HANNER TRUCK GROUP A welcome note from your Dealer Principal Welcome to our first employee newsletter since the incorporation of Central Trucks in Gladstone and Central Isuzu in Rockhampton into what is now termed the “Hanner Truck Group� which obviously also includes the five Hi-Way 1 Truck Centre branches on the Sunshine Coast and in Gympie, Maryborough, Rockhampton and Mackay. We plan to get the newsletter to you every two months with news from all seven dealerships in the Group. As always though, it depends on contributions from our employees so if you believe something is newsworthy, please let us know. It may be something directly related to the business or it may be something that interesting that you or a member of your family has done. There have been other changes since our previous newsletter, most notable of which was the sale of our John Deere business in October last year to Vanderfield Pty Ltd. It was a very difficult decision for Sue and me to sell the John Deere business but with the stated objectives of John Deere Limited in terms of dealer consolidation, we believed it was a timely opportunity to sell the Ag and groundscare part of Hi-Way 1 to allow us to focus 100 per cent on selling trucks and supporting our truck customers. The Isuzu opportunity in central Queensland was entirely coincidental but we believe fitted well with our new total truck focus. One small change since the John Deere sale is the gradual rebranding of the southern three dealerships as Hi-Way 1 Truck Centre. The sale of the John Deere business required many adjustments following the removal of a significant portion of the revenue and profitability of the business and we continue to strive to adjust our cost base to therestructured business. To assist us in this process brings me to one other significant development in the business in recent
ISSUE 1 times. Following the retirement of our previous Financial Controller, Sharon Gympie Pg 2 Conboy, we have recruited Phil McGilvray to the position. Phil has a Sunshine Coast Pg 3 long association with the motor industry in similar roles and has brought a fresh Maryborough Pg 4 set of eyes to the business and together with our other senior managers Rockhampton Pg 5 is reviewing a wide range of operational aspects from our internal processes to Mackay Pg 6 things like inventory management and staffing levels. Parkhurst Pg 7 More recently we have had the challenge of dealing with the aftermath Gladstone Pg 8 of Cyclone Marcia. Apart from the significant damage at Hi-Way 1 Rockhampton, both Rockhampton dealerships were effectively out of business for more than a week without electricity. At about the same time, floods in Gympie caused some disruption as well. While business is largely back to normal, we continue to be challenged by a weak new truck market especially in Queensland. Following a poor market last year that saw heavy truck sales in Queensland down 15 per cent, this year to date is down a further 11 per cent on 2014. Consistent results from our Parts and Service departments have never been more important and we need to be continually trying to achieve a greater share in those areas. Despite the challenges, there is great opportunity both within the Hi-Way 1 business and with Isuzu in Central Queensland. We look forward to working with all of you across the seven dealership sites in the Group to ensure a great 2015 for all of us.
Brisbane Truck Show
Dennis & Sue Jurss
The Hanner Truck Group was well supported at the Truck Show by our Manufacturers with all having a strong presence. Isuzu this year featured their advanced Telematics system reinforcing their Isuzu care ownership strategy. The Penske stand was popular highlighting their race credentials and releasing the innovative run wise drive system on the Dennis Eagle, new D38 Euro 6 MAN prime mover and 2800 body truck whilst Iveco remained a talking point for the show in true European style with an impressive display including the all new Daily range. Hino were well and truly into 50th Anniversary celebration mode complete with an original heritage unit.
Hi-Way 1 Truck Centre Gympie
Hi-Way 1 Truck Centre Sunshine Coast
Hi-Way 1 Truck Centre Maryborough
Hi-Way 1 Truck Centre Mackay
Central Isuzu Rockhampton
50 Owen Creek Rd, Forest Glen 4556 Phone 07 5453 5000 1 Ginger St, Paget 4740 Phone 07 4967 3800
123 Gympie Rd, Tinana 4650 Phone 07 4190 4190
199 Boundary Rd, Parkhurst 4702 Phone 07 4839 8888
Cnr Bruce Hwy & Laurenceson Rd Gympie 4570 Phone 07 5480 5000
Hi-Way 1 Truck Centre Rockhampton 251 Lower Dawson Rd, Rockhampton 4700
Phone 07 4924 1155
Central Trucks Gladstone
3 McCabe St, Gladstone Central 4680 Phone 07 4979 6888
Cnr Bruce Hwy & Laurenceson Rd Gympie QLD 4570 Phone: 07 5480 5000
TRUCK CENTRE
GYMPIE
Fax: 07 5482 2023 A/H Parts: 0439 822 538 A/H Service: 0428 712 627
Year in Review
by Paul Smith
This year has certainly been a mixed bag for the Hi-Way1 sales team with some very solid heavy duty truck sales in the first quarter but a slower than desired start with light and medium duty. It was great to see us retain our Number one regional heavy duty sales award for Hino in 2014 at the recent Dealer of the year awards, a small win but a win all the same. Iveco have released the all new Daily growing on from the improved product offering since 2012, this combined with some quality staff placements at Iveco head office should see us begin to grow our sales volume back to our desired levels.
