It’s been a full on year for the technicians studying hard for their shot at the title of Hitachi New Zealand’s “Top Tech” and the opportunity to represent New Zealand on the world stage.
The battle to find the 2013 Hitachi Top Tech started earlier this year, with Hitachi technicians from around the country participating in regional rounds where they were required to complete a number of both written and practical exams under the watchful eyes of the judges.
The initial group of nine was narrowed down to just three finalists – Palmerston North’s James Ross, Hamilton’s Tony Williams and from the North Shore, Luke Larsen.
Larsen went on to take the title in Auckland on March 9th, with Ross second and Williams third.
Larsen is the second tech from his branch to win the national competition, following in the boot-steps of Sam Rowan, who in 2011 went on to represent New Zealand at the world finals in Japan.
Larson will now represent CablePrice (NZ) and Hitachi in the Oceania round, to be held in Singapore next month, and could go on to a place in the world finals – held at HCM (Hitachi Construction Machinery) in Japan later this year.
During the Auckland final, each of the three technicians had to answer a series of 100 technical questions within an hour, then diagnose and repair a set number of faults on a Hitachi excavator within an hour and fifteen minute time frame. The techs could gain extra points for safe working practice, i.e. wearing a hi-vis and safety glasses, and maintaining three points of contact whenever getting on or off the excavator.
In addition to completing the theory and practical sections of the competition, the finalists had to present in detail the problems they had identified with the excavator to a panel of three, then answer a series of questions put forward by the panel.
“Over the years of running this competition I have never witnessed a more nervous bunch of technicians than this year’s finalists at the pre-dinner on Thursday night. Once the competition began on Friday morning however, the guys were able to buckle down and do what they do best,” said CablePrice Hitachi mining and construction technical trainer, Darren O’Connor.
“The results they achieved over the day’s competition were a credit to CablePrice.”
The company’s Palmerston North branch also appears to be a strong generator of talent:
“This is the third year running that Ryan Cage, Equipment Team Leader from Palmerston North has had a technician make the finals,” says Ross Wallace, CablePrice national training manager.
