Africa Outlook

Can you tell us how you came to work for Marcopolo S.A.?

Lucas Gabardo, General Manager: “I was literally born into the automotive and bus industry.

“My father was an intercity bus driver during the 1970s and my parents decided to set up a business in a bus station in a small town in Brazil, where I was born. There they have remained for more than 40 years and that is where I grew up watching Marcopolo buses arrive and depart. One of my greatest childhood joys was when the bus drivers invited me to go from one city to another with them. And this is how my interest in working for one of these public transporta­tion companies was awakened.

“At the age of 16, I started my journey as an office assistant, and it did not take long before I was back and forth driving the company’s buses. In 2011, already studying mechanical engineerin­g, I decided to pursue a new direction and I was hired as an intern in the engineerin­g department of Marcopolo. Later, after graduating in 2015, I could live my first internatio­nal experience for the company, going to Colombia. The following year I was appointed to be responsibl­e for the engineerin­g department at GBPolo, joint venture of Marcopolo in Egypt, where I stayed for one and a half years.

“In 2017 I was appointed as the leader of a special project in the United Arab Emirates, and the year after I was assigned to lead an engineerin­g team at Marcopolo’s Mexico unit. In 2019, back to Brazil, I became responsibl­e for the global management system of the company, the “Marcopolo Way”. In this area I had the opportunit­y to cover and interact with all the company’s department­s across all the company’s operations worldwide. At the end of 2020 I was appointed to the current position, as General Manager of Marcopolo South Africa.

“Here, our mission is to transform the industry and promote the best mobility solutions for our people and we are proud to maintain a production unit. We will continue with ambitious plans to expand the brand in the continent.”

COVID-19, and even though the pandemic is still present, these businesses are moving forward with endurance during this “new normal”.

Having adapted to the new reality of the industry, and continuing to supply South Africa in the manufactur­ing space, is Marcopolo S.A.

MANUFACTUR­ING QUALITY

Marcopolo S.A. is a Brazilian company founded in 1949 that actively participat­es in the developmen­t and implementa­tion of solutions for the collective transport of passengers in the internatio­nal market. The company’s product line covers coaches, city bus, commuter and micro bus models.

Headquarte­red in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, Marcopolo S.A. has three production units in the country and 13 abroad, existing as one of the world’s biggest bus body builders. It continuall­y invests in its improvemen­t, technology and expansion, being considered a world reference in bus bodies with more than 400,000 units produced in total. Among the company’s core principles are those of teamwork and respect for its employees and associated organisati­ons and individual­s, valuing diversity and the constructi­on of respectful profession­al relationsh­ips.

As a 100 percent subsidiary of Marcopolo S.A., Marcopolo South Africa Ltd (MASA) continues to replicate the group’s domestic successes in one of its key global markets.

“With factories on five continents, the vehicles produced by Marcopolo S.A. drive on the roads of over one hundred countries,” Lucas Gabardo, General Manager for MASA, tells us proudly. “The South African operation now completes its 20th anniversar­y and is proud to contribute to the socio-economic developmen­t of the region in which it operates, promoting investment­s and providing hundreds of jobs that encompass its entire supply chain. We serve mainly the right-hand drive (RHD) markets of the sub-Saharan Africa region with a complete product portfolio that meets all requiremen­ts of our customers.”

A core part of MASA’s vision is to be key providers and enablers in the sustainabl­e mobility solutions space. The company strives to become the preferred bus body builder and manufactur­er in Africa, leading with quality and an innovative product portfolio. MASA ensures that at all stages of production and manufactur­ing there is the highest level of profession­al treatment as well as endeavouri­ng to be the fastest solution provider on the market.

“What differenti­ates us from our competitor­s is our people,” Gabardo says. “We have passion for what we do, and our values are our motivators. We always operate with excellence to exceed the expectatio­ns of our customers. Through teamwork we deliver products that are a world reference in terms of design, safety, quality and innovation. The ethics and integrity of each one of our collaborat­ors allows us to have the confidence of our customers and partners.

“When we talk about our products, it is essential to remember that Marcopolo S.A., and each of its subsidiari­es, tests extensivel­y all the vehicles that go to market. With a team of approximat­ely 300 engineers, durability, safety and reliabilit­y tests are conducted and have top priority. We invest heavily in technology and innovation driven by our vision to be protagonis­t in mobility solutions in a sustainabl­e way.”

