The DAF European Technician of the Year 2014 Award has been won by 39-year old Mike Christensen of Truckcenter A/S in Padborg, Denmark. The European final, which consisted of several assignments and tests, took place at DAF Trucks in Eindhoven. The trophy was presented by Johan Drenth, After Sales Director of DAF Trucks N.V.
At the European final, the finalists demonstrated their skills on several theoretical elements and practical cases in which they had to solve malfunctions on engine and vehicle systems.
“DAF organizes the European Technician of the Year competition to underline the importance of professional workshop technicians,” said Johan Drenth. “First and foremost it’s a recognition of their profession. Modern trucks are high-tech vehicles and a broad and deep technical knowledge is needed to be able to work on them. In addition, a technician is the business card in the workshop of the DAF dealer and he or she plays an important role when it comes to customer satisfaction. It’s all about delivering service and quality up to the smallest detail.”
DAF European Technician of the Year
DAF dealers from all over Europe can nominate their technicians for the DAF European Technician of the Year competition. In total there are over 4,000 DAF technicians who potentially qualify for the title ‘DAF European Technician of the Year’. The competition consists of two parts. In the first year entrants in each country fight for the national title. The winner of this event competes the following year with the other national winners during the European final.
“Curiosity”
Mike Christensen has been working for twenty years at Truckcenter A/S. What makes a good technician in his eyes? “Anyone can replace a part”, says Mike. “A good technician goes beyond that: he won’t stop until he has found the root cause of the malfunction. Curiosity is what defines a good workshop technician.”
