CANADA
Roachdale-based Mellor, part of the WN VTech Group, has announced details of a new strategic alliance with Canadian bus sales specialist Overland Custom Coach, designating the company as its exclusive distributor for its range of battery-electric models in the Canadian market. The partnership represents a significant milestone in its expansion efforts, says Mellor, and signifies its entry into the Canadian transit sector.
The UK manufacturer says that teaming up with Overland Custom Coach, which has been a part of Canada’s transit market since 1981, provides it with a strong foundation to introduce its battery-electric Sigma range in the country. As part of the collaboration, Overland Custom Coach will assume sales and service responsibilities for Sigma buses across Canada.
Mellor sees Canada as a strategic market as part of its international growth strategy; the firm says it is actively exploring a number of additional new markets while fine-tuning its product offerings to cater to diverse global demands.
Group Business Development Director Gustavo Marqueta commented: “Having been embedded in the Canadian transit market as a leading bus supplier since 1981, Overland’s rich history and customer-centric philosophy partnered with Mellor’s ingenuity and elite engineering expertise will provide our Canadian customers with a progressive and secure e-mobility experience. We look forward to see the first Sigma vehicles certified to Canadian standards in early 2024”
President of Overland Custom Coach Bart Dries added: “We first approached Mellor over a decade ago, having identified our shared customer-driven business acumen to design and supply innovative, size-appropriate transit vehicle solutions. The time is now right for the globally proven Sigma all-electric suite of buses to answer the call of the Canadian transit community and deliver world-leading zero-emission technology in an unprecedented range of sizes and capacities.
“Not only does this partnership drive forward the growth of Mellor and Overland, but it also propels a whole new generation of zero-emission, specialised and on-demand transit service delivery modes for all of Canada.”
