Leyland celebrates 20 Years with PACCAR

[kscarbel2]

HGV UK  /  June 12, 2018

Lancashire manufacturer, Leyland Trucks is this year celebrating twenty years of ownership and investment by US-based PACCAR.

Since 1998, PACCAR has grown Leyland’s capabilities through strategic investments in technology, products and infrastructure.  The Leyland Assembly Plant, which was already one of Europe’s most advanced truck manufacturing facilities, has benefited enormously from these investments.

In 1998, the factory manufactured 9,000 trucks per year.  Innovative improvements to the 710,000-square-foot facility – including a new PACCAR body production line, a robotic paint facility for truck chassis, electronic work instructions with touchscreen monitors, and the consolidation of two production lines into one has since then enhanced production by 72% to over 15,000 trucks per year.

Installations of LED factory lighting and a new roof created a brighter work environment, contributing to record quality, efficiency and safety.  In accordance with PACCAR’s commitment to environmental excellence, the factory achieved zero waste to landfill status in 2008.

In 2003, PACCAR Parts constructed a Parts Distribution Centre on the Leyland site to provide support for the DAF UK and European Dealer Networks. It now operates as one of Europe’s main Parts Distribution hubs specialising in aftersales support, distribution, logistics and service for DAF and other truck makes, buses and trailers.

“Leyland’s world-class status is maintained by our ability to leverage a community of expertise,” said Bryan Sitko, Leyland managing director.

“Our loyal and committed workforce pools their combined years of truck building knowledge and shares that asset with new employees. These efforts are crucial to helping us deliver industry-leading quality trucks built by quality people.”

Today, Leyland manufactures the full DAF product range of LF, CF and XF vehicles, 40 percent of which are exported around the world.

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[Jamaican Bulldog]

Do they still use the Leyland name on their truck or just DAF? I grew up with Leylands. They were tough reliable easily maintained trucks and buses and were found all over the world especially before high powered American and other European trucks started to dominate. There are still a large number of working older Leyland working in the Caribbean. Their buses were also tough. In the Caribbean islands like Jamaica local bus bodies were build on Leyland truck chassis. Even after newer buses from other brands started coming in such as Tata, Autogago Encava and even Volvo. As their powertrains and axles wore out they were replaced with Leyland parts especially for the step terrain areas.