HINO MOTORS CANADA, LTD. (HMC) held a very unique skills competition during its latest National Dealer Meeting (May 9-11, 2017) at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario.
“We really wanted to underline how important it is for our dealers and customers to understand that each and every individual in each department of our company is what makes the Hino experience so unique. We need everybody to pull in the same direction to ensure total support to our customers, whether it’s a matter of sales, parts, service, or the three at the same time.” says Eric Smith, Senior VP, Sales and Customer Support at Hino Canada.
Group photo of all Hino Dealer skills competitors including Hino Canada team members.
Regardless of which part of the business they’re in, all participants first had to score 80 percent or more in online training modules and preliminary exams to be selected for the finals in London. Only the top scores in each department led to the finals. In the “Parts” category, each competitor had to complete 15 different stations, each covering a different aspect of the Hino business. These stations included a video and warehouse challenge, proper storage techniques, factory specifications, a lightning round, and a “Beat the Champ” station where they had to go one-onone with last year’s Skill Champion.
The “Service” category gathered technicians from three levels of certification: Premier, Platinum, and Elite Master. The Elite ,Master technicians were put head-to-head in a hands-on competition in which each had to diagnose and correct identical malfunctions installed on identical vehicles in a short amount time. They were also judged on their proper use of tooling and workshop manuals, their ability to monitor any data that could lead to concluding what the probable cause may be, as well as product knowledge.
The “Sales” category participants had to demonstrate the highest level of Hino product and specification knowledge. These experts were also among Hino’s top sales achievers for 2016. The Sales Competition challenge consisted of different stations such as customer sales simulation, competitor analysis and Hino product knowledge, along with interactive stations such as Hino’s adaptation of the popular game show Jeopardy.
The final winners, announced at the end of the competition, were: Parts, Cam Taylor, Vancouver Hino (BC); Service, Trevor Robertson, Hino Central (AB); and Sales, Thom Moody, Tri Truck Centre (ON).
The winners were awarded an allexpenses- paid Hino study trip to Costa Rica and Panama City later this year to visit Hino facilities, training and testing centres, Hino dealership tours, and additional activities.
Hino Canada’s President Yumiko Kawamura declared: “I believe that our strength is our people with high skills, loyalty, and trust for the Hino Brand. HMC’s role is to provide any support to the dealers by providing them the proper tools and programs so they can deliver total support to our valued customers.” Hino Motors Canada, Ltd., a Toyota Group Company, produces and distributes light- and medium-duty commercial trucks in Canada and is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, with manufacturing operations in Woodstock, Ontario. Service is provided through its extensive coast-to-coast dealership network and is backed by its industry leading customer care protection program.