Rodney at Gympie continues to get on with the job of expanding our service offerings with a constant flow of bodies coming from the old shed over the road, attached is a recent tipper for Gympie Regional Council that is working well for the Council and adds to our local content when trying to win business against our competition.
The 4700 has been a fantastic product since release and grows in popularity with every unit we deliver, a number of Aggi’s have been delivered recently with most customers indicating the trucks are so good they will be looking at additional units. The support from our service and parts departments is going from strength to strength and is greatly appreciated when we’re trying to highlight the benefits of purchasing from Hi-Way1.
In Production...
Complete Production!
On behalf of Kev and I I’d also like to thank Jason in Mackay for his contribution since joining the team, I’m confident that we’ll kick some real goals going forward in Mackay with the support provided by the Mackay team as a whole.
Facility Improvements
We now share the site with Vanderfields with there service and parts operations running in the back shed. This has proved to be quite a learning curve for our customers as they get use to the change. Since the sale we have changed our workshop and display layout to utilize the shared space. The Gympie workshop and parts staff have all worked extremely well together with the new arrangments. We now have some free office space in our showroom that we are making into a waiting lounge for our customers.
We have now employed a casual yard maintenance man (Cliff) who has been keeping our mowing and gardening up to date. We have tried to get a branch focus on cleanliness in and around the building with results easy to see. The parts staff have made some great changes to the back dock and store to promote saftey and ease of use. They have also made changes to the counter area bringing in new displays and promoting aged stock. All Signage on our building has been updated and revamped if not replaced. This has gained positive comments from staff and customers.
New Staff
We recently signed up Patrick Sulivan as a school based trainee. Patrick has a keen mechanical intrest and will be working with us one day a week for the next 6 months. Another new face in our workshop is Damien Ross. He is one of our Senior techs and has fitted in well with other staff. Jonathan Cross has started back at the Gympie branch as the Parts Manager. After previously working for us as he has settled into his new role without a hitch.
Staff Milestones
Billy in the workshop turned 21. Paul Braine has been here 10 years in March. Barbara has been here for 8 years from December.
Recent Delivery
Paul Braine
This Iveco Eurocargo ML120 was sold by John Black and delivered to Steve Roberts from Gympie Removals. It has been performing exceptionally well in use and highlights the comfort of the European ride and handling. Steve has purchased the removal business recently and will be considering an additional ML120 when time comes to expand their fleet.
50 Owen Creek Road Forest Glen QLD 4556 Phone: 07 5453 5000
TRUCK CENTRE
Fax: 07 5482 2023 A/H Parts: 0439 822 538 A/H Service: 0428 712 627
SUNSHINE COAST
Sharon’s Farewell & Welcome Phillip McGilvray In early February we said farewell to Sharon Conboy our Financial Controller-Admin Manager; Sharon has decided to semi retire and spend some time with the family and grandchildren who she loves to spend time with, Sharon will be missed but we do wish her all the very best in the future, I’m sure we will see her back from time to time so we will all see Sharon again from time to time in the future. As Sharon departed we also said welcome to Phillip McGilvray who took over from Sharon’s role. Phill has been settling into the role locally and visiting the branches recently getting a feel for the truck business and the now seven Hanner truck group branches between Sunshine Coast and Mackay. We welcome Phil and wish him all the best in his new role with us.
Western Star Parts & Service Conference
Recently in early March Service and Parts Management staff attended the Penske Commercial vehicle group annual parts and service conference on the Gold Coast. The conference was timely and informative for all attendees with many current changes on the horizon for PCVG and Penske Power systems (previously DDAAMTU) and some of its supplying and partnered vendors.
Staff Profile
The conference also provided a great opportunity for branch service and parts Management staff to open up the lines of communication with one another and to meet some of our newer location managers that in the same role that until now some had only spoken by phone and email with exchanging ideas and some of the common challenges within parts & service.
Mark Dobson - Hanner Truck Group General Manager; Fixed Operations Hobbies: Surfing in my time away from work and spending time with my Family. Why I like Hi-Way1: Working with staff and Customers to develop knowledge and also long term staff and business relationships.
Mark Dobson
I enjoy working with branch and department teams towards achieving their results and seeing them excited about their achievements and in the end seeing happy return customers, this makes it all worthwhile.
Mark Surfing on annual leave October 2014 Uluwatu, Bali Indonesia
Recent Delivery New Western Star delivery for John Healy to Bill Kelly from Kelly’s Transport. Kelly’s Transport have just purchased their 3rd unit for their fleet and the second Western Star.
123 Gympie Road Tinana QLD 4650 Phone: 07 4190 4190
TRUCK CENTRE
MARYBOROUGH
Fax: 07 4121 2977 A/H Parts: 0429 919 419 A/H Service: 0427 139 977
Carsburg Grains Carsburg core business is grain transport based out of their depot at Kingaroy, service support and reliability are critical due to the remote locations and distance covered by each unit throughout their working week. After many calls and follow up visits Ben managed to provide a convincing argument for Carsburgs to try a new FXT Western Star. We’ve since sold them numerous units based off the quality of the initial delivery and after sales support. These are high profile units that have given Hi-Way1 and Western Star a tremendous exposure across the Queensland and NSW region, it’s a huge credit to the team to have developed such a close working relationship with their organisation.
Branch Update
by Ben Mackay
It was sad to see one of our long term staff Eugene McDowall leave recently to explore a new adventure but with every change there is a new opportunity and we have gladly welcomed Wayne Williams who has slipped seamlessly into the role that Ue left open. Wayne’s had a running start with solid Hino sales, we look forward to many years of his involvement in the team. With the lease due for renewal soon Dennis and I have been in discussions with our landlord to expand our current footprint on site and take advantage of our growing customer base in the area. The team have been working tirelessly to continue to sustain our traditional growth in what we know is a challenging market, in particular I’d like to thank Ryan and his parts team for their efforts and Matt and James for their continued focus on improving our service support and profitability. Cheers to the team for a great initiative with the Christmas camp out at Kinkunna Beach however the team bonding may have gone a bit far between James and Zeke after finding a deserted trampoline in the bushes!
James and Zeke
Staff Profile
Ben Mackay - Branch Manager/ Heavy Duty Sales Consultant Hobbies: Would you believe sewing? But of course with shade cloth and heavy canvas! Favourite things on a weekend: Fishing, crabbing, quiet times with a beer camping on the beach and spending time with the family. Why I like Hi-Way1: Its great to have such a strong and stable team to work with in Maryborough, the constant challenge with moving from service to sales then branch responsibilities has been a tremendous experience and potentially one not always offered by large companies.
Ben Mackay
Recent Delivery
Sold by Ben Mackay out of Maryborough to Cornwall Logging
251 Lower Dawson Road Rockahmpton QLD 4700 Phone: 07 4924 1155
TRUCK CENTRE
ROCKHAMPTON
Fax: 07 4121 2977 A/H Parts: 0429 919 419 A/H Service: 0427 139 977
Rockhampton Regional Council Three Iveco Acco side loaders with Bucher Municipal bodies (Ex MJE) delivered to Rockhampton Regional Council by John Smeeton and John Gifford. It’s a credit to the Rockhampton team as a whole to lock down these sales and deliveries for Rockhampton Council. The previous batch of 8 units provided us with some technical challenges regarding Cummins and Ad Blue issues, after a challenging start the team pulled together a huge effort to resolve the concerns and support the waste division of the Council. These are the new generation Accos and apart from a few minor teething issues have now nearly completed their first 200 hours of evaluation. Great to see Acco back on a role, as a side note the Group has also recently delivered a unit to Blackall Tambo Council and is currently building units for delivery to Longreach Council and Gympie Regional Council.
Branch Update
by Bobby Brennan
Rockhampton has had a few changes over the first few months to the New Year and has seen some mixed results. We started the year strong in the parts and service departments with some good results in January. We got hit with Cyclone Marcia in February, which unfortunately stopped work for a week and caused quite a bit of damage to the building and some stock trucks. New roller doors went in and repairs to the fence and trucks and we were back on track for March and April which saw some good results coming through again. During the second week of May, Rockhampton had the local “Beef Week” which brought a lot of interest to the town. During the week, Hi-way 1 had a stand out on site which generated a lot of interest from a new truck sales point of view with some good genuine leads that hopefully with transfer to an increase in sales over the next few months. There have been a couple of staff changes and role changes over the last month with the departure of Trevor Jones from the warehouse, this role has been covered internally from the current parts staff. Ryan Kitzelmann moved from the parts department to the Service department in a dual role that sees him carrying out all parts ordering for the w/shop whilst taking on a portion of the service advisors role also. This has seen a big improvement with the way we order parts and handle customer updates with pricing etc. I, myself took on an extension to my Service manager role and am now assisting all departments and working with upper management in the Branch manager position. Since taking on this position, it has been a great learning curve with opening my eyes to other aspects of the business while the challenge has been to maintain my focus on the service department to ensure we do not lose sight of what we need to achieve there.
Staff Profile
Bobby Brennan - Branch Manager Hobbies: Bobby is a big Superman fan and loves moonlit dinners and photography equipment. My thoughts on working at Hi-Way 1: The part that I enjoy most about working at Hi-way 1 is that it is a privately owned business with the owners having a great involvement in the way things are run. I enjoy knowing who I work for and knowing the outcome I am aiming to achieve has been communicated from Bobby Brennan the people that matter the most. I enjoy the truck industry and being a multi franchise dealer, while can be challenging and confusing at times, offers a role where there is always something happening and allows you a better insight into the correct way of doing something as you can see the positives and negatives from different manufacturers.
Beef Week 2015
Beef Week was well supported by the cattle industry and was busy throughout the full 5 days. The popularity of the field day concept has declined over the last few years with Beef Week remaining one of the few great value events for the Dealership to attend. Great to see a bit of positive energy around within the cattle industry after some much needed localised rain.
Beef Week 2015
1 Ginger Street Paget QLD 4740 Phone: 07 4967 3800
TRUCK CENTRE
MACKAY
Fax: 07 4121 2977 A/H Parts: 0429 919 419 A/H Service: 0427 139 977
Branch Update The refreshed team at Mackay is going from strength to strength and looking forward to continuing our growth based on excellent customer service and a focus on great quality product.
Foxleigh Mine Foxleigh Mine of the Anglo American Group - Currently in shop to have major work done Foxleigh Mines is one of our major fleet customers, the highlighted unit is one of two current "Superman" service units utilised at the mine for field maintenance. Superman 3 TGS MAN 8x4 is nearing commission, to give you an idea of the level of investment: The combined truck and specialist service body will be over 1 million dollars by the time of completion!
Staff Milestones Beth Bennett - Parts Interpreter Started: 27.01.15
Jason Little - Service/ Parts Manager Started: 02.03.15
Staff Profile
Jason Little - Service/ Parts manager Hobbies: Cricket Why I like Hi-Way1: The team of employees is well motivated and an easy going branch to work with.
Jason Little
Customer Profile: Harts Transport Jeff and the team at Harts Transport have been long term customers of Hi-Way1 and purchased numerous vehicles over our time in Mackay. As you can see Harts work hard and play hard building their own semi trailer for Jeffs boat! Harts run a fleet of Western Stars, Hino 1126 curtain siders and a Stralis tilt tray. Variety is the spice of life with the company providing local general freight services right up to heavy haulage. Recent deliveries include a Detroit FXB and 4700 tilt tray, both performing exceptionally in the local conditions.
3 McCabe Street Gladstone Central QLD 4680 Phone: 07 4979 6888
GLADSTONE
Fax: 07 4121 2977 A/H Parts: 0429 919 419 A/H Service: 0427 139 977
Facility Improvements
Being the Only Franchise Truck Dealer in Gladstone we have really put the effort into being a point of difference to set us aside from other business in Gladstone. From the 1st day when we walked through the gates on the 1st of November 2014 we have had this goal in mind. We had a totally bare building to make something of it. With Dennis’s nod of approval we started to create our work place that we can be proud of. From painting the 600sqm six bay workshop floor to the Isuzu Grey Building to the matching mailbox. Building work benches to Tradesmen’s tool trolleys. Putting the Colour bond fencing to hold our stock securely and erecting our new shelving and display areas in the showroom. It’s been all about 1st impressions and a professional approach to everything we do. Do it once, do it right. Our small but dedicated team consists of Myself, Kim Robinson (Service Coordinator/Reception) Amanda Mark (Junior Parts Interpreter) and our Qualified Technicians, Craig Allen and Jason Dyckhoff.
General Staff News
Gladstone Technician - Jason Dyckhoff and his wife Mel welcome their 1st baby into the family during February a little Girl, Emma Kate. Congratulations from all the Hanner Group Employees. Gladstone Parts Apprentice – Our newest member to join the central trucks team in February 2015 is Amanda Mark. Amanda’s past experience includes Super Cheap Auto and a customer service role with a local mechanical repair shop. Amanda has really settled into her new role and we look forward to her future progression with the company.
Customer Profile - Keith’s Tilt Tray Services
Keith’s Tilt Trays & Transport Services is a locally owned business that has been operating in Gladstone since 1988.They around 20 trucks and a quality assortment of trailer combinations suitable for most loads (Side tippers, Super tilts). KTTS run a fleet of mostly MAN’s for his operation. The MAN’s have proved to be a great fit for his business and made his business very noticeable in the local area out on the roads. Keith has shown us tremendous support since opening in November with Service and Parts supply. It’s great to have KTTS as one of our valued customers, not only from a business prospective but they have a great bunch of employees with the right attitude which makes our business dealings such a breeze. 2014-15 have been a couple of quiet years for KTTS, but it will only be a matter of time before they are turning the wheels again as Keith always has something in the pipeline. Salesman Kevin Shephard.
Staff Profile
Ray Honeybone - Branch/Parts Manager Gladstone Hobbies: Follow both Rugby League and Rugby Union, Race 1/8 Scale Nitro and Electric off Road Cars for a hobby. Why I Like working for the Hanner Group of Companies: I was employed out of New Zealand in October 2008 by Mark Dobson for a parts interpreter role which then lead to being the company parts sales rep before my wife was transferred to Gladstone in 2010 for teaching. At that stage I left with a bit of sadness, but new that one day I would be back. I kept in contact with Mark over the next 3-4 years which during that time some opportunities did arise but for one reason or another it didn’t suit both parties. That was until August 2014 when contact was made again with an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. To oversee the New Branch in Gladstone. It’s an offer that I didn’t take that long to accept. The Hanner Group is one of the very few Family Run business of this size around. To me it’s always been about family and coming back to the group felt like that as well. With Mark Dobson’s involvement and professionalism I felt that I could gain more experience and pass on some of mine as well within the branch. Even going to the Penske Conference on the Gold Coast in February reminded me again of the team sprit the company has. I feel that moving forward over the next few years we will be in a strong position in Gladstone and have a large market share in truck sales and also service and parts requirements. It takes commitment and effort, but with the right attitude and personal goals, anything is possible.
Ray Honeybone
199 Boundary Road Parkhurst QLD 4702 Phone: 07 4839 8888
ROCKHAMPTON
Fax: 07 4121 2977 A/H Parts: 0429 919 419 A/H Service: 0427 139 977
Central Isuzu Grand Opening Central Isuzu was officially opened by Phil Taylor from Isuzu on the 6th March. A great night was had by all. We welcome Robert Perfect on board as our new Service Manager
Recent Delivery David Larson from Larson A/C Hire. David took delivery of his custom built NPR 200 to service his customers in the central Qld Area. Larsen Hire can provide emergency or temporary air conditioning hire - ranging from full capacity, to supplementing existing systems in the office, restaurant, factory, industry or for any event.
Staff Profile Simon Harris - Branch/Sales Manager Enjoys camping with family and friends. Simon has worked with Isuzu trucks for the last 18 years.
Staff Milestones March Birthdays Bernadette Annison 6th April Birthdays Jen Green 24th
Simon Harris