General Motors’ top dealer technicians in the Middle East recognised in skills competition

As part of its commitment to provide the best after sales and customer care experience, General Motors Middle East hosted the 2011 Dealer Technician Skills Competition in Dubai.

The annual competition is open to all dealer technicians from across the GM dealer network in the Middle East, including Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC dealerships, and is organized to help improve technical skills, expertise and knowledge.

More than 3,000 dealer technicians entered the competition. After two rounds of tough examinations, the top 36 technicians were selected to compete head-to-head and showcase their abilities at the two-day finals event held in the pit-garages of the Dubai Autodrome.

The competitors were challenged to diagnose, repair and correct systems on Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC vehicles that were purposely outfitted with faults and operating problems. As the contestants worked away, the judging panel closely observed each technician to determine capability and skill in Expert Product Knowledge, Technical Knowledge and Fix-it-Right-the-First-Time.

GM Middle East invests $10 million annually in technical and customer care training for its dealer technicians, showroom staff and customer service personnel across the region. Its training academy has five centers located in Dubai, UAE; Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Angat, Philippines. Together these facilities provide 2,400 training days a year from 70 technical and customer care trainers. Combined with web-based training, GM Middle East provides 169,000 hours of training every year.

Noel Pangan from Universal Motors Agencies Dealership in Damam, Saudi Arabia, was awarded the prize as GM’s best dealer technician in the Middle East. Mr Pangan was presented with the award by John Stadwick, President and Managing Director of GM Middle East, at a special Gala Dinner following the competition.

“I was incredibly impressed with the standard of our dealer technicians. We are investing heavily to provide a world-class shopping, buying and ownership experience for our customers. A key aspect to achieving this goal is to ensure that we have the very best dealer technicians in every GM service center across the Middle East. And at GM, I’m proud to say that we boast the best dealer technicians in the region,” said Stadwick.

“The investment from GM and our dealer partners, combined with the dedication of our technicians, means that our customers enjoy a great ownership experience and can rest assured that their vehicle will be kept in perfect running order at all GM service centers,” added  Stadwick.

Mr. Pangan faced stiff competition from his fellow GM dealer technicians. Gayan Perrera from Liberty Automobiles in Sharjah, UAE came second, while third place went to Raouf Al Ali from Al Jomaih Automotives in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.