New Isuzu Facility Aims to Serve Dealers and Customers

New Isuzu Facility Aims to Serve Dealers and Customers

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Isuzu's new Center of Excellence facility. Photo: Isuzu Commercial Truck of America

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Isuzu's new Center of Excellence facility. Photo: Isuzu Commercial Truck of America

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Isuzu Commercial Truck of America has opened a new complex that it is calling the Center of Excellence, comprised of a parts distribution center, training and technical assistance facility.

The part center is 100,000 square feet in size and is stocked with $8 million worth of parts, placing them close to a concentrated area of commercial vehicle dealers to reduce delivery time. The Center of Excellence is designed to put three major functions supporting dealerships and customer in the region under one roof.

The training and technical assistance area is housed in a 30,000-square-foot portion of the facility. The training center offers training to dealership service, parts, sales and customer satisfaction personnel. Through the Isuzu Truck University, the personnel will receive intensive, hands-on technical and lifecycle training.

“Our ‘lifecycle' business model is built on the premise that customers will look only to Isuzu for their commercial truck needs so long as we provide them the highest quality product, the least amount of downtime, and a level of service that exceeds their expectations,” said Shaun Skinner, president of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America. “To do that requires a very large level of support. That's what this Center of Excellence—and more like it in the future—will provide.”

The Center's location was strategically chosen because the Northeast region is home to one of the highest concentrations of U.S. Isuzu dealerships, Isuzu commercial trucks in operation and the company's annual parts sales.

Isuzu plans to build more of these types of facilities in the future and already has plans to open a second facility in the U.S.

“As impressive as it is, this center represents something much bigger,” said Skinner. “It represents Isuzu's commitment to the U.S. market, and our pledge to do everything we can to support our dealer body and our customers' ownerships experience.”

Related: Q&A With Isuzu's Shaun Skinner

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Kenworth Launches Essentials App for Mobile Devices

Kenworth Truck Company has launched the Kenworth Essentials app for Apple and Android mobile devices, offering relevant information on trucks, engines and technologies.

The app provides access to Kenworth news in real time and is filled with videos, brochures and galleries of multi-perspective images.

The app offers access to the Kenworth Dealer Locator with a “Find Nearby” feature that gives directions to the nearest Kenworth dealer. The locator can also search nationwide by city, state, province or zip code.

The app will recognize your current location and map directly to the Kenworth dealership chosen. A call to the dealership is also made easier with a “one-touch” dialing feature by tapping the phone number.

Kenworth will update the app regularly with new features, the company says. The app is available on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

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EZ Drain Valve Made For Vaporizer Drain Systems

The EZ Oil Drain valve has a new application for a vaporizer drain system on propane-powered equipment.

The liquid petroleum gas regulator equipped on these units has a vaporizer drain on the regulator. The EZ Drain Valve can be used for this application, particularly the stainless steel version of the valve.

Some regulators and vaporizers have brass drain valve to remove oil and tar from the unit, but a stainless valve is required if any harsh chemical is present in the liquid to be drained to avoid corrosion. Many propane-powered unit maintenance protocols require the oil and tar to be drained every 100-150 hours, according to the company.

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