Volvo Trucks’ and Volvo Buses’ worldwide competition and
training initiative for workshop personnel has now moved past the
semi-finals. 28 teams from 26 countries remain in the competition
and they will battle it out in the world finals in Sweden in
June.
After eight months of intensive competitions, VISTA, Volvo
Trucks and Volvo Buses' worldwide competition and training
initiative for workshop personnel, is now approaching the thrilling
finals. When the first qualifiers in theory started in September
last year, 3,500 teams from 70 countries took part. After the
semi-finals, which included both practical and theoretical
elements, the field has been narrowed down to 28 teams from all
over the world, and they are now gearing up to meet in the finals
in Göteborg on June 11.
Volvo has been arranging competitions for its workshop personnel
for more than 50 years. The worldwide competition - VISTA - aimed
primarily at mechanics, parts staff and warranty processors is the
biggest of its kind in the world and is held every second year.
The finals encompass a full day's difficult practical tests
where teamwork, technical expertise and problem-solving ability
using Volvo's system for service and parts are some of the crucial
factors.
Johanna Lundberg, executive project manager for VISTA, attended
some of the regional semi-finals and testifies to fine fighting
spirit and razor-sharp competition over every single point.
"Many of the teams mixed together older and younger members. In
the course of the competition, the older team members serve as
mentors sharing their expertise and acting as a steadying
influence. I accompanied Team Concord from Ukraine throughout the
semi-finals and was impressed by their fantastic team spirit, the
way they focused so totally and cooperated so smoothly to tackle
each problem - and in fact that was the team that won its regional
semi-finals."
Volvo Trucks' President and CEO, Staffan Jufors, affirms that
VISTA is extremely exciting but notes that it is also a highly
educational experience for all the competitors.
"For us this is a very comprehensive and important educational
initiative. According to our calculations, VISTA 2009 corresponds
to more than 300,000 hours of training - training that includes the
majority of our global workshop personnel.
"VISTA helps boost the professional status of the staff who take
care of our customers and this helps us attract the very best
people to our workshops, not least in markets where we are
experiencing strong growth. Ultimately, VISTA improves the quality
of the workshops and helps improve our competence as a supplier of
complete transport solutions."
The following teams are taking part in the VISTA
2009 world finals in Sweden June 11.
Country
Dealer
City
Team
name
Denmark
Skifter Lastbil
Aabenraa
"Valhalla"
Denmark
Volvo Truck Center
Taastrup
"Taastrup 1"
Britain
MC Truck and Bus
Hythe
"Return of the Mmak"
Britain
Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia
Felixstowe
"Carrot Crunchers"
Sweden
Volvo Truck Center
Helsingborg
"Team Båshumlorna"
Finland
Wetteri Power
Oulu (Uleåborg)
"Wetteri Power"
Belgium
Derma Trucks
Brügge
"Derma X-Power"
The Netherlands
Bluekens Truck & Bus
Breda
"Bluekens Breda 1"
Germany
Knoll Kfz
Oelsnitz
"Team Vogtland 1"
Switzerland
TC Niederuzwil
Niederuzwil
"FST-Fanatic"
Austria
Volvo Austria Pucking
Pucking
"Team Impact"
France
VTC Sud-est
Lyon
"Equipe de Martin"
Italy
Veicoli Industriali Padana - fil. di Modena
Modena
"VIP 1 Modena"
Spain
Commercial Automociôn Rubio
Valencia
"Trencaclosques"
Poland
Skrzypa Szczecin
Szczecin
"Skrzypa 3"
Lithuania
Volvo Lietuva
Vilnius
"LT United"
Czech Republic
Truck Point Jičín
Jičín
"Truck Point 1"
Russia
Global Truck Service
Zelenograg
"Green city"
Ukraine
Volvo Ukraine LLC
Kiev
"Concord"
Israel
MCT
Petach Tikva
"Mayer Ashdod"
United Arab Emirates
FAMCO
Dubai
"Globetrotter"
South Africa
Volvo Southern Africa, Gauteng branch
Gauteng
"FH 16"
Brazil
Gotemburgo
Recife (Pernambuco)
"Euro 1"
Argentina
Volvo Trucks and Buses Argentina
Buenos Aires
"Metanoia"
Australia
VTB Chullora
Chullora
"Team #3 Chullora"
New Zealand
Titan Plant Ser. Onehunga
Onehunga
"The Big Diffs"
Indonesia
Eka Dharma Jaya Sakti PT
Djakarta
"Eka Dharma 25"
South Korea
Volvo Truck Center
Seoul
"The One"
Pictures of the winning teams can be found at the Volvo Trucks
Image Bank http://icp.llr.se/CumulusE_Z/VTC_ImageGallery/ under
Press Images/ VISTA/ 01 VISTA Semifinals 2009.
FACTS ABOUT VISTA 2009
Volvo organised its very first competition for mechanics in 1957.
In 1977 the competition was renamed VISTA and it has since then
grown every year, from a purely Swedish to a truly global
event.
Volvo Trucks/Volvo Buses and Volvo Cars arrange VISTA every
alternate year.
The competition is open to all categories of personnel at the
companies' workshops. Knowledge being tested is not limited to
purely technical questions but includes commercial issues such as
warranties, spare parts and administration. Cooperation and team
spirit are essential for success in VISTA.
Autumn 2008 saw VISTA 2009 get under way with three local theory
qualifiers. At the very outset, 13,500 people took part in about
3,500 teams, each with three or four members.
The regional semi-finals dealt with both theory and practice and
they were held at seven locations on five continents, putting 150
teams from 70 countries against each other. The field has now been
narrowed down to 28 teams from 26 countries, represented by about
110 competitors.
The world finals take the form of a full-day competition that
includes demanding practical tests. The event will be held in
Göteborg, Sweden, on June 11.