aBr June 2014 June 2014 | Page 68

i n d u s t r y n ews Customer Centric Hino ups the Ante At the official opening of the new Hino (pronounced “he know”) plant in Prospecton, Durban on 21 May 2014, chairman of the board of Hino Motors Limited, Masakazu Ichikawa, said that globally the two central values for Hino are 1) uptime, and 2) minimal vehicle lifetime cost. We’ll Keep on Trucking Ichikawa’s message was reinforced by president and CEO Dr Johan van Zyl, who confirmed that the new Hino plant equated to an investment of R55 million. Van Zyl added that this investment, together with the investment in technical training and parts support, put meat on the slogan “We’ll Keep on Trucking”. And when added to the investments at the Toyota plant in Prospecton over the previous few years, these investments amounted to over R1,6 billion in Toyota’s commitment to the country. Hino’s dealers are also coming to the party, with dealership upgrades of over R100 million in the past year. All good news for the current and future owners of Hino trucks. With a production capacity of 5 000 units per annum on a single shift, the headcount of 109 remains unchanged, but the volume can be increased at the drop of a hat, if required, and extra models can be added to the 31 derivatives of the Dyna to the Hino 300-, 500- and 700-Series – all assembled on one main conveyer line. As they say in Japan, it is (Torakkin tsuzukeru). ➲ The first Hino comes off the assembly line T his was the core of his message at the opening ceremony, where he lauded Toyota SA’s role in flying the Hino flag in South Africa, and by extension as one of 19 Hino plants across the globe, flying the Hino flag globally. He also stressed that while South Africa’s market is relatively small (Hino SA sold 3 461 units in 2013, contributing to the 162 000 units worldwide), it is a critical market and very important for Hino’s global success. He added that South Africa is a challenging market, with competition from many brands, and that key to Hino’s success were the elements of reasonable price, reliability, excellent after sales service, affordable parts pricing, driver training (particularly around economical driving), and Hino’s highest priority – reducing the lifetime cost of the vehicle. | logistics in action ➲ Chairman of the board of Hino Motors Limited, Masakazu Ichikawa 66 JUNE 2014