Former technician leads new team to the top
27 FEBRUARY 2025
Eastern Creek, on the outskirts of Sydney, is one of two Scania branches close to each other. Both are vibrant places with skilled service technicians pushing each other to become even better. Why is that? They want in on the Top Team competition, proving to the world they have unmatched know-how in their expert areas. And there can only be one winner…
With a new round of the global competition for service technicians – the Scania Top Team – just around the corner, Branch Manager Chris’s expertise might be what the Eastern Creek team needs. He has participated no less than six times – three times, the results took him overseas for the global competition. “Top Team is an amazing experience. I can think of nothing better than the thrill of competition, pitting your skills against others for the supreme victory as ‘the best,’” he says.
But it’s not easy for Eastern Creek to advance, as they have the other Scania branch nearby – the Preston facility, with similar competence. “Sometimes getting out of the branch is the hardest part where a score of 98 out of 100 isn’t enough to advance.”
Eastern Creek
The Eastern Creek facility was built in 2021, with over 30 staff, and mainly handles workshop issues and parts sales, with sales representatives for both new and used trucks on site.
Chris manages customer demands and staff and describes it as being on the “big wheel” of the site. “It’s our motto: it takes input from everyone for the wheel to turn. Hence everyone is important.” Their teamwork goes towards what’s best for Scania and the customer: “The team’s experience just grows, and they have an excitement and drive to perform and succeed – that is satisfying to be a part of.”
The preparation
The preparations for Top Team, when Chris was a participant and when he coaches a team, are similar. “We read it all, ensured we understood it all, and practised live scenarios against each other.” It was months and months of training, where the team took any chance to do training – at lunch, before work, after work, on weekends… “We forged lifelong bonds of friendship, and the trust in each other was enormous.”
The hard work paid off – in Chris’s first world final in the early 2000s, he and the team made the podium with a bronze medal. In 2011, the team took the victory: “We were ready, and we understood the process. This time, we completed the competition with near-perfect scores.”
He has been to Hungary, Turkey, China, Malaysia, Dubai, and Sweden. “I have done factory tours and visited a Swedish workshop, the test track, and R&D in Södertälje, all of which would not be possible without Top Team.”
Being the coach
Now that Chris is no longer a competing member of the team, he has done a fair bit of coaching. “I focus on the process, the trust in your teammates, and being flexible and making changes rapidly if you find that you are lost somehow.”
He thinks that Top Team has a truly positive impact on the team: “It breeds excitement and belief to dream of the possibilities.” But not only that. It also improves workshop quality and diagnosis of difficult repairs.
The rewards from Top Team are noticeable: “There is a lot of work required to be successful, but what we gain from it is hugely motivating. I have also learned to be extremely thorough, follow the process and trust my instincts and my team.”
This time, Eastern Creek will participate with two teams. “It is the one true measure of their skill against their peers and can be the proudest moment of a career.”
When Chris sums up, he says he treasures the memories of winning, the grind of competition, and sharing a dinner table with CEO Christian Levin. “Things like that are pinch-me moments, but when you live Scania, the possibilities can be amazing.”