UD Trucks has revealed that some of its Australian frontline staff have excelled in the company’s 2024 Gemba Challenge
The UD Trucks Gemba Challenge marked its 10th anniversary this year, and is a global technical competition, which has seen Australian participation and performance reach new heights this year, with two teams qualifying for the global final at the home of UD Trucks at Ageo in Japan, this November.
UD says that the Gemba Challenge was run locally from March to August this year, covering two qualifying theory rounds. The company says Australian participation is up by more than 200 per cent since 2022, with 105 teams competing, collectively comprising more than 400 frontline staff.
The company points out that the word ‘Gemba’, loosely translates to “where value is created”, which for UD Trucks and its customers, is in its dealerships and workshops with ‘passionate personnel that are committed to delivering premium and dependable products and services’.
UD says that the Australian team known as, ‘STOP LOOKING AT ME QUON!!!’ from its CMV Truck and Bus dealership ar Epping in Victoria, placed first nationally. The all-technician team from CMV, led by Justin Westcott, included members Nitin Soman, James Greenwood, and Rob Boletti, all of whom began their careers with CMV and UD Trucks as apprentice technicians, and all apparently share a passion for customer success.
The Team UD11 outfit from Truck Centre WA at Forrestfield in Perth, also performed particularly well and earned one of the two coveted wildcard spots up for grabs from the more than 650 global teams competing. Team UD11 was led by Sam Morris, along with team members Neil Aramil, Nik Glovata, and Chris Gunning, and the team embraces a culture of learning and leadership.
“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 customer. day in and day out,” said Volvo Group Australia’s vice president for services and retail development Martin Jerresand.
“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 heavy investment in developing and empowering frontline staff through hands-on training and support across its leading dealer network – being the largest in Australia. “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 UD Trucks Australia’s vice president, Philippa Wood.
“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,” Wood said.
