Dandenong manufacturer Volgren secures lucrative contract providing 30 new buses for Tokyo
DANDENONG bus building company Volgren has scored a $7.5 million contract to build 30 low-floor buses for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, creating 150 jobs.
South East
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A DANDENONG bus building company is making the wheels go around on the local economy through a multimillion-dollar deal with a Japanese bus operator.
Volgren has scored a $7.5 million contract to build 30 low-floor buses for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and expects more work from Japan.
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The deal has created jobs for 150 people over the three-month building program, as well as about 50 jobs in businesses in the supply chain.
It was the single biggest order since Volgren entered the market in Japan in 2014 and Volgren was the only Australian bus building company selling in Japan, Volgren chief executive Peter Dale said.
The Optimus low-floor buses on a Scania chassis were the first of their kind in Japan and Volgren hoped to get ongoing orders for 30 to 100 buses a year, he said.
“All 30 buses are being built in Dandenong and locally engineered, securing jobs and supporting the growing supply chain of local businesses in the south east,” Mr Dale said.
“The buses are 100 per cent compliant to Japanese vehicle specifications including the country’s complex on-board passenger information systems, ticketing equipment and emergency exit requirements.”
Mr Dale said his company had built a reputation in Japan for manufacturing high quality, niche vehicles in areas that local manufacturers don’t supply.
“There’s currently no local Japanese bus body manufacturer producing a complete low floor bus with the only other option being buses from Europe, that are non-compliant to Japanese regulations and not equipped with any Japanese specific equipment upon delivery to the customer,” he said.
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