MAN opens N7 satellite workshop
MAN opens N7 satellite workshop
MAN Automotive South Africa has opened a new satellite workshop in the town of Trawal on the N7 route. FERDI DE VOS paid it a visit.
The small settlement of Trawal is situated on the banks of the Olifants River, 15km south of Klawer and 267km north of Cape Town, along the N7 national road from Cape Town to Windhoek. The town’s name derives from an old-fashioned Afrikaans word borrowed from Portuguese, meaning “a big trouble”. This name dates from the time when an expedition sent to the area by Jan van Riebeeck encountered huge difficulties crossing the Olifants River. Later, an exploration party sent by Simon van der Stel faced the same problems.
Ideally positioned about halfway between Cape Town and the South Africa-Namibia border, Trawal is known for its busy truck stop, and is now also home to a newly commissioned satellite office for MAN Automotive South Africa – to provide even faster assistance to MAN clients who may encounter “a big trouble” on this important route.
The Trawal satellite station justified its existence even before its recent official opening, when a fleet customer – seeing the MAN flags and banners next to the N7 – immediately inquired about the new facility and responded enthusiastically when informed about the field services it will render…
The facility is managed and run by the able team of MAN Cape Town, current Dealer of the Year. In the words of branch manager Morné Victor, the aim of the satellite station is “to cut down on the response time in rendering services to MAN customers and fleet operators”.
“With the growing number of MAN operators on the N7 route, we identified the need for a more centrally located centre in order to be faster and more efficient in delivering service to our customers,” says Victor. “Trawal is a perfect location, and we were able to secure a great premises to establish a field workshop here.”
Attending the official opening – which was very well supported by local transport operators and fleet owners – Jan Aichinger, managing director of MAN Automotive South Africa, was enthusiastic about the new satellite workshop. “This is another milestone in our quest to deliver service excellence – a core value for MAN, and a vital aspect of our continued growth – to our customers,” he said.
“By opening this satellite office, we can literally halve our response time on the N7 route, thereby drastically reducing downtime for our customers and fleet operators,” Aichinger continued. “This is in line with our stated objective to partner with transport operators by providing them with the best possible technical support and after-sales service.”
Also in attendance were Noko Seopa, head of customer service management (CSM) for MAN, and Pieter Stander, head of own retail. In his address, Seopa thanked the attendees for their continued support for the brand, adding that MAN is particularly proud of its performance in a very challenging market.
“However, we are not resting on our laurels, and are continuously searching for ways to improve our service in order to be ranked number one in customer experience interactions (CXi). This satellite station – the first of its kind for MAN in the country – attests to this,” Seopa said.
Asked whether MAN has plans to open similar satellite sites on other routes, Aichinger said this is a possibility – but only if it makes business sense. “Obviously, we have done much research in terms of route volume, location, convenience, and other factors before taking this step,” he explained.
“The N7 is one of the longest routes without a centrally situated major centre, so it makes sense to have such a facility here. But we will closely monitor its performance in terms of its contribution towards customer satisfaction and growing our client base. If it works, we may consider similar types of service facilities on other routes,” he expanded.
The workshop, equipped to carry out first-line repairs and with enough space to work on the biggest truck and bus models, will be manned on a rotational basis by a team of technicians from MAN Cape Town. Any service or repairs that cannot be done at Trawal will be referred to the main workshop in the Mother City.
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