Amidst all the hoopla and celebrations surrounding the recent truck sales numbers, Australia’s number two truck company, Hino is approaching the second half of the year with a strong mood of confidence.
While well behind market leader Isuzu, the attitude at Hino seems to be one of lets play the processes and focus on the task and not worry too much about catching the market leader.
It is a little like what professional sporting teams focus on , ‘don’t worry about the score but focus on the processes and the results will come’, if you like.
“The success of the first half of 2018 has been built on the last three years of our single-minded focus on the customer, which includes our unique range of business solutions, Hino Advantage,” says Mr Bill Gillespie, Hino Australia’s general manager of brand and franchise development.
“We have capitalised on a growing market with our ongoing customer focus and expanded product line-up to capture 26.7 pert cent and 4.1 per cent of the medium duty and heavy duty markets respectively year-to-date.
The company has opened new dealerships in key markets in Sydney and Brisbane and is reaping the rewards from its new 500 Series Wide Cab and its 300 Series 4×4, which has captured hearts in some interesting markets.
“Our sales success has been driven by an expanded dealer network, led primarily by two new dealerships in Brisbane and Sydney and a new stand alone Hino dealership in Melbourne.
“Acceptance of the 500 Series Wide Cab has been exceptional which is reflected in our order intake and reinforces our decision to offer Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and reverse camera as standard across the range,” said Mr Gillespie.
“The new 300 Series 4×4 has also been extremely popular, capturing 19 per cent of the light duty 4×4 segment in just over seven months.
Hino also believes its unusual small bus, the Poncho will reap some benefits from the expanding ‘bus on demand’ environment in major cities around the country
“In the bus side of the business, the timing couldn’t be better – most state governments are looking at a deconstructed model of bus transport, which is perfectly suited to the smaller bus size of the Poncho.
“It’s too early to go into details but we are quietly confident of our sales success continuing with a new product due in our showrooms by the end of the year,” hinted Mr Gillespie.
The single-minded focus on the customer is also witnessed in the parts and service departments of the business.
“As our truck park increases in size, it is essential that we provide our customer with the parts and service support they require,” said Mr Gillespie.
For Hino, this has included Hino Advantage initiatives such as the realignment of its parts pricing model and the expansion of its capped price service program, which have contributed to record parts sales.
Other elements of the Hino Advantage program include Hino Traq telematics, finance options, and customer support provisions via the dedicated Hino Customer Care Centre.
In its third year, Hino Australia’s sponsorship of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship has also paid dividends.
“Hino brand recognition has lifted since the sponsorship began and it has provided us with immeasurable networking opportunities for our customers and dealers,” concluded Mr Gillespie.
