Scania : opens its biggest-ever dealer

Brasdiesel this year celebrates 60 years as Scania dealer in Brazil, Scania's first in the country. It is currently represented in 356 Brazilian locations. Another cause for celebration is the new workshop in Caxias do Sul in southern Brazil, which with its 50,000 square metres and 43 bays is Scania's largest in the world.

'Over the past 60 years, Scania and Brasdiesel have together rewritten the history of transport in Brazil,' says Roberto Barral, Managing Director of Scania Brasil. '

Of the total area in Caxias do Sul, dealer and workshop buildings amount to 16,000 square metres. The workshop has the capacity to simultaneously handle 30 truck and trailer combinations of up to 30 metres or 90 trucks without trailers. The accident workshop can repair 15 trucks at the same time in accordance with the severity of the accident.

Solar heating

The new construction has been built with modern energy-saving technology. Two closed circuit wastewater treatment facilities ensure purification and evaporation of water, which is subsequently reused. All internal and external lighting is fully provided with LED lamps, which reduce energy consumption. There are also several natural lighting points via skylights, reducing the need for electric light during the day and, consequently, the environmental impact.

The workshop has also invested in solar heating for water used in wash basins and in washing ramps for parts and vehicles. Water with oil, grease and other contaminants passes through a new vacuum evaporator, which concentrates the harmful substances and generates clean water for reuse in washing parts. The new evaporator can treat approximately 2,000 litres per day and water reuse totals 95 percent.

The new overhead lubrication system is an environmentally sound solution, preventing waste, enhancing efficiency and collecting discarded oil via an overhead suction system. There are 12 digitally-controlled oil supply points installed in the workshop. Precise quality oil can thereby be distributed in exact quantities without waste and spillage.

Four 30-metre long ramps

New overhead cranes, with the capacity to lift five tonnes, simplify moving heavy parts for disassembly and washing. After this procedure, they are returned for reassembly.

To save time in service, the new workshop has four 30-metre long ramps. On each ramp three full semi-trailer trucks can be serviced or even a nine-axle double semi-trailer. Three ramps are used for oil and filter changes, and lubrication. The fourth ramp offers the latest axle alignment technology.

'This new workshop offers new solutions in meeting customer needs,' says Director Itamar Zanette, Brasdiesel. 'The transport industry has changed with longer and higher vehicles. Until the 1990s, most heavy trucks measured 18.15 metres while we now have 30-metre tractor and trailer combinations. Service workshops need to adapt accordingly.'