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 JiÄ�ín |
JiÄ�ín |
"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.
woooo. volvo competition :D
Too bad Singapore team does'nt manage to make it
Wow... I didn't know of this...