(^8) ABC July 2019 busnews.com.au
Above:
In an official
company
update, Wales
was clearly
highlighted
as part of
AMA Group’s
growth plans.
WALES BUS
REPAIRS SOLD
MULTI-AWARD-WINNING Wales
Bus Repairs – a seminal institution
within the Australian bus and truck
and collision-repair industries – has
been purchased by the massive
AMA Group as part of its publically
announced expansion plans, with
the transition official as of June 28,
2019, sources confirm.
Publically listed on the Australian
Stock Exchange (ASX) and with solid
asset-acquisition growth over the
past few years of key automotive
smash repair and accessory
companies, the AMA Group now
has an enterprise value of around
AUD$824.78M, sources cite.
When ABC magazine contacted
Wales Bus Repairs to confirm
industry rumours about the change,
CEO Darren Wales said: “Nothing
changes from our perspective. It’s
just an opportunity to join with
the AMA Group – a publically
listed company,” he said, allaying
any concerns about contracts in
progress or staff employment.
“They’ve offered me the
opportunity to head up their heavy
vehicle division, so we are in charge
of growth and acquisitions on the
heavy vehicle side of things – and
look, it’s a good fit,” he explained.
“It gives the backing of a publically
listed company ... and enables us
in the continuing of the service of
our clients.
“It’s huge. It’s a big challenge.
We’ve got an awful lot of work
ahead of us – certainly ahead of
myself – but no, looking forward
to it,” Wales said confidently.
“I’ve emailed the majority of our
clients and let them know where
we sit at, but other than that it’s
business as usual,” he reaffirmed.
HIGHLY REGARDED
Wales does a lot of aftercare and
repair work for many of the leading
bus and truck companies around
the country, and Transport for NSW.
Particularly in NSW, vehicles from
entities such as Transdev, Transit
Systems, Busways, Busabout,
Interline and even the NSW Fire
Brigade are a common sight on its
premises, ABC magazine confirms.
Only recently did the company
host four Gemilang-bodied, BYD
electric chassis buses, which are
being trialled – soon along with a
Yutong E12 electric bus (from the
Nowra Premier trial, ABC hears,
as test driven in ABC Issue 378)
in Sydney’s inner west by Transit
Systems under its Region 6 contract.
It has also hosted the only
Completely Built Unit (CBU) Euro
6 diesel Mercedes-Benz Citaro – as
brought into Australia late 2016 by
MB under the national heavy vehicle
PBS (performance based standards)
regulation – which is believed to be
soon trial run by CDC NSW, various
industry sources say.
RECENT TREND
Indicating AMA’s deepening
ambition to consolidate its
position in the heavy vehicle
collision-repair industry – and
to mirror global trends in both
general automotive and commercial
vehicle shop acquisitions, often
to the preference of leading
automotive insurance providers –
last September it also purchased
Western Australia-based truck and
heavy vehicle repairer Parins.
As it explains, Parins was
established more than 40 years ago
and offers a range of services, from
recovery of vehicles and repairs to
the rebuilding and refurbishment
of heavy transport vehicles and
machinery, with a strong focus
on minimising downtime.
Parins added to the “growing
truck repair footprint capability AMA
has”, the company explained at the
time. Its other AMA facilities that do
truck repairs are located in Victoria
at Winter and Taylor is Geelong.
Earlier still, it acquired Recar,
which has been repairing trucks
and trailers for over 60 years, and
was Australia’s largest wholly owned
network of commercial vehicle
repair centres.
Recar was acquired by Car-Trek
Australia Pty Ltd in 2005.
ASX AMA STATEMENT
In an official company update listed
“It’s huge, it’s a big
challenge. We’ve got
an awful lot of work
ahead of us.”
NEWS
grace
(Grace)
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