Mark Wright (left) and Mattias Lundholm.

Scania New Zealand is acquiring seven Trucks & Trailers service centres around New Zealand, expanding its dealer network with eight more workshops being setup across New Zealand in key locations. The eighth will be an additional Scania workshop established in Rotorua.

The deal will become effective from November this year. Scania says branding will be completed across the eight locations before this time. Trucks & Trailers will carry out its 90-day notice period with Daimler Truck and Bus with a business as usual approach, continuing to look after its current customer base.

Going forward, Trucks & Trailers will continue to offer authorised sales, service and parts support for Mercedes-Benz Vans in key locations, with a stand-alone facility underway in Auckland. 

The multimillion dollar expansion is also the largest strategic play by Scania New Zealand since the Swedish brand established itself here nearly two years ago, and represents one of the international truck manufacturer‘s largest investments in its global brand for 2020.

Scania executive vice president, head of commercial operations, Mathias Carlbaum says New Zealand especially appealed for an investment of this scale. “During these challenging times, we are taking an important step in our business commitment in New Zealand where we see capacity for growth within its local market, to support our New Zealand customers.”

Mattias Lundholm, managing director of Scania New Zealand, says it is a massive vote of confidence for the growth and direction of the brand. “We have increased our market share by 100% in the past year, and now acquiring these centres significantly expands Scania‘s footprint across the country.”

This expansion will lift Scania‘s stable of nationwide dealerships to 30, and almost treble its current number of employees to a team of more than 190. Throughout the transition period Scania customers will continue to be supported by Scania‘s team of independent dealers across its existing network.

Lundholm says it was also important for Scania to align with a business that shared its values towards its people, customers and community, and Trucks & Trailers was an ideal fit. “Customers are very happy with Trucks & Trailers and the work they do. The industry sees them as a benchmark.”

From left: Shannon Wright, Trucks and Trailers owner; Mark Wright, Trucks and Trailers owner; Mattias Lundholm, managing director of Scania New Zealand; Don Wright, Trucks and Trailers founder and director.

Trucks & Trailers Ltd is a family-owned heavy and light commercial vehicle business with more than 33 years as one of New Zealand‘s foremost heavy commercial vehicle service, parts and sales operations. Trucks & Trailers director Mark Wright sees this move as key to providing long-term stability and further opportunities for the company‘s dedicated team.

“This will come as a surprise to some and I would like to thank them all personally for their incredible ongoing loyalty. This new chapter is exciting and our focus as always is to continue looking after as many of the T&T extended family as possible,” Wright says. 

“One of our key motivations for considering this opportunity was to build on what we‘ve already proudly achieved in the past 33 years. It is clear our business philosophies, culture and aspirations are very well aligned and Scania New Zealand provides the scale and infrastructure to continue this on our behalf over the next 30 years and beyond.”

In some ways the new partnership brings Trucks & Trailers full circle to when founder Don Wright first started the business in 1988, completing work on behalf of the Scania sales agent of the time.

“I personally believe that we now have the opportunity to put into place a platform that will allow us to achieve all the things we planned to do but in an accelerated, collaborative and supportive environment,” Wright says. 

“We will take our family philosophies and attitude, adding them to the might of Scania, a global company that in recent times has re-energised their focus on providing market leading products, built to suit New Zealand, and developing a heightened level of customer support and service, something we excel in.”