Mr Batt won the award from first runner-up David Slade from McRae Nissan in Wodonga on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, while second runner-up was Lorna Mountford from Northside Nissan in Wangara, north of Perth.
Ms Mountford was the first female finalist in the competition and the Japanese brand’s first female master technician in Australia, which she achieved in 2016.
Podium positions: Winner Michael Batt (left) with runners-up David Slade and Lorna Mountford.
Known as NISTEC (Nissan International Service Technical Excellence Contest) – and also known in this region as the Nissan Service Technician Excellence Competency Award – the program was devised by Nissan Motor Co in Japan more than two decades ago and runs on a national basis every two years around the world.
Similar to technical competitions run by other major motor vehicle manufacturers, NISTEC aims to identify and reward technicians who, Nissan says, “can demonstrate a high level of technical skills, knowledge and process”.
All technicians across the dealer network are encouraged to enter the event, with the program involving an online test and successful applicants then progressing to regional finals, where market-relevant diagnostic and practical maintenance tasks are undertaken.
The two top scorers in each region then progress to the final, which was staged in Melbourne this year and included a variety of tasks designed to test diagnostic and technical skills in tracing and repairing a fault within a vehicle.
Nissan Australia director of customer experience and franchise quality Ian Moreillon said the competition was very important to the company in terms of testing the ability of its trained technicians across the network.
“While all tasks are challenging, one of the overall aims is for the technician to identify development opportunities,” he said.
“This helps to enhance their diagnostic skills and increases their dealer’s ‘fix it right the first time’ approach.”
Mr Moreillon was on hand with Nissan Australia’s general manager of customer experience and Nissan Academy Michael Carydias to present awards and trophies at the conclusion of the event.
Mr Batt will now attend a global awards ceremony at Nissan headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, later this year.
By Terry Martin
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