Transmission reman specialist STS has been appointed as a supplier partner to Volkswagen-owned truck manufacturer Scania. Under the co-operation agreement, STS will remanufacture “a large number of planetary gears” for Scania trucks. These gears, separate from the truck’s main transmission, govern the driver’s access to high and low gears – in effect, turning a truck with six driving gears into one with 12. A reman line was established at STS’s HQ in Stenungsund, Sweden including the construction of a new production plant, and a coating station. “This has opened up a new market,” says STS CEO Ola Stålebo. “Scania was extremely meticulous in its evaluation, and the fact that we meet their requirements on supplier quality makes us proud.” The gears will be sold through Scania Service Exchange. Last year, Scania delivered more than 82,000 trucks – a record, the company says.
STS project manager Linda Alexandersson liaised with Scania’s project management team in Brazil and also had a key role in the establishment of the new line. “The fact that this was run as a global project with exciting and stimulating,” she says. “Starting up an entirely new line of business for the remanufacturing of truck components was challenging, both for me and for the others at STS who were involved in the project. The fact that Scania truly valued our extensive knowledge of components from the passenger car side was encouraging.” Scania has extensive operations in Brazil, including truck manufacturing and a technology centre for the development and testing of new engines. The planetary gears to be remanufactured are initially stored at Scania’s logistics centre in Belgium and then transported to STS.
