Chapter 9: Volgren Buses of Australia
by Colin DavisonVolgren Industries was formed in late 1977 as a joint venture between Volvo Australia and Grenda’s Bus Service based in Dandenong, a major suburb about 30km southeast of Melbourne with large automotive plants nearby (General Motors Holden, International Trucks). A new factory was established in North Dandenong to build aluminium bus bodies, mainly on Volvo chassis. Design and construction were based on componentry and techniques developed by Carrosserie Hess of Switzerland, from which Volgren obtained Australian rights to the patents. The Hess style bodies employed a range of extruded aluminium alloy sections from Alusuisse (another Swiss firm) assembled using interlocked or bolted joints.
Volgren’s first body was built in 1979 on a Volvo B58 and used for demonstration to potential customers for several months before entering service with Grenda’s Bus Service. The kits for the first few Australian built bodies actually came from New Zealand where the Hess rights were held by NZ Motor Bodies Ltd. This firm had won an order from Christchurch Transport Board for 96 aluminium bodied buses.
Despite Volvo’s involvement, Volgren bodies were not restricted solely to that source and two early examples on small Bedfords appeared in Grenda’s fleet. Articulated units were also produced quite early on, with 3 delivered to the MTT in Hobart, Tasmania and one to a New South Wales operator in 1980, all on Volvo chassis.
In 1984, the Volgren style was substantially updated and coach bodies introduced to the range. Bus operators who had been a little sceptical initially showed increased interest in the Volgren products as they gained a better appreciation of the benefits of aluminium bodies, particularly reduced fuel and maintenance costs together with greater longevity and structural integrity. Consequently, business steadily improved for Volgren and plant expansion became necessary to cope with increased demand.
Continual improvement and revamping of the range during the 1990s saw Volgren gain further market share, particularly in NSW and Victoria, the two most populated states. The company has also been proactive in markets further afield and has either set up new plants or entered agreements with existing body manufacturers in several places (including Western Australia, Malaysia and China) to supply complete body kits for local assembly and finishing. As principal sub-contractor to DaimlerChrysler, in 1997 Volgren won the biggest single order for new buses ever awarded in Australia and is now delivering 848 units to Transperth over a 12 year period. Today, Volgren is one of the biggest bus body manufacturers in the Australian domestic market, although its export activities probably place it ahead of nearest rival Custom Coach in overall production volume.
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