On March 10th, the “Service Awards 2022” organized by Yanmar Global CS was held in Kobe, Japan. It was the first face-to-face ceremony in four years, bringing together outstanding service staff from all over the world. About 200 people, including executives from Yanmar Holdings, presidents of operating companies and customer service managers, gathered at the venue to offer encouragement and gratitude to the award winners.
What is Yanmar Service Award?
The Service Award is an award system for Yanmar Group companies, distributors, and dealers active in field service around the world. The goal is to thank and praise the service staff who support after-sales on a daily basis, which will lead to increased motivation, and at the same time, to have employees reaffirm the importance of service to the growth of the Yanmar Group. It has been held annually since 2018. This year, 66 winners were presented with trophies by YGCS President Mr. Hirami. Also case studies that embodied challenges in service were presented. After the award ceremony, a get-together was held to deepen friendships among the participants.
A tour of Yanmar Synergy Square was held the day after the award ceremony, and participants learned more about the latest service concepts and history of YGCS. In addition, this year service award winners were asked to set up their own commemorative plates in the hall of fame where all service award winners’ plates are displayed.
Winners from Yanmar Europe
Each participating company has its own selection criteria for service awards, as each company has different business and regional characteristics. At Yanmar Europe we have selected 3 winners each from a business unit in Europe being Marine Commercial, Industrial and Agriculture. On their trip they were accompanied by Mr. Rinze van Kammen, Manager at YEU. We have asked him few questions.
Who are the winners selected by Yanmar Europe this year?
We have three winning companies. Maritim Motor (Service Agent Commercial Marine), Chaplain (Dealer Industrial Powertrain) and MW Machines (Distributor Agricultural Equipment).
How was the trip to Japan?
The ceremony was again well organized with well-known, great Yanmar hospitality including celebration dinner afterwards. The awardees were certainly put under the spotlight with great appreciation. Besides the award ceremony itself, we took this opportunity to offer our customers also a Yanmar and Japanese cultural experience. The programme consisted of factory tours, typical Japanese food and sightseeing in Osaka and Kyoto. All in all we have spent a good couple of days together.
MW Machines, Agriculture Distributor in the Netherlands
Erik Duteweert, owner of MW Machines, received the Yanmar Service Award from Yanmar president Mr. Hirami. “A great honour”, Mr. Duteweert recalls. “We were very surprised by the nomination and are proud to have received this award in Japan.”
MW Machines received the award for its outstanding achievements in the areas of technical knowledge, service, parts sales and problem solving. “Of course, we don’t owe this prize only to ourselves,” emphasizes Duteweert. “Without our strong MW Machines dealer network and the support of Yanmar Europe, we would not have been able to do this.”
Maritim Motor, Commercial Marine Dealer in Norway
Ronny Vik, owner of Maritim Motor comments holding the award: “ The members of our small team in Norway, our technicians and their dedication to excellence goes hand in hand with fostering partnership with ship owners, local designers and shipyards. It works to achieve the best possible results. Thank you for this great recognition!”
Chaplain, Mr. Eric Danion, Director Strategic Development
“Chaplain, on behalf of its president Eric Hunaut and all our teams, are proud to have been able to promote our partnership and the common DNA of our values. It was a great opportunity and honour to be elected and to have been able to promote our teams and our know-how. Yanmar and RAMS France have trusted us. We are grateful to them and are already ready to respond to their desire to grow in our territory in the years to come.”
