Mannai Heavy Equipment will roll out JCB's 'Dealer Standards' in 2007

UK-based JCB is one of the world's largest construction and agricultural equipment manufacturers and a market leader in many of the 150 countries where its machines are sold.

During a recent visit to Mannai HED, JCB's Middle East product support executives outlined the details of the new 'Dealer Standards' initiative to Mannai HED's management team.

"Our team will be working closely with Mannai's Heavy Equipment Division to implement Dealer Standards in Qatar in the first quarter of 2007, with the aim of rolling out the initiative globally over the next three years. The objective of Dealer Standards is to ensure that all JCB dealers maintain a consistent and high level of after sales product support," said Nick Grills, Field Service Manager - Product Support, JCB.

JCB's 'Dealer Standards' incorporates criteria, such as facilities investment, waste management, tools and training, which are used to evaluate a dealer's capability of servicing the JCB machines they distribute.

According to Ahmed Said, Heavy Equipment Division Manager, Mannai Corporation, JCB and Mannai share the same vision in regards to after sales services and product support.

"Mannai's Heavy Equipment Division's commitment to after sales services is highlighted by our investment in product support facilities, as last year we opened our new QR 4.2 million showroom and service facility in Doha's industrial area. With over 60 years experience in producing heavy equipment JCB also takes a long-term view when it comes to developing a comprehensive product support network, as they are committed to working with dealers who are established and lasting," Said added.

Steve Hunt, Service Manager - Middle East for JCB also visited Mannai with Grills, in order to conduct the monthly review of the dealer's execution of JCB's established 'Dealer Measures' initiative, which evaluates the dealer's ability to respond to unscheduled repairs.

"Our evaluation of Mannai's implementation of JCB's Dealer Measures, has found that Mannai continues to perform well in relation to responding to unscheduled repairs in a timely manner, which was further boosted recently by Mannai's decision to appoint an After Sales Manager who directly informs us about the needs of Qatar's customers in terms of after sales servicing," said Hunt.

The Gulf's construction boom ensured a strong sales performance last year for JCB who is expecting continued growth on the back of new products and vertical integration, with JCB now manufacturing engines for its heavy equipment line in order to further enhance the quality of their products.

"JCB's focus on design and innovation means we continue to gain market share in the Middle East and on a global scale we remain the market leaders for our renowned backhoe loaders," commented Hunt.