Scania to Deliver Trucks for Biofuel Project in Liberia
Scania has received an order for 50 trucks, plus an option for another 100 trucks, from Buchanan Renewables Fuels in Liberia. Scania will also be responsible for establishing a service workshop and training service technicians and drivers.
The Scania trucks will be used for transporting biofuel made from old non-productive rubber trees. The biofuel is exported but will also be used for domestic power generation. The first trucks will be delivered in December. The delivery will also include parts and establishment of a service workshop.
“Our ability to deliver trucks that are adapted to the tough conditions that prevail due to poor road quality, plus the fact that we are assuming responsibility for service and training of service technicians and drivers, has been a winning combination in this transaction,” says Andreas Larendius, Head of Scania forestry sales.
By delivering trucks to Buchanan Renewables Fuels and establishing a service network, Scania will create a platform for further sales in the Liberian market.
“At present, it is mainly a matter of vehicle deliveries to development assistance projects for rebuilding the country after many years of civil war. Developments in Liberia are an example of the potential that exists for increased sales in West African markets,” says Mikael Schuer, who is in charge of Scania sales in Liberia.
Among the owners of Buchanan Renewables Fuels are Swedish-based energy company Vattenfall and the Swedish government-owned development finance institution Swedfund. The main shareholder is the Swiss-based McCall MacBain Foundation, which is supporting Liberia’s rebuilding efforts in a number of fields, along them environment, health care and education.
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The latex industry was previously one of Liberia’s largest economic sectors, accounting for a large proportion of the country’s jobs and export revenue. Today most of the rubber plantations are inactive and in great need of rebuilding, due to deferred maintenance and replanting during the years of conflict. Old non-productive rubber trees were previously burned as waste and represented a cost to the plantation owners. Buchanan Renewables Fuels is actively contributing to the rebuilding of the latex industry by paying the plantation owners to instead transform the remnants of the old trees into energy chips. Eventually, Buchanan Renewables Fuels expects to produce 2 million tonnes of biomass per year.
Scania is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. A growing proportion of the company’s operations consists of products and services in the financial and service sectors, assuring Scania customers of cost-effective transport solutions and maximum uptime. Employing some 32,000 people, Scania operates in about 100 countries. Research and development activities are concentrated in Sweden, while production takes place in Europe and South America, with facilities for global interchange of both components and complete vehicles. In 2009, net sales totalled SEK 62 billion and net income amounted to SEK 1.1 billion. Scania press releases are available on www.scania.com
