Scania Southern Africa’s service network has always held an impressive footprint throughout sub-Sahara Africa, from the southern point of Cape Town stretching right up north into Tanzania, with the single intent of providing customer support no matter where it operates.
DURING 2013, Scania’s global head office in Sweden placed a great deal of research and focus into creating a presence within Mozambique, and it is with with great delight and enthusiasm that Scania Southern Africa proudly announce the establishment of a wholly owned subsidiary based in Beira. The dealership, which is also the regional head office, is still within construction stages and aims to be completed later this year. Scania’s enthusiastic motivation for the venture derives from the Maputo Corridor, a major trade corridor connecting the South African provinces Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga with Mozambique’s port and capital city. The venture provides additional network support in an entire eastern region which has been absent to customers and their operations – until now. Scania Moçambique has long-term strategic plans to position future workshop facilities conveniently throughout the country, which will allow for a stronger support network and an increase in commercial uptime to both local and cross-border customers.
The appointment of Scania Moçambique’s managing director, Daniel Henriksson, took place in October 2013; his history not only ranges within the Scania organisation, but within Mozambique as well. Daniel has been a part of the Scania family for the past 27 years, holding various positions within the different business units, following in his father’s footsteps all the way to Beira. During the 1980s, Scania’s representation within Mozambique was both through a wholly Scania owned dealership and later on through a privately owned subsidiary – in both cases with Henriksson’s father Björn Carlsson as head of Service Operations. Complementing his heritage string, Henriksson is also fluent in Portuguese, an essential aptitude for successful business operation in Mozambique.
“We know there is great potential in Africa; through our complete business solutions approach we can make a difference for customers in strengthening and expanding their businesses,” states Henriksson with clear confidence. “We know that key to our customers’ prosperity is uptime – the trucks and buses have to be available for transporting goods or passengers as much as possible. This is where our customers’ revenue comes from. A vehicle is not earning money standing still, so when it is in need of maintenance or repair we need to be close by and able to quickly put that vehicle out on the road again earning money. More ‘dots on the map’ means better business for our customers.”
Scania’s business strategy began with the construction of the Beira facility rolling into Henriksson’s formation of local customer relations and overall awareness within the gradual country. The initial staff complement will begin with 10 local employment positions, followed by an increase as the organisation grows and matures. Scania Moçambique will fall under Scania South Africa, the Southern Africa regional head office, as does the already existing Scania-owned network, namely Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania. Scania’s global focus has shifted from being a product manufacturer into a provider of complete transport solutions, offering its customers an ensured resolution to future profitability and business expansion, while confirming that there is a better way.
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