Two Australian teams will head to the home of UD Trucks in Ageo, Japan, in November, to compete in the UD Trucks Gemba Challenge.
A global bi-annual technical competition, the Gemba Challenge sees UD technicians from all over the world compete for glory.
Locally, the Gemba Challenge in Australia saw record participation, with 105 Australian teams – comprising 400 UD staff – competing from March to August, vying for a spot in the upcoming final.
Australian participation was up by a whopping 200 per cent compared to the last event in 2022.
Each team took part in two qualifying rounds of theory.
The word ‘Gemba’ loosely translates to “where value is created”, which for UD Trucks and its customers, is its dealership and workshop floors, where passionate staff are committed to delivering premium and dependable products and services.
The two Australian teams that have earned their spot in the final in Japan are from ‘Stop Looking at Me Quon!!!’ from CMV Truck & Bus Epping, Victoria; and Team UD11, from Truck Centre WA, Forrestfield.
Stop Looking at Me Quon!!! finished in first place nationally. The all-technician team, led by Justin Westcott, includes members Nitin Soman, James Greenwood, and Rob Boletti, who all began their careers with CMV and UD Trucks as apprentice technicians and all share a passion for customer success.
Team UD11 also performed particularly well and earned one of the two coveted wildcard spots up for grabs among over 650 global competing teams. Led by Sam Morris, with team members Neil Aramil, Nik Glovata, and Chris Gunning, the team embraces a culture of learning and leadership.
Team UD11 from Truck Centre WA also secured a place in the final in Japan, picking up a wildcard spot. Image: Volvo Group Australia“The teamwork, dedication and skill we’ve seen from our Australian teams in this year’s Gemba Challenge is a demonstration of their Gemba Spirit and the passion that drives them to go the extra mile for our customers day in and day out,” said Martin Jerresand, vice president services and retail development, Volvo Group Australia.
“The theme for this years’ competition is ‘All Stars’, and it couldn’t be more fitting given the level of performance we’ve seen. Each team has completed a combined 80 hours of training as part of the challenge, which is a solid commitment from our dealer network to developing its people.”
The UD Trucks Gemba Challenge is part of UD’s investment in developing its frontline staff through hands-on training and support across its dealer network.
“At UD Trucks, our core value is delivering ultimate dependability to our customers, and the Gemba Challenge supports this by ensuring our customers and their fleets are backed by some of Australia’s most skilled, capable and passionate technical staff,” said Philippa Wood, vice president UD Trucks Australia.
“We congratulate all of our Gemba All Stars teams that participated in this year’s competition and look forward to seeing our Australian finalists competing on the Gemba Challenge Final world stage in November.”
[signup]
The post UD technicians to represent Australia on the world stage appeared first on Big Rigs.