Hino Australia has crowned its latest National Skills Champions with Michael Greenhill, Dylan Diehl and Brad Rawle, all from Prestige Hino, taking the coveted Parts, Service and Sales titles respectively.
The clean sweep of all titles by Prestige Hino is the first time this has occurred in the event’s history.
Demonstrating how tightly contested the Hino National Skills Contest is, Brad Rawle was a last-minute inclusion in the Sales final when another competitor withdrew.
Held at Hino Australia on 14th November following a series of qualifying rounds, the challenging finale saw 18 finalists from around the country compete against each other.
Sales Consultants undertook a series of real-world roleplay scenarios including a customer test-drive, before challenging their expertise in a Megamind quiz.
Parts Interpreters demonstrated their knowledge through live demonstrations of their interpretation expertise, and a customer-focused scenario which tested their customer service and communication skills.
For Service Technicians, the focus was on testing their diagnostic and technical skills via a range of assessments on 300 Series Hybrid Electric, 500 and 700 Series models.
For the first time, they were also assessed on their problem solving and communication skills when faced with a remote diagnostic problem.
“Held for the thirteenth year, the Hino National Skills Contest reinforces the importance of ongoing training and development for our dealership staff, and I congratulate all of today’s finalists including the winners,” said Richard Emery, President and CEO of Hino Australia.
“As one of the longest-running industry events of its kind, the Skills Contest continues to grow in prestige and importance and is a fantastic celebration of our people and their skills.
“It directly benefits our customers as our staff continue to increase their high levels of customer service and product knowledge, and it also aids us to retain and recruit the best sales, service and parts staff in the Australian trucking industry,” said Mr Emery.
Earlier in the year, Hino Australia won its 16th consecutive Parts Department of the Year Award and its 13th successive Service Department of the Year Award, demonstrating the importance of the ongoing training and development.
Each Skills Champion receives a cash reward and an expenses-paid trip to Japan.
The event was held at Hino Australia’s Sydney headquarters and attended by guests from Hino Australia and Hino Motors, Ltd.
Hino National Skills Contest Winners 2024
Service
1st – Dylan Diehl - Prestige Hino
2nd – Thanh Nguyen - WA Hino
3rd – John Riley - Sci-Fleet Hino Brisbane
Parts
1st – Michael Greenhill - Prestige Hino
2nd – Luke Dummett - Sci-Fleet Hino Brisbane
3rd – Graham Reynolds - Wagga Trucks Hino
Sales
1st – Brad Rawle – Prestige Hino
2nd – Jason Taggart - City Hino
3rd – Nick O'Brien - Sci-Fleet Hino Brisbane