Managing Director of PTA, Mark Burgess (left), takes acceptance of a commemorative plaque from Volgren CEO, Peter Dale to celebrate the 1500th bus built at Volgren’s Malaga facility
The Malaga success story keeps going from strength to strength for Australia’s largest bus body builder,
Volgren – and its long-term satisfied customer and partner, the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia.
Monday February 8 marked the latest in a long line of milestones at the Malaga facility in Perth, when the completion of the 1500th bus to roll off its production line was celebrated.
As Volgren Chief Executive Peter Dale noted at the handover ceremony, the company and the Authority have enjoyed a close and productive partnership since 1999, when Volgren Malaga was constructed as a purpose-built factory for PTA buses.
In those 17 years, 1314 Malaga-built buses have been delivered to the PTA – with 47 other local WA buses and 139 of the remainder exported overseas and to the Eastern states, he said.
In the last five years, production has been exclusively for the PTA. The company now supplies all city route buses servicing Perth.
Mr Dale thanked the Authority for its support: “I believe we have created and enjoy a mutually value adding relationship and we look forward to continuing to strengthen this relationship well into the future.”
The 1500th bus – the first, VP0001, delivered on June 17, 1999 – is one of a series of recent landmarks at Malaga:
- Last financial year Volgren delivered 137 buses to the PTA – a record for the number of vehicles the company had supplied to a single customer in a 12-month period.
- In March 2015, WA Transport Minister, the Hon. Dean Nalder, launched the first of 70 new Volgren-built articulated, low-floor buses to serve the PTA’s busiest routes in Perth.
On handing over a commemorative plaque to Mark Burgess, Managing Director of PTA, Mr Dale paid special tribute to the team at Volgren Perth.
“Over the last 17 years, together we have learnt a lot,” he said. “By putting this learning into improvements, and under Matthew Smith’s leadership, you have transformed this operation.
“In terms of our KPIs for Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost you have progressed so much you are now at another level – and continuing to improve.
“This site sets the benchmark for Volgren.”
