The coronavirus pandemic has changed so much in Australia. In the short-term it’s altered how we work, how we travel and how our children are taught. But could it bring about more permanent changes? One thing that’s changed since the start of the year is the way Australians are talking about local manufacturing. COVID-19 has [...]
A focus on lean manufacturing and eliminating disturbances from the production line will allow Volgren, Australia’s largest bus body builder, to double capacity at its Dandenong manufacturing headquarters. Part of a company-wide transformation aimed at improving competitiveness and delivering more value for customers, the re-design has included a radical rethink of its production line, leading [...]
The Optimus-bodied bus will be used for school runs and operate throughout the day as part of Cowra’s hail and ride service. For the Saxby family – in particular for siblings Justin and Sophie, who both have a rare form of spinal muscular dystrophy and require power chairs for mobility – the bus is a [...]
Australia’s largest bus body builder has bolstered its team with five new appointments across sales and marketing, engineering, and production. Two of the executive appointments, Joaquim Gomes, Volgren’s new Engineering Manager, and Yuri Tessari, Sales and Marketing Manager, have extensive experience working with Volgren’s parent company, Marcopolo S.A. Volgren’s Chief Executive Officer, Thiago Deiro, said [...]
ABC magazine recently conducted a test drive of our fully electric Optimus route bus. Operated by Transdev, the electric bus began a twelve month trial carrying passengers on Route 246 services between Elsternwick and Clifton Hill via St Kilda in December, 2019. This is the first electric bus to be trialled on Victoria’s public transport network - and it’s [...]
When Thiago Deiro took over as Chief Executive Officer of Volgren in April 2019, he immediately began to talk about making the production line flow more smoothly. He publicly declared that his company needed to remove waste, to concentrate on safety, quality, delivery and cost, and to eliminate “disturbances on the line”. Almost a year [...]
Volgren, the country’s largest bus body builder, has celebrated the roll-out of the 5000th bus built at its manufacturing headquarters in Dandenong. The milestone vehicle, an Optimus Low-Floor Route Bus, was handed over to operator and long-time Volgren partner Ventura Bus Lines (Ventura) during a ceremony attended by staff from both companies. Also part of [...]
Some of the country’s leading bus manufacturers and suppliers have once again donated their time, expertise and materials for the annual BIC Auction Bus. A 12.5-metre school bus, go under the hammer on Wednesday (November 20) during the Big Arvo Out Bus Auction, a highlight of the BIC Australasian Bus Conference in Canberra. Proceeds from [...]
Volgren, Australia’s largest bus body manufacturer will use the backdrop of BusVic’s 2019 Bus Expo and Maintenance Conference (October 1 - 2) to launch its first pure electric bus. The 12.2-metre vehicle is built on a BYD K9 chassis and features 324-kilowatt hours of battery capacity. It’s capable of travelling up to 300 kilometres on [...]
New South Wales operator Busways has taken delivery of a dozen new Volgren bodied, low-floor, seatbelted school buses, strengthening its rural and regional school bus fleet. The delivery is part of an order of 24 buses made in late 2018. Built on a Volvo (B8 Euro 5) chassis, the buses will be used for route [...]
Thiago Deiro, Volgren's new CEO sat down with ABC Magazine in August to discuss the importance of people, lean manufacturing and always putting the customer first. You can read the full interview here
Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne visited Volgren’s factory in Dandenong yesterday to inspect the first of 50 new buses Volgren is delivering for Transdev. Representing the single biggest order of replacement buses in Victoria for 25 years, the 50 Volgren low-floor city buses built on a Scania chassis are part of a 100 strong [...]
Family-owned New South Wales regional bus operator, Sapphire Coast Buslines, has become the first operator in the country to put Volgren's new low-floor, seat-belted Urban bus onto the road. The 57-seat bus, a replacement vehicle under their current contract, will be used for both daily school services and standard route services throughout the Bega Valley [...]
Volgren, Australia’s largest bus body builder, has put its first ever electric bus into production, beginning the company’s move into zero-emission vehicle technology. The prototype, which will be completed by the middle of June, will be built on a BYD chassis, and include 324 kWh of batteries, enabling a range of more than 250 kilometres [...]
