The World Trucks Blog has spies everywhere - even in Belgium.Which is where this little nugget of information stems from. It seems that Scania is to close its Södertälje parts distribution centre, and relocate the whole show to Opglabbeek in Belgium, where it will base its entire global network. This move has necessitated both a doubling in capacity in terms of the physical building, and the deployment of an extra 110 staff - adding to the current 260 employees.Cool. We've spent many a happy hour - on six continents - nodding and smiling as parts centre evangelists conduct media tours of their facilities, and the sight of open air is one that never fails to bring joy to our hearts. But, on a more serious note, this news follows the announcement that Scania was to open a paint shop in the Netherlands. Indeed, the Swedish company is on something of a Benelux trip at the moment, and we wonder what it means.Some weeks ago, part of the MAN-Scania-VW furore kicked up the idea of basing the merged company away from both Germany and Sweden - the Netherlands was suggested as a distinct possibility.Three things cross our minds here. A doubling of space and a staffing increase of over 40 per cent at a parts facility could suggest that the Scania product range is about to fall apart en masse. Is a huge tidal wave of breakdowns about to engulf the Swedish marque? Unlikely we think.Alternatively, and we return momentarily to MAN and VW, a merger by stealth may have already happened - we don't really understand the ins and outs of the stock transaction necessary, but it is by no means impossible that a merger in all but name has already taken place. However, given the hot air that has surrounded this of late, we find it improbableAnd so we're left with this alternative. Is Scania preparing the ground for an expansion of its product range through AN Other OEM? Hino's European presence is somewhat limited, and its support network underlines this fact. Yesterday, we quoted Leif Östling as saying that he wanted to broaden the Scania product range without spending the money. In case you missed it, here are his words again:"During 2007 Scania will begin distributing Hino's medium- duty trucks in South Korea. This means we are broadening our product portfolio without costly research and development investments."Once again we ask. Is Hino finally coming to Europe on the back of the Scania network?
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