After eight months of intensive competition the VISTA worldwide competition and training initiative for parts administration and workshop personnel is now approaching the thrilling finals.
Neil Heinemann, Competence Development Manager for Volvo Commercial Vehicles Australia, said the semi final in Australia exhibited the exceptional talent within the Australian and New Zealand Dealer Network.
"We have some great talent here in Australia and New Zealand and VISTA is a great opportunity for these individuals to develop further which ultimately benefits our customers."
The two national representative teams competing in the world final are from VTB Chullora (Australia) and Onehunga (New Zealand).
When the first qualifiers in the "Theory" rounds commenced in September last year, 3,500 teams from 70 countries took part. After the semi-finals, which included both practical and theoretical elements, the field was narrowed down to 28 teams. The teams are now gearing up to meet for the finals in Göteborg on June 11.
Volvo has been arranging competitions for its parts administration and workshop personnel for more than 50 years. The worldwide competition - VISTA - aimed primarily at mechanics, parts staff and warranty processors is the biggest of its kind in the world and is held every second year.
The finals encompass a full day's difficult practical tests where teamwork, technical expertise and problem-solving ability using Volvo's system for service and parts are some of the crucial factors.
Johanna Lundberg, executive project manager for VISTA, attended some of the regional semi-finals and testifies to fine fighting spirit and razor-sharp competition over every single point.
"Many of the teams mixed together older and younger members. In the course of the competition, the older team members serve as mentors sharing their expertise and acting as a steadying influence. I accompanied Team Concord from Ukraine throughout the semi-finals and was impressed by their fantastic team spirit, the way they focused so totally and cooperated so smoothly to tackle each problem - and in fact that was the team that won its regional semi-finals."
Volvo Trucks' President and CEO, Staffan Jufors, affirms that VISTA is extremely exciting but notes that it is also a highly educational experience for all the competitors.
"For us this is a very comprehensive and important educational initiative. According to our calculations, VISTA 2009 corresponds to more than 300,000 hours of training - training that includes the majority of our global workshop personnel.
"VISTA helps boost the professional status of the staff who take care of our customers and this helps us attract the very best people to our workshops, not least in markets where we are experiencing strong growth. Ultimately, VISTA improves the quality of the workshops and helps improve our competence as a supplier of complete transport solutions."