ICN Victoria Industry Adviser Lisa Maro recently spent time with Melbourne-based bus body manufacturer, Volgren, to discuss local content measures and the advancement of renewable practices in local manufacturing.
She met with Greg Reichelt, Sales Executive at Volgren who provided a tour of their facility in Dandenong South and Lisa saw first-hand the work Volgren is undertaking.
Currently Volgren supplies more than 60% of Australian route busses and have facilities to deliver over 700 buses per year in Australian manufacturing. Victoria is where the head office is located, with manufacturing facilities also in Perth and Brisbane. In Victoria alone, Volgren uses 100 Australian suppliers and retain almost 90 percent content for the bus bodies produced.
With environmental production at the fore, Volgren ensures that at least 73% of the buses can be fully recycled and has long been planning the transition to zero-emission buses. Their first battery electric bus was built in 2019 and in the next coming months, besides reaching the significant milestone of 120 electric buses delivered across Australia, Volgren will deliver their first two Optimus-bodied, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses.
Recently, Volgren was awarded an electric vehicle supply of 36 buses under the Local Jobs First Policy for Kinetic bus services.
They not only advance sustainable transportation but also take great pride in their nationwide team of nearly 400 dedicated employees.
ICN Vic is working with Volgren to assist them implement their local industry development plan to accurately assess the local content, verify local content data and showcase Volgren’s commitment to transparency.
