THERE is no stopping Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) from posting successive remarkable achievements. As the company’s 20th anniversary celebration draws near, another milestone recently took place in one of the pioneer Isuzu dealerships in the Visayas region—Isuzu Mandaue in Cebu. There, IPC officially turned over an NHR light-duty truck representing the 250,000th Isuzu vehicle sold.
No less than IPC Vice President for Sales Yasuhiko Oyama graced the occasion. “Aside from celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, our company marks another milestone by manufacturing our 250,000th unit, which is an Isuzu NHR truck. Today we are officially turning over the Isuzu NHR unit to one of our loyal fleet customer, Ever Consumer Sales here in Cebu City. In addition to this, our local dealership group, Isuzu Cebu Inc., is also celebrating its 19th year anniversary,” Oyama said.
When it comes to light-duty truck requirements, the Isuzu NHR is undoubtedly the most popular choice among companies involved in transporting goods. Proven to be versatile on various business applications, this reliable light-duty truck offers different body configurations, such as the aluminum van and drop side, to name a few. Part of the N-series model lineup, it consistently holds the number one position in the Category III truck segment. In fact, IPC already manufactured 36,378 units of the N-series since 1999. So it’s also a proud moment for IPC that the 250,000th unit sold is an Isuzu NHR. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers for your continued support and trust on the Isuzu brand. Without you, we will not be able to reach 20th-year milestone, as well as to manufacture our 250,000th unit,” Oyama concluded.
Also present during the event is Isuzu Automotive Dealership Inc. President and COO Manny Aligada who shared his thoughts on IPC’s achievement. “Not many brands have able to do that. And each one of those units that have been shared with customers, I’m sure are handled very well up to this day. And every unit that will come out from dealerships, will be handled with equal care.” When asked about the company’s next target, Aligada expressed their drive to provide another set of customers and expand even the experience. “To continue delighting them [customers]. Not just look for new ones but deepen the relationship that we already have with the customers,” he added.
Isuzu Mandaue kicks off 20th anniversary celebration
ANOTHER occassion was the dealership’s 19th year in the business, as well as to kick off its 20th anniversary celebration. “As we look at the last 19 years, this is the kick off for the 20th year anniversary. We also look forward to the next 19 or 20 years. However, the message I’d like to impart to all associates, customers and partners is that, even as we have very encouraging results for so many years, our focus does not diminish, in fact, we’re heighten in the forthcoming years,” Aligada said.
The president and CCO of Isuzu Automotive Dealership Inc. also imparted the importance of moving forward in the business. “We will have to refocus and do a balanced view of the business. If before we were very concentrated on moving the hardware side of business, we will have to refocus and balance it out with the software part. Meaning, there will be equal focus that will be given to aftersales, customer experience and to anything else that go beyond what the customers expect from us,” Aligada explained. When asked what the customers can look up to the next 20 years, Aligada expressed the company’s intention. “Our focus now is also to make sure that we provide best customer experience, reliability of the products, not only on the hardware, but even on the aftersales experience,” he concluded.
Also unveiled was the dealership’s official 20th anniversary logo. Isuzu Cebu Inc. General Manager Steve Gingco took the podium to likewise impart his thoughts. “The next decade of our business operation will be on a different paradigm. We have to do something different. And we are bringing the business into a new phase of digitalization. Next year will be another phase in the history of the automotive business because of the Euro 4 [emission standard], wherein Isuzu is very poised and ready to take on,” he said. As for the official logo interpretation, the number is a symbolic figure, which represents 20 years in the business shaded in platinum for being very rare and precious. The background leaves, on the other hand, represent the golden years ahead. Those laurel leaves symbolize all the branches and associates that put the company together. Last, the ribbon as the years of excellence with three stars—the golden service, which is the highest achievement of service that they provide to customers and partners.
Image credits: Randy S. Peregrino