Irizar Asia Pacific Change of leadership Eight years have passed since the Irizar Group established itself in Australia. Since then, the brand has forged strong links with customers and chassis manufacturers; it has supplied the main operators in Australia and has recorded double digit growth during the last four years, gaining an astonishing 25 new customers per year on average and closing 2020 as the market leader with a 23% share.
Daniel Castro is leaving his position as Managing Director in Australia to become Director of Irizar in America. “I am proud to be involved in Irizar’s history in Australia”, says DC. “Seeing the start of a market, helping to remove obstacles and seeing a brand achieve strong recognition is a long cycle that not many professionals have the opportunity to follow, and I have had that opportunity”, says Daniel.
The service has also evolved - Asia Pacific has become the first manufacturer to offer, as do chassis manufacturers, R&M contracts for bodywork and air conditioning. Currently, in addition to the well-established sales and administration teams, Irizar has a group of factory-trained technicians based in four different states. The mobile service team serves the main fleets working on express contracts and mining contracts. Irizar’s work philosophy is to eliminate the day-to-day problems of an operation, managing customers’ assets (buses and coaches) so that they can focus on their business strategy.
To continue and move forward with the successful strategy in Australia, the Irizar Group has appointed Steven Heanes as its new Managing Director. Steven is well-known in the sector and has more than 20 years’ experience in the bus and coach industry. Steven is bringing a very mature vision of the market to Irizar and is adding the knowledge and the network that Irizar needs to continue growing. “My dedication for 37 years in the commercial vehicle sector has given me the opportunity to learn what is required to offer good customer service, which fits with Irizar’s values”, says Steven. “I am very excited to join the Irizar family and grow the business. Irizar has become a key player in the public transport sector and has been very innovative in offering it to the market with service packages that make a difference”, he concludes.
2021 will be the year in which the 1000th coach will be delivered, thus demonstrating the success of the brand’s strategy over the last eight years.
The addition of Steven Heanes to the team as leader complements Irizar’s long-term vision strategy in the Australian market. “We are delighted that Steven Heanes has agreed to join Irizar. His experience and ability to forge relationships are assets that we value very much within the Irizar Group. This will mean we can continue to strengthen our positioning and strategy of approaching customers and our brand, developing and manufacturing turnkey solutions and services for efficient, sustainable, intelligent, safe and connected public transport”, adds Rafael Sterling, CEO of the Irizar Group.
