RapidPenang and Rapid- Kuantan, Armstrong said all 440 buses will be delivered by next year to Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (Rapid), the Rapid public bus unit of Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd.
“From then on, nearly 900 Scania city buses will be on the road in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kuantan, operated by Prasarana’s RapidKL, Rapid- Penang and RapidKuantan,” said Armstrong.
He said the Scania city buses to be operated by Prasarana are expected to be on the road for 15 to 17 years compared to Chinese buses brought by Prasarana a few years back, which last only three to five years maximum.
“So longevity is really important,” he said.
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