| Past
Issues |
September
2005 |
 |
| Deon Alberts, branch manager of the 24/7 Elandsfontein Centre, is a happy man given the success of the concept. |
An experiment to go the extra mile in providing a 24/7 service facility combined with a 24/7 emergency back-up facility for its customers has paid off handsomely for Tyco Truck Centres, the servicing arm of Commercial Vehicle Holdings for all International, DAF and Renault trucks writes
Patrick O'Leary.
Regular readers of this magazine will know that in almost every issue, some mention is made of manufacturers having to go the extra mile in providing more than just a pretty price tag for their customers. Urgings have also been regularly made for operators to consider the lifetime costs of a vehicle as opposed to the initial purchase price - and to incorporate into that equation a good look at the back-up and service facilities provided by their manufacturer of choice.
We have done this not only to dispel the myth that up-front discount is what counts but more so to ensure that the manufacturer of choice is able to provide services and facilities that will enable operators to meet the new demands being placed on trucking by ever changing market requirements.
In this new era of Just-In-Time deliveries, uptime on a 24/7 basis is what every operator wants for his trucks. This, of course, is impossible to achieve as trucks need to have regular services and do experience on-the road breakdowns. That's part of the trucking life but what counts is the response of the truck suppliers to these two 'productivity breaks'. In this regard, CVH is excelling.
The 24/7 service centre that was opened in Elandsfontein in April was spurred by a two-fold purpose - one internally focussed and the other externally focussed at customers. The first purpose was to alleviate the heavy load being placed on the Wadeville workshops which just could not cope with the volume of work coming in. The second was to provide innovative and quality service to customers.
It was at this workshop that both normal lube-type servicing as well as major servicing and repairs was being carried out - and both were suffering. "Drivers were having to wait up to three days for a normal lube service that should only take about three hours," says Deon Alberts, branch manager of the 24/7 centre. "The workshops were battling under the load of doing major servicing and repairs and this resulted in major bottlenecks which impacted negatively on our customers."
Instead of adding more bays or something similar, the decision was taken to separate the two and invest in premises which would concentrate solely on normal lube-type services and minor repairs thus allowing Wadeville to get on with the big jobs without compromising customer service on the smaller jobs.
"This centre is therefore specialised in quick services where the driver books his truck in and then goes to our driver relaxation facilities where he can have a meal (a choice of three menus and a cool drink), take a nap or watch TV for three or so hours until we call him to head back on the road in a fully serviced truck," says Alberts. "The drivers love the concept as do the operators, many of whom are now sending their trucks here at night and over the weekend so as to maximise their working day uptime."
One driver who was relaxing in front of the TV set when FleetWatch visited was Nazeer Omar, an owner driver from Alex Carriers. I asked him how he regarded this facility. "It is great. I can't earn money when I'm off the road and I used to wait at Wadeville for two days before I got my truck serviced. Now I wait only three hours." He is one happy customer.
The centre is currently staffed by 12 mechanics, 12 assistants, three storemen, four foremen and two service advisors, the latter doing the bookings as well as the liaison with the drivers and clients. These staff are divided into four teams which operate three shifts a day running from 7.00am to 4.00pm, 3.00pm to 12.00pm and 11.00pm to 8.00am. The fourth team is off for four days.
"Our goal is to be the number one service provider in the country and with what we're doing now, we'll get there," says a confident Alberts.
Situated in a separate building is CVH's 24/7 National Breakdown Call Centre (NBCC) which functions as an on-line back-up nerve centre for customers who experience on-the-road emergencies.
"Our job is to minimise downtime for our customers and when we get a call for help, we fix the problem first and worry about the paperwork afterwards," says Reshaad Mahomed, administration supervisor of the NBCC. A complement of 18 administration staff and 12 mechanics is allocated full-time to the centre and if necessary, back-up is pulled in from the Tyco Truck Centres national branch network and service agents.
While the main focus is obviously on International, DAF and Renault customers, Mahomed says they have helped many truckers with other truck makes. "If you've got a Merc, a Toyota or any vehicle and you need help, give us a shout because at the end of the day, we want to be the AA of the trucking industry," he says. Kewl!
FleetWatch is always cautious of waxing lyrical about a good thing but on this one, we're doing just that. The 24/7 service and emergency centre is special, innovative and refreshing. It's just what the industry needs and stands as a good example for others to follow. Well done to CVH and Tyco Truck Centres on this initiative.
Motivated staff such as Frans Steyn ensure that the trucks come in and out of the three work bays as fast as possible without compromising on quality work. An on-site parts store eliminates any delays. It's all about quick in and out for operators.
