Capital Equipment News December 2021

PARTS & MAINTENANCE

has no concerns about price increases year- on-year as the service and/or maintenance contract is purchased or financed up front. Genuine parts Addressing the importance of fitting genuine parts in the quest to squeeze more life out of assets, Fryer says the aftermarket is rife with alternate replacement parts, which makes it difficult for fleet owners to be sure that they are getting the parts they need, especially when their procurement is motivated by cost savings. “As an OEM, we understand the financial challenges in operating in these unprecedented times and deliberately kept regular maintenance and service replacement genuine parts pricing as low as possible.” He says all parts include a standard warranty and are backed by qualified and trained technicians across the company’s dealer network, making this an “easy decision” for customers. Pinard says it is very important for Scania’s customers to fit genuine parts if they intend on getting the most out of their vehicles. “Genuine parts have been specifically designed for our vehicles and tested to the highest standards. Our parts come standard with a factory warranty. It is also imperative that these are fitted by qualified technicians to maintain the integrity of the parts and ensure that there is no consequential impact as a result of poor fitment.” He says Scania’s large footprint of dealers is another way to assist customers to access this level of quality where workmanship is guaranteed to be of the highest standard, and where the latest repair methods are used by means of diagnostic tools and equipment. Sweating assets According to Pinard, Scania encourages its customers to extend (‘sweat’) the lifetimes of current assets: “This is something we actually promote among our customers. Opting for a quality product often comes with a slightly higher capital outlay, and the length of operation is crucial in order to maximise the benefit of a reduced total cost of ownership. He says that, with Scania’s various service solutions offered, its customers have the ability to be as flexible as possible when it comes to deciding how long they should keep vehicles in their operations without having to substitute uptime. Fryer adds that ‘sweating’ asset life has been the practice among many Powerstar customers over the years. “Our construction range of vehicles lends itself to this due to the durability of the vehicles and the low cost of service and parts replacement,” he says. b

“Sweating assets is something we actually promote among our customers.”

Russell Pinard, Scania South Africa area manager: Commercial Services

“The aftermarket is rife with alternate replacement parts, which makes it difficult for fleet owners to be sure that they are getting the parts they need.”

Paul Fryer, Powerstar national parts manager

TALKING POINTS

Scania encourages maintenance carried out by the OEM to prolong vehicle life.

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS DECEMBER 2021 18