After a series of rigorous theory and practical tests, including a one-day final at MAN Group headquarters in Munich, DSV Commercials in South Killingholme has been named one of the top five MAN Service Providers in the world.
More than a thousand MAN servicing and repair franchises entered teams into one of five regional 2010 Service Quality Award competitions and, after various qualifying rounds and then the final tests, DSV Commercials was announced as the overall winner of the Region North Award, incorporating the UK, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.
The DSV Commercials South Killingholme team was captained by director Chris Marshall and included parts manager Mick Mason, service manager Steve Gollings and contract administrator Ian Spencer, who covers policies and procedures.
"We're very, very proud, especially as this is the first time we've entered the competition," said Mr Marshall. "We've always performed at the highest level, but it's nice to be formally recognised for our hard work and achievements.
"It's also great to be recognised for what is very much a team effort, shared by everyone at our branch. And it demonstrates the professionalism and competence we offer across the business."
The qualifying rounds featured various themed tests: the first centred on policies and procedures, technical issues and parts supply, while the second focused on all aspects of customer service and support.
Round three introduced a 'Mystery Shop' by a representative of MAN, where the teams were required to solve a real-life scenario, in which a customer vehicle was in distress.
The final was even more intense, with five separate sections of theory and practical tests - completed to strict timescales and covering the entire range of disciplines involved in running an MAN franchise. These were:
After Sales Knowledge & MANTIS - the latter being an IT-based parts identification programme
MAN Service Contracts - in which teams had to put together a complete quote for servicing and maintenance
MAN Genuine Parts - required competitors to identify genuine MAN parts from non-genuine and outline their features
Under Repair Troubleshooting - presented the teams with six vehicle defects, which they had to correct inside 45 minutes
Under Repair Injectors & Brakes - involved the identification and correction of defects using the latest diagnostic equipment.
DSV Commercials, which holds the MAN servicing and repair franchise for the north Lincolnshire area, has been award winners in the past with MAN Truck & Bus UK.
"But to know that we can now compete on the world stage is almost beyond our wildest dreams," says Mr Marshall. We'll certainly be entering next year and would hope to better our performance by at least reaching the top three - although our target will be to lift the award for the best in the world."