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'State-of-the-art equipment is no good to anyone if it doesn't arrive on time'

9th March 1995, Page 45
9th March 1995
Page 45
Page 45, 9th March 1995 — 'State-of-the-art equipment is no good to anyone if it doesn't arrive on time'
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

(A

couple of weeks ago I went to buy a car. I had a good idea of what I wanted so walked into a dealership, found the model I liked and discussed the optional specifications with the salesman. Within an hour I left the dealership. By the end of the day the salesman had telephoned to confirm the car was in stock and that it could be delivered three days later. It was.

Nobody is saying that a truck is as simple to purchase as a car. It is built to perform a specific function, whether that be as a tipper truck, a refrigerated vehicle or a parcel carrier. Thus a greater degree of consultation and involvement is required from various parties, from the operator, the salesman, the engineer, the chassis manufacturer, the bodybuilder, right through to the signwriter. Yet somewhere along the way the specification and build of a truck too often turns into a feat of fraught project management, more akin to the building of a warship than a commercial vehicle.

What's the problem? Technologically our industry is well advanced; the quality of truck and component manufacturing offers us the greatest choice of options. There are more legal and quality controls within our business than ever before. The diversity and choice of components is remarkable, the trucks we put on the road are usually wellbuilt, safe and long-lasting. It is the bit in the middle, the management of the truck from specification to delivery, that too often turns into chaos Why? The main problem, perhaps, is too much concern with the newest state-of-theart equipment; not enough attention is paid to developing the skills within our industry that are required to efficiently specify, build, deliver and maintain vehicles that are right for the task.

Everyone within the commercial vehicle industry needs to remember both their role and the role of the truck throughout specification and build and then ensure the people managing these tasks are up to the job. Operators are under pressure to know what they want from their trucks from the start and to care about cost-efficiency and vehicle performance rather than air horns. We need skilled salespeople who, in consultation with the operator and a fleet engineer, agree reasonable delivery dates and workable specifications that don't change needlessly during vehicle build. Chassis manufacturers—why not adopt that great logistics concept, just in time, and deliver the vehicle to the bodybuilder, just in time? If this is impossible, then let customers know the chassis will be late. Bodybuilders — make life a touch easier and manage the vehicle's build (and that includes communicating with your client). Then, assuming the signwriter's got the brief and the staff to make it happen, the vehicle can be delivered on time. That will make the customer happy which is, surely, the ultimate aim of all of us.

Remember, tools are only as good as the workman! State-of-the-art equipment is no good to anyone if it doesn't arrive on time or, even worse, if nobody knows it's not going to arrive on time. We have an industry that has invested in equipment, but not in its people. We are behind on training due to a recession and the squeezed profit margins in our business. We have all the materials but not the professional expertise to make truck specification and build happen smoothly.

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