World final of the UD Trucks Gemba Challenge 2018, the company’s Service Market competition, will take place on November 6, 2018 in Japan. Out of the record of 347 teams who began the competition, twelve winners will compete for top honors during the final round.
First held in 2014, this year marks the third UD Gemba Challenge for frontline colleagues worldwide, including Asia, Middle East and Africa. The aim of UD Gemba Challenge is to develop skills, team spirit and pride among UD after service frontline colleagues, the gemba heroes. It is an important activity for nurturing the unique UD Gemba Spirit to live up to UD Trucks’ brand promise “Going the Extra Mile”.
The 2018 competition began in June with two online theoretical rounds. The World final – which will be held live at the UD Experience Center at the company’s headquarters in Ageo – will cover several subjects at physical stations. Five teams from Japan will compete, making Japan the market with the most teams entering the final stage.
With the lack of mechanics in the trucking industry and the lack of drivers in logistics, the labor shortage is now a common industry-wide challenge. The Gemba Challenge not only tests the individual capability of mechanics, parts and customer service representatives, but also promotes team spirit by encouraging teams to solve problems together. Improving mechanics skills and strengthening frontline collaboration is the key to uptime, which also leads to customer service improvement, then to smarter logistics.