Ever wondered how many Hino truck parts there are? We spoke to Bendigo Parts Interpreter David and he provided an insight into his job and gave us his closest answer.
1: What does your job involve?
David: The job involves:
- Interpreting a customer's parts requirements, face to face and over the telephone or email.
- To be able to source and order parts
- Billing and costing as required
- Manage and maintain records, purchase order's, quotes, invoicing and other
- Provide advice regarding parts specifications to customers as required.
- Liaise with the Service and sales departments
- Maintain inventory in line with the business and customer needs.
- Organise and plan work so that it is done efficiently and in accordance with company work standards.
- Assist other staff members as needed
2: How do you help Hino customers getting back on the road?
David:
- By being committed to the Brand and providing exceptional customer service.
- Treating all customers with courtesy and respect.
- Listen to the customer and communicate clearly the customers' requirements.
- Make every customer a priority.
3: What does an average day look like to you?
David: An average day starts around 7:30am preparing the department for the day's trading, including switching on computers, putting out signage etc. Doors open at 8:15am and the morning rush begins - phones ring, customers walk in, Mechanics requiring parts for the daily work booked in, Service advisors chasing quotes or parts for jobs booked or booking in. Grab a coffee on the run around 10ish and if we're lucky a donut. Continue to answer phones and talk to customers - chase up parts for current vehicles and investigate possibilities of acquiring parts for old trucks.
Lunch - on a good day is 45 mins spent somewhere quiet, on a busy day you spend it behind your desk and try catching up.
The afternoon is on you before you realise and it's a mad dash to get those final orders in before the manufacturers cut off time. Squeeze in a coffee at 3ish while you're working on stock adjustments and preparing items for dispatch the following day.
The day wraps up at 5pm, signs in and door locked - time to catch up on things missed during the day or finish off a quote or two.
4: What's the weirdest thing you've seen on the job?
David: Not sure about weird, however you do get asked for odd or old things. Like parts for 1950's Fords or seals to go round a homemade door in an old container.
5: How many HINO parts are there?
David: I guess if you were to count every single item that goes into building a new Hino, you'd have to be around the 30 - 35,000 components, depending on specification level. Times that by the number of Hino models subtract the parts that are used across the model range and then add in the models that are no longer in production that Hino still produce parts for and you have a lot of parts.
You can imagine the amount of storage space you would need just to keep one of each item!
