Hino Australia has said it has embarked on a series of information seminars for truck body builders, component suppliers and engineering certifiers, in what is believed to be a first for the Australian truck industry, building on the success of its unique Hino Bodyworx program,
Hino launched its Bodyworx program in early 2018 with the creation of an online portal containing technical and regulatory information to assist with the design and construction of truck and bus bodies on Hino chassis with the company saying it demonstrates how much it values its relationships with the body building and component supplier industries,
“Hino is at the forefront of the operational, safety and technology integration between the truck and the body, with body builders, component suppliers and certifiers now requiring a far greater understanding of the intricate workings of these systems than ever before,” said Daniel Petrovski, manager of product strategy for Hino Australia.
“It is also essential that they understand the implications associated with fitting a body to a Hino chassis and that there can be differing impacts on the vehicle’s chassis from the various body types and the body mountings that can be chosen,” continued Mr Petrovski.
“We have a responsibility to actively share all the information that we can with the body builders and component suppliers who we consider our business partners.
“At Hino, our trucks are built under the guiding principles of Quality, Durability and Reliability, and by providing this next level of information to our body builders, we are equipping them with the knowledge about the Hino trucks they require to build and mount their bodies to the end customer’s vehicle.
“We know that a correctly integrated body provides our customers with superior operational outcomes, which is a positive for everyone.”
Over 200 body builders nationally were invited to attend the first round of the Hino Bodyworx seminars, which ran over two months in five capital cities.
“Hino Australia applications engineer Jeff Gibson has been instrumental in the creation of the Hino Bodyworx Portal and taking the Hino Bodyworx program to the next level with the creation of these information seminars.
“Jeff was supported at the seminars by Hino Australia’s recently appointed Applications Engineer Yousif Nassrat who has brought a wealth of capability and new approach thanks to his previous work in the Authorised Vehicle Examiners (AVE) area of the industry.”
Information imparted in these seminars includes body mounting guidelines, recommendations and specifications, CAD drawings, detail on technology systems employed in the various Hino models and how bodies need to be built to integrate with them.
“The Bodyworx seminars are a natural extension of the information already available on the Hino Bodyworx portal,” said Mr Petrovski.
“They allow Hino direct contact with the body builders and component suppliers and provide context, and importantly enable us to answer specific questions that industry participants may have.
“Feedback from the seminar attendees has been very positive, and we believe it will ultimately lead to better outcomes and products for our customers.”
Pete Weatherby, President of the Licensed Certifiers Association (LCA) attended the first event in Sydney in May and said:
“The event was an excellent opportunity for AVEs and body builders to establish important business links with Hino and more so important with the growing applications of technologies.
“We recommend the Hino Bodyworx events to all of our LCA members, including our AVE counterparts interstate,” Mr Weatherby concluded.
The next round of the Hino Bodyworx seminars will occur in the fourth quarter of 2019.
For more information about the Bodyworx seminars, to gain access to the portal or to register attendance at the next round of seminars, go to: https://www.hino.com.au/bodyworx/
