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Dec 03, 2023

Driving a sustainable future with Capral and Volgren

In the latest instalment of Crafted with Capral, Manufacturers’ Monthly learns

In the latest instalment of Crafted with Capral, Manufacturers’ Monthly learns about Volgren's journey to becoming Australia's biggest bus body manufacturer and why the business is opting to explore new sustainability options.

Volgren built its first bus in 1979 with the promise of creating a more reliable, comfortable and longer-lasting vehicle with lower operating costs than others then what was available at the time.

Today, Volgren designs, manufactures and assembles public transport buses of all types across multiple technologies, including zero-emission vehicles.

Thanks to its 300-strong manufacturing, operations and aftersales support teams across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA, its bus bodies are 90 per cent locally produced and offer the lowest lifetime cost of any bus in Australia.

Volgren has the manufacturing capability for a range of buses, including a standard-route bus – which the general public goes on every day – which can be from 11.9 to 12.5 metres long depending on the expectations for where the bus is going.

Although Volgren officially began trading in the 1970s, its story started in 1940s Dandenong, when local milk carrier George Grenda moved into buses. His business thrived as Dandenong grew, and by the 1970s, Grenda Bus Serviceswas a hugely successful route bus and coach company.

In 1977 Swedish vehicle manufacturer Volvo partnered with Grenda to create Volgren and introduced extruded aluminium, rather than steel, for bus body construction and the Swiss Co-Bolt system.

Leading global bus body manufacturer, Marco Polo SA, acquired full ownership of Volgren in 2017, strengthening Volgren's local capability with its technology, buying power and international experience.

In the intensely competitive world of manufacturing, innovation is essential. Accordingly, Australia's largest bus body manufacturer Volgren has made its name with innovative, sustainable and efficient public transport solutions.

Since 2018, Volgren has delivered dozens of hybrid and electric buses to Australian operators and is now fast-tracking delivery of Australia's first European hydrogen fuel cell buses.

Volgren's E-bus, the Optimus E-Bus, is one of its class's lightest zero-emission bus bodies and operates successfully in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. The body has been effectively engineered to suit multiple electric chassis and complies with Australia's highest safety and flammability standards for buses.

Volgren national purchasing manager Andrew Castillo says Volgren is still one of only two Australian companies manufacturing bus bodies from aluminium, rather than steel, despite aluminium's clear advantages.

"Most buses are still built from fully welded steel. Aluminium is much lighter, resistant to corrosion, and recyclable," Castillo said. "Moreover, the lighter a bus is, the more people you can fit in the bus."

The Co-Bolt process is also critical to Volgren's production; Castillo said this system uses bolted gusseted joints.

"This avoids the risk of continuous bus vibrations fracturing welds. Our system requires no welding and results in a much longer joint life.

"Our joints are lock-tightened with very little chance of anything loosening over time. For operators it means far superior reliability than a traditional steel bus and is one of the main reasons why we can offer a 15-year warranty on our buses’ aluminium structures," he noted.

Quality, explains Castillo, is paramount in Volgren's business. Volgren operates rigorous quality systems and builds quality into its products through its suppliers, logistics and production. Capral has been Volgren's principal aluminium supplier for at least 15 years and meets Volgren's ethos of quality, local input and innovation, Castillo said.

"We build buses and want our supplies priced at construction-type costs, but we also want an architectural look and finish to our products. Capral has always achieved both for us."

The supply partnership continues to drive new value for both businesses; where Capral once purely supplied extrusions, it now also machines parts. This advance means Volgren's teams can focus on faster assembly and minimising customer costs.

Capral's size and capability are also crucial to Volgren, according to Castillo.

"Our whole roof structure is a sheet with aluminium extrusion bows across the roof and main cant rails extending the entire bus length. Capral is one of the few players in Australia with presses large enough to extrude our parts."

Castillo says bus body manufacturers must tailor bodies to the requirements of individual bus chassis and operators.

"Our variation is massive and requires a large engineering team," he said.

"When Australia used to build cars, Ford would build a Falcon and a Territory here, and that would be it. Whereas we build the equivalent of a Territory, a Commodore, a Ferrari, an electric BYD and a Tesla all on the same production line."

Even though Volgren's ownership is now multinational, Castillo said the Volgren team remains family-focused, with experienced people providing a family-style influence.

"The teams here are always looking to improve themselves. They’re not too scared to ask if we can look at doing something better. It's the way it's always been at Volgren; we know what the operators are after and work hard to give them what they need."

Castillo emphasised that Volgren is well placed for future success and to continue contributing to Australia's environmental sustainability.

The Volgren team are currently exploring Capral's LocAl Lower carbon aluminium offer to further reduce the environmental impact of their builds by reducing the embodied carbon in the Aluminium products they use.

"It's great to be part of the biggest bus manufacturer in Australia, which is leading the way for zero- emission transport."

To learn more watch the video below: