Commercial vehicle manufacturer, Hino Australia, has again been acknowledged as a global leader in parts and service, with Hino Motors Limited in Japan placing the local arm of the business in the top echelon of Hino distributors worldwide.
For the 12th straight year, Hino Australia has earned the Parts Department of the Year Award, while also claiming the Service Department of the Year Award for the ninth consecutive time.
Hino Australia also won a Parts Excellence Award, which was a new category for 2019, and awarded to a small number of distributors that demonstrated overall excellence including ensuring a consistently high supply of parts to dealerships and customers.
“It is a great honour to have the efforts of our local parts and service departments recognised and it’s a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all involved,” said Hino Australia General Manager of Product Support, Greg Bleasel.
“Hino Australia continues to lead the market with our capped price servicing program, which gives certainty to owners while also lowering costs over the life of a truck,” he said.
According to Bleasel, the latest expansion of this program entails capped price brake and clutch replacements on all Hino 300 Series trucks that meet Euro 5 emissions standards. This involves using Hino Genuine parts that are readily available through the dealer network and are guaranteed to fit every time, which is claimed to reduce repair times.
“Moreover,” said Bleasel, “Hino Genuine parts provide superior performance – third party testing showed that Hino Genuine pads and rotors deliver over 10 per cent greater braking force.”
He credits continuous improvement as key to Hino’s global recognition, adding that in the past 12 months the company has facilitated a series of improvements to its Product Distribution Centre (PDC) to enhance efficiencies and fulfil orders quicker.
“Dealer stock orders can now be processed in one day and the PDC has been expanded to increase storage capacity,” said Bleasel.
“Due to COVID-19, we have implemented online and live stream technical training for workshop technicians to ensure they remain up to date, despite social distancing and travel restrictions.”
According to Hino, a leading factor contributing to the success of the brand in Australia is the Hino Advantage initiative, which is a suite of business solutions including Hino SmartSafe, capped price servicing, telematics, Hino Genuine parts and accessories, 24/7 Hino roadside assist, finance options, fleet training and customer support via the Customer Care Centre.
In other news, Hino Australia recently announced organisational changes.
(Image: Hino Australia General Manager of Product Support, Greg Bleasel.)