The local bus industry braved typical Queensland conditions in February to celebrate the opening of VDI Australia’s new Eagle Farm facility.

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It’s an expectedly sunny and humid day in Brisbane as members of the local bus industry convene in the new VDI manufacturing site in Brisbane’s Eagle Farm. As the sun dazzles outside, gleaming Yutong vehicles, ranging from the new D7E to the renowned C12, welcome people into VDI Australia’s new facility.

As the Australian distributor of Yutong vehicles, VDI’s official opening of its latest Brisbane state-of-the-art facility comes at an important time in Brisbane’s transport history.

“We have an event in just over eight years in this city that will put us in the international spotlight, and the sustainability of our transport sector is one key feature being looked at,” Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says to the crowd.

“We’re very focused on how we can make the transition to zero-emissions transport. To see this facility and partnership established between VDI and Yutong makes us really excited about what it means for south-east Queenslanders.”

While the new VDI Eagle Farm facility was officially opened in February, it’s been developed over quite some time. With Yutong’s bus sales increasing by 60 per cent in Australia over the past five years, the previous Yutong centre was brought close to capacity.

To alleviate these pressures, VDI constructed the new facility to focus on vehicle manufacturing through its Driveable Knock Down (DKD) program. The program allows VDI to localise the assembly of Yutong buses for upcoming orders, starting with the E12 battery electric city route bus.

“Our new facility is triple the size of our previous one and it stands testament to our commitment to excellence and growth in serving our cherished customers,” VDI managing director Peter Woodward says.

“The main driving force in moving to this expanded facility is to make room for our DKD program, with Transport Canberra’s order of 90 Yutong E12s over three years giving us the confidence to set up the new premises.”

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Under the DKD program, driveable knockdown Yutong models, such as the E12, will arrive in Brisbane from the Yutong factory in China. From there, VDI’s new facility will perform the localised fit out, giving local jobs and content that combine with Yutong’s extensive research and development experience it has built over 25 years in the electric bus space.

Woodward says this move allows VDI to optimise its supply chain network, providing faster service and an improved parts inventory for local operators.

“Service capability is greatly improved with an increase in service capacity,” Woodward says.

“The advantage of this facility for businesses is that it connects them directly to the nerve centre of Yutong knowledge, giving them peace of mind that we have the solutions available to keep them on the road for longer.”

The new Brisbane facility and its official opening comes after VDI recently expanded its footprint across Australia to more than 15,000sqm space, including through its Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Cairns locations. With a growing market share in the nation’s bus sector, Woodward and the VDI team will use the DKD program and its new home to continue evolving in Australia and beyond.

The milestone is also a major moment for Brisbane City Council, who is in the midst of preparing for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. With roughly 1200 buses in its fleet, Brisbane City Council’s Eagle Farm depot is also very close to the new VDI Yutong Bus Centre.

“We’ve already got four Yutong vehicles in our fleet as part of the inner-city loop that are performing really well, so we’re looking forward to the opportunity to transition more of our fleet to zero-emissions buses,” Schrinner says.

“I’d like to congratulate VDI on its commitment and investing in manufacturing and assembling in the local area.”

The cutting of the ribbon of VDI’s latest facility was also attended by members from Yutong, reiterating the partnership between the two businesses in Australia.

Now opened, the VDI facility will also serve as a centre of excellence for technical training and engineering support for Yutong products. With the demand for electric buses in Australia set to continue building momentum, Woodward says VDI is responding to the changing landscape of the bus industry by providing zero-emissions buses that can be assembled locally and feature enhanced safety and reliable product offerings.

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“It’s truly amazing to see the before and after of these vehicles in the facility and the tremendous work of adding value that is being done,” Queensland shadow transport and main roads minister Steve Minnikin says.

“I want to acknowledge everyone who played a part in developing this brand new facility that looks absolutely wonderful.”

Despite the opening of the centre forming a milestone moment in both VDI and Yutong’s history in Australia, the pair are quickly moving to produce more buses and coaches for the local market. With an Olympics on the horizon and a zero-emissions transition underway, Brisbane City Council is looking to the likes of VDI and Yutong to help introduce exciting bus technology to the city’s streets.

“The scale and experience that Yutong brings in bus manufacturing is incredible – with more than 180,000 vehicles already servicing different parts of the world while having the ability to produce 80,000 vehicles per year, it’s mind-blowing and we appreciate Yutong’s interest in south-east Queensland,” Schrinner says.

“I’m really impressed with the facility and the quality of vehicles being assembled from VDI – we know these vehicles will form a critical part of servicing the needs of our community moving forward.”

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