Director of Sales and Marketing for Bentley Truck Services, Joe Campbell, Offers Insight Into the New Isuzu Facility Called the Center of Excellence:
On Wednesday July 27, 2016, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America opened their new complex in Pittston, PA. I was able to tour the facility along with other Isuzu dealers from the Northeast region. This complex is comprised of a parts distribution center, a training center, and a technical assistance facility. The complex is being called the Center of Excellence. It is designed to put three major functions supporting dealerships and customers in the Northeast region under one roof. The area was selected by Isuzu because the Northeast Region is home to one of the highest concentrations of US Isuzu dealerships, Isuzu commercial trucks in operation, and the company’s annual parts sales.
The parts center is 100,000 Square feet. Additionally, Isuzu is currently stocking $8 million of parts inventory here. From what I witnessed, there is room for expanding this inventory as the truck population in this region continues to grow. All the equipment is state of the art, the layout was highly influenced for improving efficiency and aligning functionality to the facility. Parts order fulfillment is a highly labor intensive operation but the technology and layout are making it a very efficient operation. I was also impressed with the energy saving lighting used and the motion sensing lights throughout the warehouse.
The training and technical assistance area comprises another 30,000 Sq. ft of in the complex. The training center is offering classes for technicians, parts personnel, sales representatives and customer satisfaction personnel. It is obvious as you walk the service training area the commitment to hands on training for service personnel is here, and the attention to detail was a goal in designing this operation.
The area has room to house 12 full size Isuzu N series trucks. Each class is designed for 12 technicians allowing only 2 technicians a time on each truck. The engine training section is similarly designed with tool boxes and engines to support 2 technicians each. This will keep the students engaged in the training and no one has to stand around to be an observer. There are two class rooms on site as well. Each room equipped with the latest in computer technology to be able to review the necessary printed material and shop manuals with the class. Here at Bentley truck services with 3 Isuzu franchises, we are quickly assigning our technicians to the open available classes.
Although the technical assistance facility was not as impressive looking on the tour, it is one of the strongest components of the Center of Excellence. This will allow Bentley service technicians to work with a small team of analysist from Isuzu. This allows them to become more familiar with our technicians, as well as our local issues. Some issues include becoming accustomed to our road conditions, and climate conditions, as the weather in Delaware Valley differentiates from the weather in Southern California. We are looking forward to working with the Isuzu technical assistance team.
I was most impressed by the service and dedication Investment Isuzu Commercial trucks of America has made, not only to dealers like Bentley Truck Services, but ultimately to our loyal clients. As a result of their diligence, one will notice better trained technicians, quicker parts order, and lower cost of ownership. Well done Isuzu Commercial Trucks of America!
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