Landmark truck facility opened

Boasting the latest developments in automotive technology and sustainable design, Port Elizabeth’s Billson Group yesterday inaugurated its landmark R110-million Billson Trucks facility in Deal Party.

The 6000m2 Volvo Trucks and UD Trucks dealership and service centre is situated at the entrance to Deal Party where it is expected to act as a catalyst for further development in the industrial zone. Established in 1986, the Billson Group has been a UD Trucks franchised dealer since 2001 and recently became one of Volvo Trucks’ independent dealers. “We developed this dealership to offer our customers world-class facilities and services. It has been specifically designed to improve vehicle flow and turn-around times, to ultimately give our customers as much uptime as possible, ” Billson Trucks owner and managing director Patrick Billson said.

He said the facility had also been designed to be as energy efficient as possible to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. The building is equipped with 11 30m-long service bays of which four also have service pits, a roadworthy test lane plus an additional eight repair bays. The roadworthy test lane also boasts a brake roller tester, chassis tester and wheel alignment equipment, which means that any brake repairs can be done on site with a safety certificate issued afterwards. Volvo Group Southern Africa president Torbjörn Christensson, who was among a number of foreign guests at the launch, described Port Elizabeth as a key economic hub in the region, with large industrial developments drawing key players in the logistics and transport market. He also described the new facility as the “best looking” in the country. UD Trucks Southern Africa’s managing director, Gert Swanepoel, said the brand was proud of the partnership with Billson Trucks over the past 17 years.