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Hino South Africa Restructures

Hino South Africa has seen a major restructure among its senior management, in line with Toyota Motor Corporation’s global policy of staff rotation among the upper echelon.

 

Casper Kruger, Hino SA Vice-President for the past five years, and who was instrumental in rolling out the name change from Toyota SA Trucks to Hino SA, has relinquished his position and returned to Toyota SA. Says Toyota SA Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Calvyn Hamman, “concurrent with the name change was the establishment of a dedicated Hino dealer network by Kruger and his team. Kruger has now returned to Toyota SA Motors as Vice President of Vehicle Sales and Dealer Development for passenger vehicles and light commercials.”

 

Ernest Trautmann has taken over from Kruger in April this year. Trautmann is the former General Manager of Sales and Dealer Network at Toyota SA. He joined Toyota SA in 1988 as marketing and management consultant in the Training Department and has since built up an impressive and extensive track record in many aspects of the motor industry. This includes eight years with the 

Toyota and Lexus distributor in the United Arab Emirates. He has spent 26 years working with Toyota products, of which 18 years have been with Toyota SA.

 

Although Trautmann will have overall responsibility for the Hino operation in South Africa, his focus will be on strategic and future planning. Pieter Klerck, former Senior Manager for Advertising at Toyota SA, now wears the hat of General Manager of Sales and Dealer Network at Hino SA. His new position will include parts, service and customer relations, thereby making him, in effect, the operational head of Hino SA.

 

Klerck’s links with Toyota stretches back many years. Before joining Toyota SA in 2006, he worked at two advertising agencies where he was actively involved with the Toyota account.“ We believe that splitting responsibilities at Hino in this manner, will be beneficial in that it will ensure there are two people to share the load, which will result in improved service for dealers and their customers,” says Hamman.

 

Looking at recent product launches, the Hino 300 is a medium-sized bus, offering substantial seating capacities, with a low capital cost per passenger. The range comprises of three models: the Hino 300 714 SWB (25-seater), the Hino 300 815 LWB Auto (33-seater) and the Hino 300 915 LWB (35-seater).

 

Danie Human, General Manager of Sales and Marketing at Busmark 2000, (the vehicle’s body builder), says the main goals and design principles of the bus include a simplistic and ergonomic but modern design, maximum local content on all components, modular components and parts and the use of lightweight materials.

 

Existing products in the Hino range include the Dyna, the 300 series, the 500 and the 700 series.

 

The Dyna allows for getting around the city with ease as it is considered an ideal city logistics vehicle. The Dyna 4-093 is fitted with a proven 5L engine delivering high power and torque.

 

The Hino 300 is seen as an ideal transport solution with an approximate body and payload allowance of between 3 390 and 5 950kgs. It is considered to be both rugged and reliable.

 

The 500 series is a reliable worker that is more than up to it for short haul freight. The body can be modified to suit most transportation needs, from regional haul to moving refrigerated cargo. Proven Hino technology means that the 700 series performs, no matter how tough the haul. The solid, heavy-duty exterior is the shell for a powerful engine generating up to 2157Nm of torque.