VIC branch wins national Scania Top Team competition

Members of Scania’s Dandenong branch in Victoria have won this year’s Australian National Top Team competition.

The winners now travel to Bangkok early in 2026 to contest the Asian Regional finals, where the two top teams then continue to Sweden for the World Finals.

The challenges of this year’s Scania-hosted competition included using a virtual reality headset, working in a simulated outback roadside and diagnosing and fault fixing technical issues in the dark, assisted only by wearable illumination and immersed in surround sounds of a busy freeway.

Additionally, other challenges included fault finding on a marine engine, a route bus and an electronic circuit, as well as completing a written theoretical exam. All tests were timed and required seamless teamwork and logical deductive reasoning.

Seven teams from Scania’s Australian company-owned network of branches took part in the National Finals following a knockout round involving a further eight teams around the nation.

According to Scania Australia Director of Aftersales Stefan Weber, the Top Team competition is imperative for development within the company’s service networks.

“Top Team is a global Scania initiative that celebrates and develops the professionalism of our service teams, strengthening technical capability, efficiency, and collaboration within our workshops,” he said.

While Team Dandenong took home overall honours for the second event in a row under the leadership of Chris Chilver, the Queensland-based Pinkenba team was a runner up, with third placed claimed by a team largely comprised of apprentices from Scania Eastern Creek.

“The success of our Eastern Creek Underdogs team of apprentices shows that Scania’s technical workforce has a very bright future,” Weber said.

“Their impressive result highlights the depth of talent and technical understanding within our next generation of Scania technicians – a strong sign of the future excellence growing across our network.”

As Captain of the winning Dandenong Team, Chris Chilver said that this year’s National Finals were the toughest of the four he’s done across his career.

“We had a good team spirit,” he said. “We weren’t put off, we had a low score from one of the stations when we went to the next one. We held together as a team. It was evident that it was going to be a tough event, so we just buckled down.

“We were absolutely stoked to win again. We take this competition seriously. We practice a lot. We always go into it wanting to win. Last time in 2023, we lost out in the Bangkok Regional Finals by just one point, which was quite devastating. So, we have our sights set on getting to the World Finals in Sweden this time.”

Scania Dandenong Branch Manager Liz Mistretta said her team was successful due to their outstanding commitment, technical knowledge and teamwork across every challenge, securing them a well-deserved victory.

“This is a team of skilled, passionate individuals who consistently show up with their best – not just in performance, but in attitude, teamwork, and spirit,” she said.

“They bring a humble approach, a consistent drive, and they also know how to have fun along the way. And it’s exactly that balance that got them across the line.

“It’s an absolute honour to be their leader. All of us at Scania Dandenong wish them the best of luck as they take on the next exciting stage in Bangkok.”

The Regional Finals take place in February 2026.