‘Everyone’s a winner’ says DENSO

In addition to its primary informative and educational objectives, the LOTM competition combines both regional and European interest, because annually it features not only market specific winners, which in some regions include both workshop and distributor categories, but also an overall, pan-European winner.

Typically, the feedback from entrants has been positive, with comments such as “This is a great combination of learning and competing, next year I am again in,” from Serbia, and “the knowledge acquired from the courses was already useful, in particular when explaining to customers any doubts regarding the correct selection and installation of air conditioning compressors, for example,” from Poland.

Demonstrating the universal appeal of the European competition, in 2023 there were entrants from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. So, here is a taste of what the winners from some of those countries had to say.

Starting with Poland, where there were both workshop and distributor winners, on taking the top spot for technicians, Mr. Sylwester Patron for Auto Handel, said: “I am constantly trying to deepen my knowledge, so winning first place is a confirmation of my progress and an encouragement to continue learning. The training has been useful to me during my daily work, for example, when repairing a diesel system, as the training allowed me to understand the exact operation of the system, which is necessary to detect the fault quickly and effectively.”

The fifth placed technician was Mr. Michal Kosecki of Autokosyn who said: “The most interesting course, in my opinion, was air conditioning compressors as I learned what types there are, how they differ, how the more exotic ones work, and how to diagnose them all. However, the diesel courses helped me diagnose common rail systems and the cabin filter courses helped me make customers aware of how important the filter is, and why it should be replaced at least once a year.”

In Sweden, the leading technician was Mr. Lars Axberg of Axberg´s Bilservice AB, and he explained that he and his workshop are keen to be in the frontier of education and tooling, which was why he took part in DENSO LOTM e-learning courses. “It’s vital that me and my technicians are up to date with the biggest manufacturers of OEM parts, and one way to ensure that, is by our participation in the DENSO LOTM competition,” said Lars.

Moving to Balkan region, first placed was Mr. Zvonimir Šrajbek from Magellan, in Croatia.

Second placed was technician Mr. Marko Despotovic from Auto Servis MD, Serbia and he said: “This is a great combination of learning and competing, next year I am in again.”

In fourth place, Mr. Milos Grozdanovic from Auto Klime MG said: “After a second year of participation in LOTM, for sure, I shall be in next year as well.”

Taking eighth, Mr. Nemanja Vukovic of Nemanja Vukovic Auto Servis said: “LOTM is offering many courses in one place, which all have valuable information.”

Representing the distributor side of the competition, second placed Mr. Igor Madzarevic from Inter Cras Belgrade, Serbia and third placed Mr. Dragan Jovkovic from Sanel in Kragujevac, who said: “It was a pleasure to participate in the LOTM competition, and the prize was invaluable.”

The winners from Romania: first Mr. Stocia Iiviu, Young Sug Trade, second Mr. Zaharia Florin, Zaharia Automobile and in third place was Mr. Soporan Alexandru.

The winners from UK: second was Mr. Philip Scott, Robsons Motor Services, fifth Mr. James Cauvain, Blacker Road Garage, and seventh Mr. Dalveer Gill, Continental Motors.

The competition’s first ever winner from Central Asia was Mr. Yerzhan Utegenov from Drive Inn, a workshop in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

And so, to the overall winner, who was randomly selected from the winners in each of the local competitions, and has now received the €2,000 voucher, which was spent on purchasing new equipment and tools for his workshop: from Bulgaria, it’s Mihail Saveliev of 3MR-Trans Eood, based in the city of Tutrakan.

3MR Trans is a small, family owned business, situated on the right bank of the Danube opposite the Romanian town of Oltenița, and Mihail is the chief mechanic and the driving force behind the garage. He joined the LOTM competition after seeing the promotion organised by one of DENSO’s official distributors in Bulgaria – Kosser JSC.

In common with several of the regional winners, Mihail found the diesel courses particularly helpful, but due to the practical information each module contains, he stressed that they were all beneficial and addressed many vehicle systems in addition to diesel.

Hristo Karaulanov, DENSO sales executive, Bulgaria, asked Mihail while handing over the voucher, whether he was going to participate again in DENSO’s 2024 LOTM competition, and Mihail replied: "Of course, and the aim is to hold on to the number one position in Bulgaria for another year – it’s a matter of prestige!"

“Our congratulations to, not just the many winners, but to all those who willingly took part in order to improve their knowledge and skills,” said Tereza Cechova, Marketing & Communications for CEE and CEA region. “Each of you represents the pinnacle of performance and the spirit of continuous improvement. Your efforts help us push the boundaries of service and expertise in the automotive sector.

“The 2024 DENSO LOTM competition will begin soon, so we encourage you to keep a look out for the details and we are keeping our fingers crossed for your continuing success during the course of the year.”

For more information about the DENSO e-learning portal and League of True Mechanics, please visit: https://www.denso-technic.com/.