Hino holds firm

The momentous changes Hino has experienced this year have not slowed the manufacturer down – far from it in fact, as attested to by three FOCUS on Excellence wins.

Not only did Hino secure wins for three of its six nominations, but the manufacturer was a big winner on the evening, scooping more awards than any of its competitors.

The winner of Best Medium Commercial Vehicle, Vehicle Distributor for Best Sales Support and Vehicle Distributor for Best Service Support, Hino has certainly proven the validity of the changes to its business model earlier this year.

“The magnitude of the changes that were implemented during the migration of Toyota Trucks to Hino involved a huge amount of careful planning and effort, from Toyota itself, Hino’s head office and upper management and of course all our affiliated dealers,” admits Casper Kruger, Hino’s general manager.

“The fact that we did not lose even a single Hino 300 sale, in spite of the rebranding of the Dyna, which is a trucking legend in South Africa, shows how well all the parties involved brought this project together,” he continues.

“But the real cherry on the cake is to win the award for Best Medium Commercial Vehicle. The fact that the local trucking community trusts Hino as much as it trusted Toyota Trucks and the Dyna brand gives us great confidence in our plans for the future of South African trucking.”

Kruger is also quick to point out the role of Hino’s dealer network in securing the awards for sales and service support.

“Winning these awards is a clear indication that we have maintained customer loyalty throughout these changes, and that is largely because of the dedication and support of our dealers,” he explains.

“They are our custodians of service. It is our dealers who are delivering quality sales and service support on the ground; they who ensure that the Hino brand maintains its standards of quality, durability and reliability.”

Winning three awards is certainly not the be-all and end-all for Hino, however. “These awards signify the trust our customers place in us, but they are no excuse to now rest on our laurels,” insists Kruger.

“If anything, they should serve as motivation to continue delivering a quality product and service, as well as address areas where we are not number one. There is always room for improvement and it’s important to evaluate our business structure, identify those areas and then put systems in place to rectify any shortfalls in our service delivery.”

Kruger concludes by paying tribute to the previous head of Hino, Piet van Wyk de Vries, who so expertly steered the company during the rebranding exercise, ensuring all the elements were in place for Hino to rise as one of South Africa’s premier truck manufacturers.