"Qualified and motivated service technicians are among the most important success factors for our workshops and customers. That's why we invest so heavily in continuous training and competence development. VISTA is the tip of the iceberg where all our service technicians every second year have the opportunity to test and prove their knowledge against their colleagues from around the world. The competition puts the spotlight on day-to-day work-related skills and crucial technical spearhead competence, it promotes cooperation and builds pride," says Claes Nilsson, President Volvo Trucks.
The very first VISTA competition was held back in 1957. Since then the truck mechanic profession has turned into an automotive technician, the computer has become an essential tool in the workshop, and the profession has undergone a fundamental change from the ground up. Modern trucks are technically highly advanced machines that require a more comprehensive and wider type of expertise than before. Today technicians must be able to handle both mechanical and computer-related work. At the same time, razor-sharp competition in the transport industry has meant continuously growing customer demands for constant vehicle uptime.
"In principle, a truck always has to be ready to roll, which in practice means that the technicians have to carry out highly advanced and well-planned maintenance, they have to trouble-shoot, identify, analyse and rectify problems in the shortest possible time. Today there is no acceptance of long waiting times for service and repairs, there's no tolerance for correct parts not being available or for a job not being done right the very first time the vehicle enters the workshop," explains Martin Merrick, SVP Retail Development.
The theme for this year's VISTA - "Performance is Everything" - is a perfect description of what it's all about: in order for customers to be able to perform at their peak, our technicians must do so too.
"That's exactly how it is - our goal is to have the world's best service technicians servicing our customers' vehicles. Through VISTA we aim to draw attention to and reward the vital work that our dealers and workshops do every single day, and at the same time attract new talent to an interesting and varied profession that has a great future," says Anna Rogbrant, VISTA Project Manager.
Facts about VISTA
- Stands for Volvo International Service Training Awards.
- Skills competition open to service market personnel from Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses globally.
- Held every second year since 1957.
- 19,700 people from all over the world participated in this year's competition.
- 240 teams with four participants in each team qualified for the semi-finals in Gothenburg.
- 40 teams took part in the finals in Curitiba.
- The winner of this year's competition was team VIIES RATAS from Estonia.
Members of the winning team:
Meelis Šmeiman (supervisor)
Madis Reinpõld (key technician)
Maksim Golenkov (technician)
Lauri Raamat (key technician)
Maksim Toots (Technical trainer)
Direct link to images in high resolution
Link to VISTA web site
