Mack Trucks announced the first four dealer locations to achieve the Mack Certified Uptime Center designation during World of Concrete 2016 in Las Vegas NV. The truck builder also announced that the GuardDog Connect telematics is now available on TerraPro trucks.
With standardized workflows and service processes, as well as redesigned service bays, Mack Certified Uptime Centers are providing faster and more efficient service experiences to customers. Mack made the announcement The first four dealers to achieve the certification are: Vision Truck Center of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Vanguard Truck Center of Phoenix AZ; Nextran Truck Center of Birmingham AL; and Westfall O’Dell Truck Sales of Kansas City MO. All four dealers were part of the Certified Uptime Center pilot program.
“It’s important that our customers’ trucks are on the road working earning money for them,” said Stephen Roy, president of Mack Trucks North America. “Through our Mack Certified Uptime Centers, we’ve completely rethought our approach to how trucks are diagnosed and repaired, enabling us to get trucks serviced and back to the customer as quickly as possible.”
The certification evaluates dealer service locations on 28 required process elements, ranging from shop organization to implementation of diagnostic tools. While many of the elements were already considered “best practices,” Mack combined the elements under the Certified Uptime Centers effort to maximize their impact.
“We, along with other dealer groups, worked closely with Mack to gather proven ideas that help improve the service process for customers,” said John Slotegraaf, dealer principal, Vision Truck Center. “In fact, many of the 28 process steps required for certification are tried-and-true methods that have been tested every day at the dealer level.”
Completion of the certification process takes approximately eight weeks, and includes a final assessment to determine whether all Certified Uptime Center requirements have been met. Mack’s Dealer Fixed Operations Managers conduct the assessments and assign the final certification.
Mack Certified Uptime Centers are the latest evolution of Mack’s commitment to maximizing customer uptime. To qualify as a Certified Uptime Center, Mack dealer locations must demonstrate proficiency in new procedures designed to simplify and accelerate the service process.
In addition, Certified Uptime Centers must implement redesigned service bays focused on quick turnaround times. These “uptime bays” utilize Mack’s vast array of uptime tools to rapidly diagnose customer issues. Trucks with repairs that require less than four hours are repaired immediately, rather than being shuffled to the back of the line, as with the typical “first come, first served” practice common in today’s shops.
Mack’s uptime solutions, including Mack GuardDog Connect telematics and the Mack ASIST service management system, are fully integrated with the Mack Certified Uptime Centers’ workflows. In addition, Mack’s recently announced integration of Truck Diagnostics System (TDS) and Mack ASIST also supports Mack Certified Uptime Centers, delivering faster, more efficient information sharing. All of Mack’s uptime-focused personnel, including Mack OneCall agents, are housed at the Mack Uptime Center, located near Mack world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Mack will continue to roll out Certified Uptime Center certifications to its dealer network throughout 2016, with a focus on major markets.
Mack officials also announced that the GuardDog Connect integrated telematics solution is now available and standard in all Mack TerraPro cabover models equipped with a Mack MP engine. Mack extended the offering of GuardDog Connect to all Mack-powered TerraPro Cabover models after receiving positive customer response to the Uptime solution. Mack TerraPro models can be configured for many applications, such as a concrete pump, dump, mixer, or refuse vehicle.
GuardDog Connect is Mack’s proactive diagnostic and repair planning system. It monitors fault codes that could potentially shut down a truck or lead to an unplanned visit to the dealer. GuardDog Connect enables quick diagnosis of issues, proactive scheduling for repairs and confirmation that needed parts are in stock and ready to install, all while the truck is still on the job.