July 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
improve the usage experience for the
operators of our trucks. We think of
alternative, or sustainable fuels, rather
than just limiting ourselves to electri-
fication. We have developed hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles and while not available
locally yet, we are currently testing
Hino 300 Hybrid 4-ton haulers in
South Africa.
BFA: Safety is a critical concern in the
trucking industry. What measures will
Hino South Africa take to enhance the
safety features and capabilities of its
vehicles, and how will you work with
customers to promote a culture of
safety?
Falck: Our trucks are fitted with a
variety of features that make them
easier to drive and safer including AMT
gear selection, pre-collision systems,
adaptive cruise control, lane departure
warnings and driver alert monitoring.
The Hino Connect system features
telematics and similarly to Toyota, we
have a tracking device built in with a 24-
hour recovery team. This can be used
to monitor and track vehicles. So, Hino
comes standard with vehicle recovery.
Hino South Africa has two full-time
driver-trainers which support fleet
owners with complimentary training.
The topics covered in driver training
include vehicle orientation, economy
driving, road and vehicle safety.
BFA: Can you share any insights into
the company’s future product develop-
ment plans, including any new models
or innovations we can expect to see in
the market?
Falck: Right now, there is the Hino 700,
a vehicle which we specced for reliability
and safety and priced to be competitive.
Should the 300 hybrid prove successful
we plan to launch that as soon as
possible.
BFA: Fleet management and efficiency
are key concerns for many businesses.
How does Hino South Africa plan to
support fleet operators in optimising
their operations, reducing costs, and
maximising vehicle uptime?
Falck: Hino South Africa is committed to
the overall Hino Total Support Program
introduced by Hino Motors Limited. The
two main cogs in the aftersales business
are: 100% up time and reduced cost of
operation.
Together with an external partner,
we strive towards lower cost replace-
ment parts, by constantly monitoring
the competitiveness of parts prices.
This also allows us to focus on the
service costs (CPK), so that our custom-
ers can maintain their vehicles’ costs
effectively.
Further to this we have also created a
platform within our systems to support
standardised services for our vehicles.
When a customer buys into the service
or maintenance plan, there are a
number of benefits for the customer’s
operation and finances.
The service and maintenance plans
administration process is refined to give
the customer same day service and
release of the vehicle. The customer en-
joys the financial benefit of service cost
price protection where the customer
is shielded from parts and labour price
increases for the term of the contract.
We have very comprehensive and
cost-effective warranty offerings for
all our Hino vehicles. The extended
warranty programs help the customer
subsidise the cost of mechanical repairs
when the vehicle is out of the standard
warranty.
We spoke about Hino Connect in
terms of vehicle safety, but it also has a
built-in telematics device, tracking fuel
use and wastage reports, customised
reports for easy analysis on profitability
of each vehicle, driver scorecards and
behaviour, access to data points to
monitor for preventative maintenance,
CANBUS integration for real-time moni-
toring, alerts setting to receive real time
alerts, data to introduce better routes
and improve fuel usage.
Hino Connect also has an option for
forwarding active vehicle fault codes to
the customer fleet management system
or dashboard, minimising possible
major failures and reducing costs while
maximising uptime.
Our head office and dealer staff
are well trained in ensuring that they
understand the trucking industry and
customer business, through comple-
tion of Supply Chain Management
qualifications.
They assist and guide the customer
in selecting the correct vehicle, for the
correct application and maintenance
intervals, reducing potential break-
downs and ensuring maximum vehicle
up time.
BFA: What initiatives do you have in
the pipeline to further strengthen
the after-sales support and customer
service experience for Hino vehicle
owners?
Falck: We have a total of 65 dealers coun-
trywide which includes 21 independent
and 44 dual franchises with Toyota. Our
chief focus is on ensuring these existing
dealers are well equipped to support Hino
owners while remaining profitable. BFA