Swedish company Scania celebrated the result of a £3million investment – its biggest since the global economic downturn – in Inverness yesterday.
The truck, bus and coach manufacturer officially opened a new purpose-built service centre at the Bridgepoint business park in Longman Industrial Estate.
Sweden’s ambassador to the UK, Nicola Clase, was in the Highland capital to see the new facility for herself.
Scania (Great Britain) managing director Claes Jacobsson said: “As home to a wide and diverse range of transport operations and with many local operators traditionally favouring the Scania marque, the Inverness area has long been an important location for us.
“We are repaying our customers’ investment in us with this new service centre, which is one of the most advanced in the United Kingdom.”
Scania Inverness provides employment for 16 staff, most of whom are fully-trained technicians.
Built on a 1.8-acre site with a high security, CCTV-monitored truck parking area, the new premises have two full length service pits, a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency-authorised test facility, a rolling road simulator, tachograph bay and steam-cleaning equipment.
Some £400,000 of the £3million investment has been channelled into workshop equipment and special tooling.
In addition to new and used vehicle sales, the branch operates a rental service through Scania Truck Rental.
Founded in 1891 in Malmo in the Swedish province of Skane, which gives it its name, Scania is a major supplier to UK industry of trucks, buses, coaches and engines for industrial and marine applications.
The company also supports its products and customers through its 92-strong network of service centres.
In 2014, its share of the UK heavy truck market was 17.3% and its combined bus and coach market share amounted to 9.7%.
The group’s global operations include production facilities in Europe and Latin America, with its products in marketed in around 100 countries worldwide.