Front: Marinda Duvenage (Financial Manager and Company Director, Ansie Smit (Sales), Nicolize Olivier (Administration and Secretary). Rear: Louw van der Westhuizen (Sales Manager), Willie Leslie (Workshop Manager), Rynnardt Vorster (Parts Manager), Andre Duvenage (Dealer Principal and Managing Director)

“We are very pleased to have filled a very important point in our dealer network with the appointment of Hino George,” commented Hino vice president Dr. Casper Kruger on the opening of the brand’s 54th dedicated truck outlet at the beginning of February 2010.

“We have been looking to fill this point for some time after Loerie Toyota relinquished the truck franchise to concentrate on passenger vehicles,” explained Kruger.

Hino George is headed up by dealer principal Andre Duvenage, who has a financial background became involved with an all-makes truck workshop in George in 1991. He subsequently sold this business two years later and switched to selling used truck components and refurbishing trucks.

“This was at the time when the Certificate of Fitness (COF) was introduced and this enabled us to buy used trucks at keen prices that we then refurbished or else we sold used components to companies that rebuilt their own trucks, so it was good business,” said Andre Duvenage.

A new truck franchise was obtained in 2001 and Duvenage’s George dealership sold more than 40% of these trucks in the Southern Cape, which gave him and his team valuable experience in the new truck market.

“I was delighted when offered the Hino franchise and see great potential for this brand, as there are many Hino and Dyna trucks operating in our area despite the fact that there has not been a dealer here for years,” added Duvenage. “We have already picked up several strong leads which I am sure will lead to sales.”

Meanwhile the current dealership facilities are being upgraded to the requirements of the Hino franchise, which includes the erection of the brand’s new corporate identity that was launched last year.

Hino George currently has 23 employees, with almost half of them involved on the technical side, where the workshop has six work bays.

Andre Duvenage says he leads from the front and is very much the face of the dealership, concentrating mainly on sales along with his sales manager, Louw van der Westhuizen and salesperson Ansie Smit, both of whom have Code 14 driving licences.

Andre’s wife, Marinda, is in charge of accounts, while three of the employees have been with him for almost 20 years, so there is plenty of commitment and experience in the new undertaking.

He says the focus now is to get his team fully trained on Hino products and systems as soon as possible so he can provide his customers with top level service in keeping with one of the country’s leading truck brands.

Source: QuickPic