The University of UniCarriers Americas, launched in January of
2012, is an educational platform that establishes UniCarriers
Americas Corp.’s service technicians and salespeople as the most highly
skilled and knowledgeable material handling equipment representatives in the industry.
UniCarriers
Americas was formerly Nissan Forklift.
Sunbelt Industrial Trucks Finds Value in
Training
Sunbelt Industrial Trucks, located
in Dallas, has the most technicians enrolled in the University of UniCarriers
Americas’ College of Technical Services. The 24 technicians from Sunbelt are in
various stages of the training program.
“We
had 11 technicians reach the Apprentice level in 2012 and by March first, we’ll
have five more technicians certified at that level as well,” said George
Munford, VP of operations, Sunbelt Industrial Trucks. Sunbelt,
which has only been a UniCarriers Americas dealership for one year, immediately
started the University of UniCarriers program. “The Nissan Forklift [by
UniCarriers] product line was new to us and we knew that we needed to get all
of our technicians trained on the models as soon as we could.”
Munford
explained that service technicians participate in the training program as part
of their career advancement path, completing the three online classes on their
own time and at their own pace prior to participating in the class training.
Sunbelt employs a corporate trainer, Paul Pack, to complete the in-person
training classes on site. The two- to three-day classes are held at Sunbelt
every other month.
“We
ended up doubling our expected investment in training for 2012 when we got our
staff involved in the university,” Munford says. “I’ve been in the forklift
industry at the dealer level for more than 20 years, and the University of
Nissan Forklift [now UniCarriers] training program is the most comprehensive
training program that I’ve seen.”
Munford
reported that Sunbelt’s service technicians who are involved with the program
provide better service for their customers, are more motivated and have
excellent attitudes.
“Sunbelt
is an employee-owned company, and by participating in this program, the
technicians are also investing in themselves,” says Munford. “We’re looking
forward to having our new technicians start working toward the Apprentice level
as well as having some of our staff reach the Journeymen certification.”
Service Technician Explains Value of
Training
Coy Ross, a service technician at
Quality Lift Trucks in San Diego, chose to participate in the University of
UniCarriers Americas’ College of Technical Service in order to learn more about
working on UniCarriers Americas’ electric models.
“I
want to eventually become a dealer trainer, but I always want to be a better
tech and the go-to person when someone needs help,” says Ross.
According
to Ross, the training he completed through the University of UniCarriers
Americas helped him improve his day-to-day work as well as move toward his own
goals.
“I’ve
been able to reduce the time it takes me to complete a repair because I’m
well-trained,” says Ross. “Beyond that, I think that training programs like
this one are important to show that the technicians and the dealership are
working hard to be the best.”
Ross
also believes that pursuing training opportunities shows a commitment to
continuous improvement and he looks forward to the program’s growth.