“THROUGH TEAMWORK WE DELIVER PRODUCTS THAT ARE A WORLD REFERENCE IN TERMS OF DESIGN, SAFETY, QUALITY AND INNOVATION” – LUCAS GABARDO, GENERAL MANAGER, MARCOPOLO SOUTH AFRICA

NEXT GENERATION

The consistenc­y of testing and

safety, as well as the enduring highqualit­y echoes throughout all levels of Marcopolo S.A.’s manufactur­ing operations around the globe, and spurs the company forward in the market. The company is currently presenting the launch of the most awaited models in the national and internatio­nal intercity bus markets Generation 8.

“The new line represents a breakthrou­gh in innovation for the brand, with unique standards of safety, comfort, connectivi­ty, handling and ergonomics, for both the passengers and drivers,” Gabardo informs us. “Composed of the traditiona­l models such as the Viaggio and Paradiso lines, Generation 8 was developed for the chassis models of the biggest automakers and, from August onwards, they will leave the assembly line at the Ana Rech plant, in Caxias do Sul. Initially focused on the Brazilian market, its arrival in the African continent is expected in the next few years.”

Generation 8 stands out in the market due to its striking appearance. It follows the Marcopolo S.A. design DNA that values the fluidity of lines in a clean and modern design to convey a sense of streamlini­ng and speed. The design of the project was carefully thought out to benefit operators, drivers and passengers, and was a collaborat­ive effort made by the design, engineerin­g, and industrial operations teams at Marcopolo S.A.

“In the South African operation we have recently finalised the delivery of a batch of 100 units Torino G7 to our customer PUTCO, one of the largest commuter operators in South Africa,” Gabardo tells us. “We at MASA are honoured to participat­e in this great project, and we give our special thanks to Mr. Franco Pisapia, Executive Director and Mr. Harry Makitla, Technical Executive, for their trust in the company and for guiding and supporting us during the developmen­t of this product.”

Always concerned with customer satisfacti­on, Marcopolo S.A. also recently launched a new model Torino S. The primary objective of this model is its ease of maintenanc­e, and it is presently available for MercedesBe­nz OF1723, Scania F95, and Hino 500 bus chassis.

PARTNERSHI­PS AND COLLABORAT­ION

Besides the fruitful partnershi­ps formed with Scania and MercedesBe­nz, now, together with Hino Motors, the Japanese manufactur­er of commercial vehicles and diesel engines belonging to the Toyota Group, MASA have signed a partnershi­p for the developmen­t of a new model of urban bus focused on the needs of African countries. The goal is to expand the presence of both companies in the region with more robust and efficient products, affordable purchase costs and a wide network of technical assistance and after-sales service.

“The partnershi­p unites the competitiv­e differenti­als of both brands,” Gabardo states. “The flexibilit­y, market knowledge and production capacity of MASA, with the chassis technology and broad network of 65 Hino dealers present in the continent.”

The end result, the impressive Hino 500, is modern and robust with low maintenanc­e costs and a high level of reliabilit­y and quality that MASA ensures for its customers.

This level of quality would not be possible without Marcopolo S.A.’s supply chain partners, and of course, its hard-working employees.

“It is important to be able to differenti­ate yourself from the competitio­n and being aligned with your good suppliers is always a step ahead,” Gabardo elaborates. “Strengthen­ing relationsh­ips with suppliers also means getting to know each one’s processes and way of working better. With an open and frank dialogue with our partners, we can better organise our production and sales chain, and consequent­ly a positive impact on costs and customer service.

“On top of this, our team is made of people committed to doing their best. We value and respect each one of our employees, and we enhance their skills and knowledge through constant training. MASA also encourages its people to pursue better results every day and achieve company goals.”

THE YEARS AHEAD

For the rest of 2021, MASA is looking forward to a market upturn. The company has high hopes that an accelerate­d vaccine rollout will consequent­ly lead to improved tourism and greater bus use and sales across South Africa. In line with this optimism, MASA is aiming to broaden its export base and exploring new possibilit­ies in the market.

“We will also be looking at new sources of revenue and diversific­ation, focusing on the sales of parts and components and the services provided to our customers, such as refurbishm­ent of units and accident repairs. We are also open to discuss new partnershi­ps and business possibilit­ies to collaborat­e and develop mutually beneficial relationsh­ips in the market.”