Allen Whitaker of Prestige Commercial Vehicles (PCV) Invercargill has retained his title in the Fuso NZ Technical Skills Competition.
Five technicians were competing for the prize in the tightly contested final. They were chosen from a field of 44 who were put through their paces over three assessments to narrow the field.
The top five were invited to Fuso NZ’s Auckland training facility, where they completed one theory, one customer presentation and three practical tests covering technical knowledge, customer service, diagnostic process and overall efficiency.
Mac Sykes from Keith Andrews, Whangarei, took second place and Ethan Higgins from First Commercials, Palmerston North, was third.
The competition was established last year to recognise and reward the expertise of top-performing technicians across New Zealand’s Fuso service network.
“We’re creating a culture of friendly rivalry and self-improvement, which is a win for our team and for our customers,” Fuso NZ managing director Kurtis Andrews says.
“Congratulations to Allen for his second win. Not only does this prove he’s at the top of his game, it shows we have the kind of people in our network who take real pride in their work over the long term.”
Fuso NZ national training manager Mark Woodley says Whitaker’s victory was “thoroughly deserved” following another challenging and closely fought competition.
“It’s far harder to win a second time. There’s the pressure of other people’s expectation that you’ll win it. It requires just as much hard work and commitment – you can’t become complacent.
“Our goal is to keep raising the bar and, to encourage that, we really put our finalists to the test. Having representatives from different corners of the country on the podium demonstrates the strength in depth we have across our network,” Woodley says.
An experienced judging panel consisted of Fuso NZ national training manager Mark Woodley; national service and technical manager Drew Forsyth; technical advisor Luke Gillson; warranty administrator Ian Knapman-Smith; and service specialist Trevor Moreland.
The two finalists who didn’t make the podium were Joshua Padgett from Keith Andrews, Whangarei and Matthew Schofield from Diesel and Equipment Services, Wellington
Whitaker said winning again “felt good” and he enjoys being part of the Fuso family.
“I really wasn’t expecting to win it again. I came in with the same motivation as last time, just wanting to test myself.
“I’ve taken so much out of it each time I’ve competed. It’s a good opportunity to expand my product knowledge. The training from Fuso NZ throughout the year also really helps.
“There are a lot of great technicians in the network, and they’re great people to boot. We’ve got a good crew down south. PCV invests a lot into training and allows us to apply ourselves and grow, depending how much we want it.
“I enjoy providing solutions for customers and, on top of that, I love working with trucks and being a mechanic. When I was in Tokyo as part of last year’s prize, I had the chance to drive an eCanter and Shogun. They’re both very exciting products and I look forward to being able to work on them going forward,” Whitaker says.
