PML Master Technician Tops BMW International Aftersales Competition
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| Roland Krueger (Managing Director of BMW Asia), third from left, and Simon Rock (Managing Director of PML), far right, with world-beating PML Aftersales team (from l)- Jeffrey Anthony Vatsaloo (Senior Customer Service Advisor), David Goh (Training Manager), Jimmy Cheah Seng Fai (Master Technician), Yeow Ing Hwa (Director of Aftersales) and Andy Sim Chee Keong (Parts Technician) |
Master Technician Mr Jimmy Cheah Seng Fai from Performance Motors Ltd emerged the champion in the individual category under "Service Technicians, Electrical/Electronic Systems" in a BMW international competition amongst 69 other highly trained BMW Service Technicians, Customer Service Advisors and Parts Executives.
The Ultimate Test
The BMW International Aftersales Competition of Excellence (ASCE 2007), held in Munich from March 18 to 24, saw the top BMW aftersales personnel in their field from 23 countries vie for honours at the prestigious event.
The competition aims to continuously improve the level of quality customer service performance, service expertise and product knowledge at all authorized BMW dealerships through the sharing of best practice and ideas.
The participants, selected from 47,000 personnel worldwide, competed in a mix of practical and theoretical tests under the categories of 'Service Technicians', 'Service Advisors', and 'Parts/Accessories/
Lifestyle'. The category for Service Technicians was further subdivided into different disciplines such as Drive train, Chassis, Body, Electric / Electronics. It was the first time the competition hosted three categories together.
For Mr Cheah, who has almost 20 years of experience as a BMW Technician with Performance Motors, the climb to the top was far from easy. He had to compete on the national and regional levels before qualifying for the BMW ASCE 2007.
"During the International competition, I was nervous and under severe pressure. The BMW competition tests a participant's time management skill by presenting a complex problem on a car which we had to solve in less than 40 minutes, following the right procedures and using the correct tools and equipment. Accuracy and speed were marked, as was our individual product knowledge," Mr Cheah said.
Nevertheless, Mr Cheah's problem-solving skills won the day. He cites BMW's systematic training, experience and his keenness to solve problems as contributing factors to his excellent performance. Mr. Cheah is the first PML technician to win this coveted award.
PML Team ranked best in East Asia
The Performance Motors' aftersales team of Andy Sim Chee Keong (Parts Technician), Jeffrey Anthony Vatsaloo (Senior Customer Service Advisor) and Jimmy Cheah Seng Fai (Master Technician) also scored highest in a similar regional competition. After ranking best in East Asia, the PML aftersales team was then chosen by BMW Asia to represent the region at the BMW International Aftersales Competition of Excellence (ASCE 2007).
Mr Simon Rock, Managing Director of Performance Motors said: "We are very proud of our team's exceptional accomplishment within the region and internationally. Jeffrey Vatsaloo, Andy Sim and Jimmy Cheah's efforts, hard work and commitment continues to demonstrate the expertise, positive attitude and dedication of our staff in PML. We are thrilled that Mr Cheah emerged victorious in the Service Technician's category of Electric / Electricals category. It's testament to the regular comprehensive BMW training conducted by BMW and our internal trainers."
Commenting on the results, Mr Roland Krueger, Managing Director of BMW Asia said: "We are delighted with Mr Cheah's outstanding performance at the ASCE and the PML aftersales team ranking in East Asia. We at the BMW Group continually work with our partners like PML to share with them best practice processes, knowledge, methodologies that are vital to a strong and professional customer service. The quality service that Performance Motors and our partners worldwide provide is indicative of the success of these collaborative efforts. We heartily congratulate Mr Cheah and PML for this very commendable achievement.
Mr Cheah, 45, who is only one of four BMW master technicians in Singapore, oversees a technical team at Performance Motors that covers areas such as body, powertrain, chassis and suspension, electrical/electronic systems, and IT systems. He joined PML in 1988 as a technician and has a diploma in Electronics, Computer & Communications from the Singapore Polytechnic. Mr Cheah's hobbies include traveling, billiards and reading car magazines.