Member Article

Scania's £6m commercial vehicle service centre officially opens

A £6m flagship commercial vehicle service centre for Scania has been officially opened at Brooklyn Park, Maidstone.

Scania Maidstone, will operate 24 hours a day from the 2.5-acre site and employ 35 people, following the relocation of the company’s Sittingbourne facilities.

Developed by Maidstone-based Gallagher Group, Brooklyn Park is now home to the first of a new generation of purpose-built UK premises created by Scania to serve the operators of its trucks, coaches and commercial vehicles.

Scania’s new state-of-the-art service centre was opened by Sweden’s Ambassador to the UK, Her Excellency Nicola Clase, on Monday 7 December. Her Excellency, the Ambassador was joined at the ceremony by Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Daniel Moriarty, 100 Kent transport operators, alongside senior Scania executives and representatives from Maidstone Borough Council and Brooklyn Park’s owner, Gallagher Properties.

Claes Jacobsson, Managing Director of Scania (Great Britain) Limited, said: “Scania Maidstone is a clear statement of our intent to provide our customers with the highest possible levels of quality and service.

“It represents the latest major investment in our UK network infrastructure. The programme will continue in 2016 with the upgrading of several existing Scania UK sites either planned or underway.”

Nick Yandle of Gallagher Group, said: “Brooklyn Park is perfect for Scania, and we are very proud of what has been achieved, including every aspect of the construction process. “It posed a few technical challenges for the team with the site surrounded by roads on all three sides, including the M20 to the south, motorway slip roads to the north and west, and Chatham Road A229 to the east. “Thanks to a significant amount of planning, the cooperation of Highways England, and use of directional drilling technology, we were able to drill two small ducts under the M20, avoiding any disruption to traffic, to bring power, water, gas and telecommunications to the site. “Brooklyn Park clearly shows that Maidstone can bring jobs and investment to the town when it makes the best use of its motorway junctions.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .