Hino_Torque_Spring_2009

ISSUE No.9 SPRING 2009

Hino THE GLOBAL BRAND Source of all Knowledge 500 Series Testing

All Change at the Top Hino’s new management team

ANOTHER REASON WHY GENUINE HINO PARTS & SERVICE ARE

BETTER

VALUE

IN THE LONG RUN. Your Hino truck is a key part of your business. Our

With this edition of Hino Torque, Hino Australia welcomes its new chairman and chief executive, Kenichi Sekine.

'Ken' Sekine, a 32-year veteran of Hino's global network, succeeds Junsuke Ando who returns to a senior position in Japan after five and a half years in Australia.

After serving in markets like the Middle East and North America, Ken Sekine's latest job was as general manager of Hino's global supply management division.

His understanding of specifying vehicles for local conditions, and his ability to foster our requirements through the Hino design, engineering and manufacturing process, will be invaluable.

Ken's appointment was announced by the world president of Hino Motors Ltd, Yoshio Shirai, who also named me president of Hino Australia.

It’s the first time a non-Japanese has been made president of any Hino operation and I'm humbled by the appointment.

John Conomos AO – who has been Hino's chairman for the past three years – has retired from the position.

John has become a special envoy to the Australian government on the local manufactured motor vehicle plan – joining former Victorian premier Steve Bracks in promoting Australian products to world markets.

The last half decade under Ando-san has seen Hino become even more strongly competitive across all commercial vehicle markets.

Considerable investment in and by dealers in customerfacing facilities has been instrumental in Hino becoming a strong number two in the light duty market.

The future holds even more promise.

The senior management changes at Hino occur at a time when the commercial vehicle market, and hopefully the businesses of our customers, is looking up.

Hino ended the 2008/2009 financial year with record final month sales – surely a testament to increasing consumer confidence.

The Federal Government's additional 50 per cent tax break for eligible assets of small businesses continues until the end of 2009, while the extra 10 per cent tax break for eligible assets of other businesses also remains in place until the end of the year.

The popularity of these incentives is having such a noticeable impact on the market that we at Hino are gearing up for a robust final quarter.

Hino is placing increasing emphasis on its heavy duty range, and it’s in this area that much of our immediate development will occur.

Hybrid has become a Hino speciality – and it will increasingly become an area of focus, especially for city and urban duty.

Steve Lotter President Hino Motor Sales Australia

business is to help you make as much money with it as possible. So in order to help you do so, we offer an industry leading warranty. Buy any Genuine Hino Part or Accessory fitted by an authorised Hino dealer and we’ll give you a three year warranty with unlimited kilometres during this period. And since it applies both to the parts and labour it makes brilliant business

hino.com.au

sense no matter what model Hino you drive.

A TOYOTA GROUP COMPANY

The 3 year / unlimited kilometre warranty applies to defects in workmanship and materials only, and does not cover fair wear or tear of the part / accessory. The 1 year / 100,000 kilometre warranty applies to defects in materials only, and does not cover defects in workmanship or fair wear or tear of the part / accessory. If the genuine Hino part or accessory is modified in any way, any Hino warranty that may have been applicable to that genuine Hino part or accessory, including but not limited to the 3 year / unlimited kilometre warranty and the 1 year / 100,000 kilometre warranty is voided.

HMS07232

Torque Torque | 3 | 3

HINO RECOGNISES CFA HEROISM Hino Australia has recognised the efforts of Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA) during the devastating bushfires that hit the state in February, donating a 300 Series 616 Automatic to assist with State Logistics.

CFA director of asset management, Mark Connell, accepted the keys in a ceremony at the state fire authority’s Burwood East headquarters.

“Hino trucks proved themselves last summer,” Mr Connell said. “They were a real workhorse and ably assisted our crews in fighting the fires.

“The new 300 Series will be used to support incident response activities.

It will form part of our staging area setup for major incidents and enable us to

get vital supplies very quickly to the incident site so our strike teams in the field can continue to operate.

“We've found Hino to provide extremely robust, reliable vehicles.

They have been very well accepted by our fire-fighters and we look forward to furthering our association in the future.”

National sales manager, Enzo Magistro donated the truck on behalf of Hino Australia and was glad the company could assist the CFA as it prepares for the new bushfire season.

“Like everyone in Australia, we at Hino were touched by the dramatic images of the Victorian bushfires,” Mr Magistro said.

“We thought the best way to support would be to donate a truck which will be put to good use.”

The donated 300 Series 616 features a steel tray with cover,

a 6 speed fully automatic transmission, easy start – take-off assist, dual SRS airbags, four wheel disc brakes, and ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.

NEW TECH IMPRESSES FIRE SERVICES Hino Australia showcased its fire protection credentials to the country’s leading experts at the recent International Wildfire Management Conference held at Darling Harbour in Sydney.

The conference was attended by fire industry delegates from Australia and

overseas and was the first opportunity for Hino to display its trucks at a major fire industry event for a number of years.

Hino’s national government sales manager, Tom Ayrton, said the Wildfire Conference allowed the company to profile a number Hino models ideally suited to the fire services industry.

“We also displayed our trucks to show our support for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) who were hosting the conference,” Mr Ayrton said.

“Two of the 500 Series GT Crew cabs displayed are about to go into service with the RFS, one of which was a new Category 11. This truck is a village-type

Hino Australia national sales manager, Enzo Magistro presents CFA director asset management, Mark Connell, with the keys to a new Hino 300 Series

WA HINO SHOWS OFF

Perth’s biennial truck and trailer show provides WA Hino with the ideal platform to showcase its product to prospective customers

WA Hino enjoyed a successful Perth Truck and Trailer Show, where they exhibited nine models from the 300, 500 and 700 Series ranges.

This year’s edition of the biennial show at Perth’s Exhibition Centre brought together industry and private buyers in a family friendly environment.

WA Hino sales manager, Bruno Cirillo believes the show delivers the most effective way of showcasing the Hino products to the WA truck industry.

“The show provides a broad platform for customers to compare our product against that of our

competitors,” Mr Cirillo said.

“It is the ideal way for customers to get firsthand experience of WA Hino and it is the most effective way for us to highlight our broad range of products.

“This year’s show also provided special entertainment for children, so they could enjoy the show while their parents checked out our stand, where we also had giveaways and prizes across all three days.”

Mr Cirillo said the high interest by show patrons in the Hino product has already translated into a number of sales.

BUYERS SNAP UP HINOS AT BUSVIC Hino Australia has recorded a significant first at the BusVic Expo – Australia’s foremost bus show – by selling both of the buses on display at its stand before the end of the show.

The company’s national bus sales manager, Kevin Fielding said people were queued just to place orders on both models on display at the Hino stand.

“The RB proved very popular and we sold the example on display on day one,” Mr Fielding said.

“Although Hino only makes up a small portion of the overall bus market with our school bus range, we have grown our market share and buyers know we have a good product that is 4 | Torque

renowned for its reliable chassis.”

Hino has increased its market share in the school bus sector to 33.1 per cent.

The 2009 edition of BusVic attracted an estimated 1200 industryspecific delegates.

“This year’s expo proved very popular due to the Government’s additional tax deduction through the investment allowance and the industry as a whole has been growing due to the increasing use of public transport,” Mr Fielding said.

BusVic has been running for 55 years and this year featured more than 60 buses on display from all major manufacturers.

Hino enjoyed unprecedented success at this year’s BusVic Expo

Hino’s display at the Wildfire Management Conference displayed the company’s latest fire service technology

pumper tanker, which represents a significant change for the RFS from the traditional rural fire tanker to a more multipurpose truck.

“The Wildfire Conference was also a great opportunity for us to display a similar but smaller pumper tanker built for the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) on a 300 Series 816 Crew chassis. An even smaller prototype 300 Series all-wheel drive developed in conjunction with the CFA was also on show and attracted much interest.”

“This truck had been deliberately burnt for 15 minutes to replicate a bush fire burn over. Despite this, the cabin interior of the prototype was untouched and the air clear of toxic fumes highlighting the Hino’s cabin integrity and the CFA’s safety systems.”

The Wildfire Conference allowed Hino to profile its strengths to the niche fire services market, one which Mr Ayrton said the company is keen to grow its presence in.

ATTENTION HEAPED ON HYBRIDS Hino Australia’s 300 Series hybrid and a 500 Series hybrid evaluation vehicle received strong interest at the recent Safety and Productivity Drive Day at Sandown Racecourse run by the Victorian Transport Association (VTA).

Displayed alongside hybrid vehicles from the Toyota Group, including new Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 450h, Hino’s two hybrids provided a unique point of difference for the government and fleet buyers in attendance.

The day proved the ideal way to educate buyers about hybrid technology and how it can increase their efficiency.

Hino’s product planning representative, Daniel Petrovski managed the company’s display and said the day was beneficial for all involved.

“Hino is the industry leader in hybrid trucks, and today we have been able to meet and show the relevant people in the industry that we have something to offer them,” Mr Petrovski said.

“Despite the tough times, customers are implementing Hino`s hybrid technology and this year sales of the Hino 300 hybrid truck are up on

Hino promoted hybrid technology at the VTA’s Safety and Productivity Drive Day

where we thought they would be.

“In the current climate that is a great result as it shows people are adjusting their thinking and that today hybrids are a market-ready solution.”

Mr Petrovski said attendees benefited by seeing how hybrid technology was shared within the Toyota Group by displaying vehicles from its various brands including Hino, Toyota and Lexus.

Hino Australia’s display also received substantial interest from government groups looking to adopt hybrids as a way of improving their green credentials.

CLOCK TICKING ON TAX BREAK Time is running out for customers to take advantage of the Federal Government’s tax break on capital expenditure.

The offer provides a tax break for the purchase of business assets, including trucks.

Business operators have until the end of 2009 to qualify.

Hino Australia chief operating officer Steve Lotter urged potential customers to act.

“Any company needing Hino trucks should be finalising its business decisions before this opportunity disappears. It is highly unlikely the industry is going to see such a generous offer from the Federal Government in a long while,” Mr Lotter said.

“These kinds of savings can have a massive impact on the profitability of businesses in coming years.”

Torque | 5

Tax Break Tips Landscape The Hino stand at the 2009 Melbourne Landscape Expo received strong attention from industry professionals interested in taking up the Federal Government’s additional 50 per cent tax break for small businesses.

Leading Victorian Hino dealerships CMI Hino and Prestige Hino manned the display at the Melbourne Showgrounds that showcased both 300 and 500 Series tippers.

Prestige Hino sales manager, Angelo Valerio, said the three-day expo was an important chance to speak to a specific industry keen to take advantage of the tax break benefits.

“Hino has a popular tipper range and we found the people that came to the show were largely business owners keen to take advantage of the tax concessions,” Mr Valerio said.

“The additional 50 per cent tax break is bringing more genuine buyers as they can now afford to make the purchases they may have been holding off making.”

Mr Valerio said the additional 50 per cent tax break – that runs until the end of 2009 – conveniently overlapped the traditional tipper-buying season that runs through spring and summer.

“We are at the point of the year

“ The tax break is bringing more genuine buyers as they can now afford to make the purchases they may have been holding off making.” where the landscaping industry looks to update its fleet as their business increases,” Mr Valerio said.

“Prior to June 30 we had a great spurt of people buying tippers outside of the usual season because of the 30 per cent tax break.

“However, since it was lifted to 50 per cent the interest has increased

further, although tippers are always a popular truck.”

Hino shared its stand with Toyota Materials Handling Australia, which displayed three examples of Huski skid steers.

Stand staff said sharing floor space proved mutually beneficial as they generated complimentary interest.

(left to right) President of Hino Australia (outgoing), Junsuke Ando, president of Hino Australia (incoming), Steve Lotter, president of Hino Motors Limited, Yoshio Shirai, chairman of Hino Motors Australia (outgoing) John Conomos AO, and chairman and chief executive of Hino Australia (incoming), Kenichi Sekine.

HINO AUSTRALIA

ANNOUNCES NEW CHAIRMAN & CEO

Hino shared its stand with Toyota Materials Handling

Angelo Valerio from Prestige Hino has noticed the positive effect of the tax break

The Federal Government’s additional 50 per cent tax break for small businesses proved a popular lure for industry professionals at the 2009 Melbourne Landscape Expo

6 | Torque

Hino Motor Sales Australia has a new leadership team after Kenichi Sekine was announced as chairman and chief executive officer of the company at a recent Sydney function.

Mr Sekine will be joined at the senior management level by current chief operating officer, Steve Lotter, who has been named president of Hino Australia.

The new appointments were officially announced by the world president of Hino Motors, Yoshiro Shirai.

Mr Sekine joins Hino Australia from senior positions with Hino in Japan.

He was formerly president of Hino Diesel Trucks in Canada and has worked for Hino in the United States and the Middle East.

Mr Lotter’s appointment is significant as it is the first time a local executive has been made president of any of Hino's global affiliate companies.

Mr Lotter has been chief operating officer of Hino Australia for three years, after a long career with Toyota Motor Corporation Australia.

He will retain his current title as well as becoming president.

The new leadership team was announced at a farewell function for

current Hino chairman John H. Conomos AO and outgoing Hino Australia president and CEO, Junsuke Ando.

Mr Conomos has retired, completing his three year contract with Hino Australia.

Mr Ando has returned to a senior position in Japan after five and a half years in Australia.

Mr Shirai attended the farewell function and paid tribute to the contribution of Mr Conomos and Mr Ando to the development of Hino Australia, as it has become Australia's second largest heavy commercial vehicle distributor and recently moved to number two position in light duty sales.

Incoming president Steve Lotter presents outgoing president Junsuke Ando with a gift

New chairman and CEO Kenichi Sekine comes to Hino Australia from Hino Japan

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99 years of Hino Tokyo Gas Company – what would become Hino Motors Ltd – was founded in 1910. This was the first step towards Hino establishing itself as a true global brand over the next century.

1910 – Tokyo Gas Industry Co. established 1918 – First truck produced: TGE-A two-tonne model 1942 – Hino brand first appears 1953 – Hino begins producing Renault passenger cars 1964 – Establishes first overseas production facility in Thailand 1966 – Enters into alliance with Toyota Motor Co. 1974 – Establishes European parts depot in Belgium 1982 – Cumulative production reaches one million vehicles 1984 – US sales company established 1991 – Launches world’s first diesel-electric hybrid bus

HINO

THE GLOBAL

BRAND

Hino sells more than 100,000 trucks and buses every year around the globe, with strong ties to diverse markets around the world

Hino is the largest manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks in Japan – and although it has a strong presence in Asia and Australia – the company constantly works towards establishing itself as a global brand.

Hino is named after the city where the company’s first manufacturing facility was located, and since 1918 – when an early incarnation of the company produced its first truck – Hino has always embraced the markets it services.

Hino’s first taste of the international market came in the early 1950s when it started exporting buses to Taiwan and began assembling passenger cars in Japan for French manufacturer, Renault. These experiences arguably 8 | Torque

began the brand’s push into foreign markets and by 1964 Hino had established it first overseas plant in Thailand.

The Thai plant proved a success and to this day is still Hino’s largest plant outside Japan, producing trucks as well as axle assemblies for Toyota trucks and utility vehicles.

The next two decades proved instrumental in establishing Hino’s global credentials as the company expanded its presence in Asia, as well as moving into critical new markets in Europe and North America.

Throughout the 1970s and ’80s Hino built new production facilities in the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and Pakistan.

Belgium became its initial European parts distribution base, and in 1984 sales began in the United States – a move that would ultimately see Hino build trucks in North America.

By the early 1980s Hino’s cumulative production reached one million vehicles, however, despite it rapidly becoming a global brand, Hino made conscious efforts to integrate into each of these new markets.

Vehicle usage in each domestic market was reviewed and specifications were adapted to meet the needs and circumstances of each country – a practice that continues today.

This was central to the creation of a US production facility in 2004 that

began assembling trucks specifically designed for the North American market.

Hino’s ability to localise for domestic markets was never more apparent than last year when it ranked highest in US customer satisfaction among conventional cab, medium-duty trucks in the J.D Power and Associates 2008 Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study.

If topping the highly-regarded J.D Power study was not enough, Hino’s push into local production saw iconic US motorsport company Team Penske begin using its trucks to transport its IndyCar racing team around the country, including to the famed Indianapolis 500.

Torque | 9

Global recognition of Hino’s quality and customer service has become a hallmark of its affiliates around the world – proving the company’s commitment to the varying domestic markets it services.

Hino Australia was this year awarded Hino worldwide Service Department of the Year and Parts Department of the Year awards, while Hino South Africa was voted number one for overall customer service for its entire domestic market.

Emerging markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East have also played a part in Hino this year passing three million cumulative truck and bus sales.

Qatari Hino distributor, Qatar Navigation, was recently awarded the ‘Global Excellence Award’ based on the company’s level of service and maintenance.

Hino trucks and components are now manufactured in developing markets in China, Mexico, Colombia, Vietnam and Pakistan and – along with new production lines in America – it has also begun selling vehicles to India and Russia.

Through its expansion Hino has been able to implement the benefits of the Toyota Production System, bringing new levels of productivity to established markets, while quickly helping new centres achieve industry-leading quality and environmental best-practice.

Environmental considerations are central to how Hino goes about its business. It has used its expanding global footprint as a platform to bring hybrid technology to its customers and to educate the world about environmentally sustainable transport.

Hino began developing hybrid

Around the World Hino Motors Limited has 17 consolidated subsidiaries and principal affiliates outside of Japan, complimented by more than 50 distribution centres around the world.

Consolidated subsidiaries and principal affiliates can be found in: • Australia • Belgium • Canada • China • Colombia • India • Indonesia • Malaysia • Mexico 10 | Torque

• Pakistan • Philippines • Russia • Taiwan • Thailand • United States • Venezuela • Vietnam

technology in Japan in the early 1970s, and although it centred this development on its domestic market for three decades, it did so as part of the company’s core principles.

By developing innovative technologies that were sustainable it would be able to bring an awareness of change to markets across the globe.

Hino’s ‘customer first’ mentality saw ongoing local development in favour of rapid global integration so that the hybrid technology could be refined and made market-ready.

The result was the 300 Series Hybrid that was launched in 2003. Since then the company has produced more than 8000 hybrid trucks and buses and continues to work on further integrating a green focus into future models.

A significant moment in its push for green technology came when

Hino supplied hybrid buses to the 2008 G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit – a gathering of leaders from eight of the top northern hemisphere economies, which includes Japan.

The 2008 meeting was dubbed the ‘Environment Summit’ and Hino provided its hybrid buses to shuttle delegates between meetings. This opportunity was perhaps the single most important display of Hino’s world-leading hybrid technology as it showcased the company’s ability to produce environmentally sustainable vehicles to some of the world’s most important decision makers.

Although the company now enjoys a broad sales and manufacturing network across the world, it is the fact environmentally sustainable technology is central to its business that makes Hino a true global brand.

CMI-Hino fleet sales manager, Leo Morabito, presents Civitrans managing director, Anthony Condello with the keys to his company's 22nd 700 Series heavy duty truck

CIVITRANS

FORMS 700 APPEAL Civitrans is highlighting the versatility of the Hino 700 Series, and potential new customers are taking note.

Although only established in 2005, Civitrans has become one of Victoria’s leading civil construction transport companies and has done so with the support of its fleet of Hino 700 Series heavy duty trucks.

The company has the largest 700 Series fleet in Australia and recently added its 22nd such vehicle from CMIHino in Laverton North.

Civitrans' fleet consists of FS 2845 700 Series models with Air Tipper, fitted with a variety of three and four-axle dog trailers.

The company's managing director, Anthony Condello, praised the durability and reliability of the 700 Series, which he says take a severe punishment everyday they are on the job.

“I reckon we give the 700 Series

as hard a time as they are ever going to get in any type of industry and we have had no problems with their performance,” Mr Condello said.

“They are a very robust unit, which is extremely important in our industry where we move rock and fill material for various civil projects. The fuel efficiency has been pretty good too.

“Initially we realised the 700 Series wasn't a truck that was really used in our industry, but as soon as we started putting them through their paces we discovered they really stood up to the workload.”

CMI-Hino fleet sales manager, Leo Morabito, said Civitrans' confidence in the product had created a lot of interest from similar companies who might

“ I reckon we give the 700 Series as hard a time as they are ever going to get in any type of industry and we have had no problems with their performance” previously not considered Hino.

“People in the construction industry know their field and understand the work that Civitrans does and that gives them confidence to purchase from Hino's heavy duty range,” Mr Morabito said.

“Potential customers know they will be able to stand up to their needs.

“By purchasing 22 trucks, Civitrans has also given our sales staff a lot of confidence in Hino's heavy duty product

as they know they are being used in a tough environment.”

Mr Morabito also said the Civitrans 700 Series trucks gained a lot of attention from potential customers even when they were sitting in the CMI-Hino yard awaiting delivery.

Civitrans is part of Civigroup – a group of companies that offer a range of services around plant hire and civil construction transport services.

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Hino the cool choice for frozen food delivery Brisbane-based Queensland Frozen Food Services reckons Hino's 500 Series medium-sized trucks are the coolest when it comes to food service distribution, having added six more 500s to its all-Hino freezer delivery fleet.

Following its acquisition of the new Hino GH 1727 trucks, Queensland Frozen Food Services (QFFS) now has

27 Hinos in its line-up, in addition to a number of Toyota HiLux and a mix of 15 Toyota Aurions and Camrys.

QFFS managing director Bob Peberdy says the decision to keep his truck fleet 100 per cent Hino is an easy one.

“Like Toyota, Hino produces a highquality product and from a usability

Adding six Hino GH 1727 trucks, to bring QFFS’ all-Hino fleet to 27, was an easy decision for Bob Peberdy.

and service point-of-view Hino trucks fulfil all of our needs,” says Mr Peberdy.

“So, the acquisition of the new 1727s was a natural progression.

“Our all-Hino Fleet with common refrigerated bodies also adds flexibility to our staffing options for routes and staff rosters, because all our staff can drive all the trucks in our fleet,” he says.

“The drivers are very pleased with the improvements in the latest trucks, which make them safer and easier to use.”

The Hino GH 1727 is powered by a 190kW common-rail fuel injection turbo diesel engine and features cruise control, ABS brakes and Easy Start take-off assist.

Hino GH 1727 is available in a choice of six-speed or nine-speed gearbox models, as well as an automatic transmission variant.

It has a GVM of 16,000kg and a

GCM of 32,000kg on manual models.

Mr Peberdy says the average truck in his fleet covers around 1000km per week, and that the longevity of the oldest Hinos in his fleet reinforced his commitment to the brand.

“We just sold the last of the Hinos we first bought in 1994 and it had over 600,000km on the clock, which is pretty good going in stop-start city driving.”

QFFS is located at Darra, 12km from Brisbane’s CBD. Its purpose-built 7000 square-metre distribution centre stocks over 4000 lines.

The QFFS truck fleet delivers frozen, chilled and ambient temperature food products to customers as far north as Gympie, east to Dalby and south to the Tweed.

QFFS also supplies catering customers via freight carriers to the western minefields and Queensland island resorts.

NEW DAWN FOR PACIFIC HINO Under the direction of new dealer principal Greg Eastment, Pacific Hino, Toyota, and Lexus in Cairns are running smoothly following their recent purchase by Servco Australia Cairns Pty. Ltd. Mr Eastment, also joint-owner of the Pacific Group, says the name Pacific Hino is well established and

respected in the Cairns area, and he believes the business is an exciting long term investment.

“Despite the tough economic conditions here in Cairns, our immediate focus for Pacific is to get on with the business of selling cars and trucks,” Mr Eastment said.

“We have maintained most of the

existing staff – our Hino customers will be pleased to see the familiar faces of Stan Freeman and Mike Grant in the sales department.

“Pacific Hino is here for the long haul, and when the market picks up we plan to be a part of Cairn’s economic recovery.”

Mr Eastment says Servco Australia Cairns Pty. Ltd. will also be actively

looking for opportunities to expand certain services within the Hino, Toyota and Lexus brands, particularly north of Cairns.

Pacific Hino, located on Buchan Street in Cairns, sells the full complement of Hino trucks and offers service and parts facilities for both trucks and buses.

Pacific Hino's new dealer principal, Greg Eastment has settled into the Cairns region for the long term.

‘Dukes of Wagga’ fly Hino flag Country brothers and joint dealer principals of Wagga Trucks Hino, Matthew and Bryce Shaw, have expanded their used truck business to encompass new Hino sales, service and parts The Shaws have sold and repaired trucks for over 15 years, and have always respected the quality of the Hino brand.

They are now at the helm of the region’s lone Hino dealership, which is conveniently located at a central transport hub, as you enter Wagga from Sydney.

The brothers’ used and new truck dealership has re-opened as Wagga Trucks Hino, just down the road from 12 | Torque

their previous location on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga.

After a major refurbishment of the new premises, Wagga Trucks Hino boasts modern facilities and a NSW Heavy Vehicle Road Inspection Station.

The new dealership’s sales, service and parts operations provide full support for Hino customers located in the area, and travelling through.

Matthew Shaw says Wagga Wagga – roughly halfway between Sydney and Melbourne – is one of the largest inland cities of regional Australia and is a transport hub central to many major highway routes.

“We are now the only Hino dealership in the region,” Mr Shaw said.

“Our long standing in the town, industry knowledge and specialist Hino training for our service technicians makes Wagga Trucks Hino an obvious stop for those in the region.

“Bryce and I feel very positive about this new partnership with Hino Australia and know that becoming part of the Hino family will benefit our business.

“Hino is our preferred brand and when the opportunity came knocking to be more involved, we were both keen to pursue it.”

Located on Hammond Ave – a continuation of Sturt Highway on the easterly approach to Wagga Wagga, NSW – the new Hino dealership is instantly visible from the road and an easy service pit stop for those heading in or out of town.

Bram van der Schaar, divisional manager, sales and marketing of Hino Australia, says the Shaw brothers’ valuable all 'round truck experience, combined with the modern facilities and technical expertise, mean Wagga Trucks Hino can comprehensively support the Hino truck and bus operators in the Wagga region.

Torque | 13

A team of Hino Japan engineers recently took the 500 Series medium-duty truck through a week of testing across the Sydney basin and Blue Mountains with a view to optimising the emissions, performance and comfort of its future replacement. The impressions they gained included much more than some spectacular views.

Given the very different nature of driving conditions across the world, Hino places great importance on ensuring its trucks are optimised for their environment.

Acting on the Japanese philosophy of “genchi genbutsu”, which translates as “going to the source”, Hino Motors Limited Japan sent a Benchmarking Survey Team comprising nine engineers to evaluate the 500 in local conditions.

Divisional manager, product strategy and development, Alex Stewart, says that Australia is renowned as a particularly challenging test market. “We have quite difficult and wideranging driving conditions in Australia, so developing a ‘one-size-fits-all’ vehicle to optimally suit local conditions is 14 | Torque

a serious challenge,” Mr Stewart says.

“To do this effectively it is very important for Hino’s engineers to actually be here to see what’s happening.”

The Benchmarking Survey Team’s primary goal was to improve the 500’s performance, fuel economy, comfort and emissions by gathering data on the vehicle’s performance under local conditions.

The Survey Team travelled non-stop for a week on a 320km test route that encompassed every driving condition a medium-duty truck might encounter – including motorways and highways, suburban streets, mountain climbs and descents, and rougher B-class roads.

Torque | 15

Survey Team impressions Atsushi Takeuchi Assistant manager, vehicle evaluation and engineering division.

“Basically, the investigation was successful. Checking an Australian road sweeping and garbage collection application for our diesel particulate reduction (DPR) settings was very useful. We found very tough conditions that had us driving at a very slow speed with lots of stop and go.

“There is no substitution for doing that properly on the ground here in Australia. Touching, feeling and seeing has allowed us to collect a lot of data for feeding back to Japan for our development work. Our goal is that our DPR will then be most appropriate for Australian conditions.”

Masaya Kishi

Assistant manager, vehicle evaluation and engineering division.

So as not to distract the Team from its primary goal, Hino used a rotating group of professional drivers to ferry the engineers along the route. “It also allowed them to enjoy the scenery – one of the days in the Blue Mountains was spectacularly clear and quite a treat for them,” says Mr Stewart.

The Team logged data from the testing that will be used to model Australian conditions for virtual testing and track testing back in Japan.

The Team also took the opportunity to gather information from Hino customers about the vehicle in relation to specific industry use and compare the 500’s key performance criteria against its competitors.

“The Team has been using the concept of getting direct feedback [from the customer],” Mr Stewart says.

“They met with a cross-section of customers from the major user groups 16 | Torque

– including waste applications, general freight, pick-up and delivery, and special applications – and used some of those customers’ trucks to assist with testing procedures.”

As well as getting face-to-face feedback, the Team also conducted extensive nation-wide surveys. Both avenues of research are intended to greatly assist in ultimately providing a vehicle that is highly suited to its environment when the next 500 model is released.

Much of the Survey Team’s testing focused on capturing data that will be used to modify the 500 series of trucks to meet Euro V emission standards that are scheduled for 2011.

The Team was particularly focused on testing the 500’s diesel particulate filter and looked at how it would best match varying types of vehicle operation.

A diesel particulate filter requires heat to work effectively, as particulate matter is captured and burned at a certain temperature to clean the filter.

“A truck doing a lot of highway driving runs hotter than a truck mostly doing stop/start driving. The Survey Team examined the operations of both with a view to finding solutions that will best meet the needs of both kinds of applications,” he says.

The Team also performed performance and fuel consumption testing, the ultimate objective of which was to improve consumption without sacrificing performance. Mr Stewart says this also takes into account the global push for improved emissions.

“Looking forward beyond Euro V, Euro VI will most likely be about fuel burn levels and this will be a longerterm Hino focus.

“Once the limits of cleaning up exhaust gas have been reached, attention will turn to burning less fuel – the less you burn, the less greenhouse gas and pollution you have. Our continuing global push for market-leading fuel economy and our Hybrid plans will be integral to Euro VI objectives.

“Exhaust emissions are so clean today, in comparison to a decade ago, that the law of diminishing return kicks in and it becomes harder to gain further useful efficiencies.

We’re almost reaching the point where exhaust gas can’t get much cleaner. In some cities of the world, for example, exhaust gas coming out of a truck is potentially cleaner than the air going into the truck!”

Driver comfort was also evaluated.

Hino Australia has requested Hino Japan to provide a strong focus on

Hino Japan’s Survey Team conducted exhaustive testing of the 500 series, capturing data on emissions, comfort and fuel consumption that will improve the future model after virtualand track-testing in Japan.

vehicle comfort and handling so that Hino trucks are at the top end of occupational health and safety requirements. “We want vehicles that are easy to operate, provide all the latest features with respect to seatbelts and crash testing, and provide the driver with a very comfortable place to work,” says Mr Stewart. “In that regard, the Survey Team was at the coalface with this exercise.”

Executive co-ordinator Tomoyuki Yamamura assisted the Survey Team during testing and says a huge amount of data was collected over the week.

“The testing and data collection process was very successful, however we still have much investigation to do with the data in Japan before our results can be evaluated and we can reach our conclusion,” Mr Yamamura says.

“We are sure that the data will be very useful for further development work

in meeting Euro V emission standards and also further development of the truck for Australia and other countries in the future.”

Hino Australia’s president, Steve Lotter, says that Hino Australia will continue to work with Hino Japan to tailor trucks to Australian conditions, and that Hino customers would be the ultimate winners.

“We’ve been delighted to have the Hino Survey Team out here working with us to look at the performance of our trucks with a view to improving them,” Mr Lotter says. “When the next generation of trucks arrives, we will see examples of the things the Hino engineers have been doing this week and it will ultimately contribute to our trucks' quality, durability and reliability.

In the long term our customers will be getting the products that best meet their needs.”

“The main difference we found in Australian conditions is that Australian drivers drive very fast, at 100km/h as much as possible. Also, we were surprised at the very hilly conditions and some of the twisty and narrow, winding roads.

“We could really feel the differences in the cabin compared with Japanese conditions testing and we have some ideas for directions on where to go. We can’t say specifics at this stage, but we will certainly be making some changes to the cabin and seat suspension to increase overall ride comfort.”

Yasuhiro Ono

Assistant manager, vehicle evaluation and engineering division.

“We found that our fuel consumption is better than our competitors.

It is difficult to improve both fuel consumption and performance at the same time, but through this exercise of data testing we have collected valuable information to help us achieve that goal. It will give us direction to find a good point for both and we will certainly do our best to increase horsepower and torque without making a sacrifice.”

Torque | 17

n

Hino MuckS i

with landscapers Hino’s 716 Dump is the truck of choice for carting sand, rocks, soil and mulch around Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, so says prominent local landscaping business, Bayside Sand & Soil.

Barty Mercuri, the owner of Bayside Sand & Soil, says his Hino 716 Dump is the ideal choice for his needs, which has convinced him to purchase another Hino Dump model this year as part of the business’ expansion plans.

“The Hino is a great all-rounder for a business of our size, and we do have the need for another dump truck,” says Mr Mercuri.

“It's incredibly reliable, very economical on fuel, comfortable, and

the back-up support from my Hino dealer is nothing short of sensational.”

The Hino 716 Dump factory tipper body has a capacity of 3.0 cubic metres, allowing the landscapers to carry the right amount of soil or sand needed for the job.

It features dual SRS airbags, fourwheel ventilated disc brakes with ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution, corner turning lamps and an energyabsorbing steering wheel.

The Hino 716 Dump is powered by a common-rail turbo diesel engine producing 110kW of power and 397Nm of torque.

“The Hino has plenty of power to get up steep hills, its braking system is

Barty Mercuri says the Hino 716 Dump is the ideal truck for carting around sand, rocks and soil.

“ We have three drivers who operate the truck and it's hard to get them to hand over the keys!” exceptional and overall it is very easy to operate,” he says.

“The Easy Start feature is a real bonus on hill starts and makes hauling bigger loads that much easier.

“We have three drivers who operate the truck and it's hard to get them to

hand over the keys!”

In addition to the build quality, low running costs and driveability of the Hino 716 Dump, Mr Mercuri says he’s equally impressed with the service at Prestige Hino, where he purchased the truck.

“I've been in the business over 20 years, and I have ordered several trucks from some of the biggest distributors in Australia,” Mr Mercuri said.

“Prestige Hino has provided me with exceptional support, and their salesman Ryan van der Horst is the best I have had the pleasure to deal with.

“We have a terrific relationship with Prestige Hino through Ryan and whichever Hino Dump model we next purchase it will definitely be from them.”

Hino's advanced six-speed fully automatic transmission is now available on more variants in the 300 range.

In addition to auto, the single rear wheel Hino 300 414 is now available as a manual.

NEW SOUTH WALES

QUEENSLAND

Albion Park Rail Illawarra Hino ���������������(02) 4256 7111

Ayr Don West Toyota ���������������������������������(07) 4783 1600

Beresfield Newcastle Hino ����������������������(02) 4974 7800

Cairns Pacific Hino �����������������������������������(07) 4052 4777

Camden Adtrans Hino �������������������������������(02) 4655 5755

Coopers Plains Sci Fleet (Brisbane)���������(07) 3722 2888

Grafton Black Hino �����������������������������������(02) 6642 2644

Goondiwindi Tait Motors ��������������������������(07) 4671 7300

Guildford City Hino �����������������������������������(02) 9681 8111

Gympie Hi-Way 1 Truck & Tractor �������������(07) 5480 5000

Kempsey Mavin and McNamara ��������������(02) 6562 6211

Kedron Sci-Fleet (Brisbane) ����������������������(07) 3361 0024

Mascot Adtrans Hino ��������������������������������(02) 9598 9444

Kunda Park Hi-Way 1 (Maroochydore) ����(07) 5453 5000

Muswellbrook Muswellbrook City Hino ���(02) 6543 3066

Mackay Carlisle Hino��������������������������������(07) 4952 1088

Orange West Orange Motors���������������������(02) 6361 1000

Maryborough Hi-Way 1 Truck & Tractor ���(07) 4190 4190

Queanbeyan Southern Truck Centre���������(02) 6299 6433

Mt Isa Bell & Moir Corporation������������������(07) 4743 3066

Tamworth Tamworth City Hino �����������������(02) 6765 5552

Nerang Gold Coast Hino ���������������������������(07) 5596 3599

Wagga Trucks Hino�����������������������������������(02) 6925 5779

Rockhampton Ian Weigh Motors��������������(07) 4924 5200

West Gosford Adtrans Hino ����������������������(02) 4320 4932

Toowoomba Vanderfield Hino�������������������(07) 4633 4822

VICTORIA

Townsville Primemovers��������������������������(07) 4779 0077

Bendigo Bendigo Truck Centre �����������������(03) 5440 9111

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Dandenong Prestige Hino ������������������������(03) 9212 5555 Laverton North CMI Hino�������������������������(03) 9931 6500 Mildura Sunraysia Auto Group (Mildura) ���(03) 5021 2999

Alice Springs Peter Kittle Motor Co ���������(08) 8952 5500 Darwin Vanderfield Hino (Pinelands) ���������(08) 8932 4200

North Geelong ISR Hino ���������������������������(03) 5278 9844

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Wodonga Jacob Hino �������������������������������(02) 6055 9800

Perth WA Hino (Welshpool)������������������������(08) 9351 2000

TASMANIA

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Hobart FRM Hino (Derwent Park) ��������������(03) 6272 3822

Mt Gambier Barry Maney Sales ���������������(08) 8721 3400

Devonport FRM Hino��������������������������������(03) 6424 9855

Port Augusta Northpoint Hino ������������������(08) 8642 3433

Launceston FRM Hino (Invermay) ������������(03) 6334 5877

Adelaide CMI Hino (Regency Park) �����������(08) 8243 8100

hino.com.au HMS07611

18 | Torque

Torque Torque | 19 | 15

THE BEEFED UP HINO HEAVY DUTY RANGE.

IT’S POWER

P ACKED UP TO 480HP. When we say beefed up, we mean beefed up. Our enhanced

heavy-duty models offer more power, improved fuel economy, reduced emissions, and allow for more applications from tippers to interstate transport.

So if you’re looking for power and heaps of it, head to your local Hino dealer today.

hino.com.au MODElS

POWER

FM Auto

300hp

FM

320hp

FS

440hp/450hp

SS

450hp/480hp

A TOYOTA GROUP COMPANY

HMS07030/PRIME

Overseas model shown