A multi-million dollar injection in the Hino dealership network is being made in 2017, with FRM Hino in Tasmania and Newcastle Commercial Vehicles in northern New South Wales both making significant investments.
The combined investment in these two dealerships totals approximately $5 million, and further investments across the network are expected to push the total figure close to $45 million by the end of the year.
According to general manager of brand and franchise development at Hino Australia, Bill Gillespie, the boost to the network is a result of the confidence its dealers have in the brand.
“We’ve supported our dealer network by providing strategic business plans and rolling out new initiatives to improve the Hino customer experience,” Gillespie said.
“The investment made by the whole dealer network shows strong confidence in the growth of the Hino brand nationwide.
“The network expansion is also a result of the growth of parts and service demands, demonstrating the effectiveness of our customer-focused Hino Advantage suite of business benefits,” he said.
The proposed new NCV Hino dealership in Coffs Harbour and upgraded FRM Hino facility in Launceston are strategically placed in high-growth areas to respond to an increasing need for commercial vehicle sales and service.
NCV Hino has committed to an easy-to-access 4300 square metre location just off the Pacific Highway, adjacent to Coffs Harbour Airport.
General manager at NCV Hino, Andrew Newell said the new purpose-built Coffs Harbour dealership will provide the NSW north coast with better access to parts and service.
“This location is a huge opportunity to support light and medium truck businesses. The industry is exceptionally diverse in Coffs Harbour,” Newell said.
“The new facility will be dedicated to reducing downtime for drivers and businesses, with an eight bay workshop and a 24-hour on-call service team at hand.
“A vast storage area in our warehouse also allows us to ensure we have a readily available catalogue of parts at all times,” he said.
In Tasmania, FRM’s managing director David Mills says the decision to expand its footprint comes on the back of significant growth.
“Since relocating to our new Devonport branch a year ago we have noticed a strong increase in business and all of our departments have been thriving,” Mills said.
“Revenue is up thanks to an increase in returned service customers, and we anticipate this will also be the trend for the upgraded Launceston branch. Plans are underway for similar renovations at our FRM Hino Hobart branch.
“The new facility will enable us to support customers with the same high level of quality, and at a much higher volume. We must live up to our reputation,” he said.
The Launceston branch of FRM is expected to open mid-January while the new NCV Coffs Harbour facility will open in the second quarter.
