Penske Guild awards 2019 Master Technician

Penske Power Systems Perth's Bryce Bell has been named as the Penske Guild's 2019 Master Technician.

Bell triumphed in the finals of this year's Penske Guild Master Technician awards, outperforming five other finalists on Friday, July 26.

The annual awards see technicians from throughout Penske's Australian and New Zealand service outlets battle it out for top honours, with contenders undergoing a number of qualification rounds before facing off against the nations' best in a grand final showdown.

The annual skills and diagnostics contest includes general procedural tasks as well as advanced diagnostics scenarios, all while racing the clock.

"At Penske, we understand the importance of recognising and rewarding our very best technicians and the flow-on benefits that come from a competition such as this," said Russell Koch, training manager on-highway and development.

"The competition is a great way to publicly display the technical excellence we are renowned for, both within our own organisation and the broader industry in general.

"Technicians who enter this competition participate at the highest level and rightly feel a real sense of achievement from competing against the best."

Mr Bell has worked across the full Penske Power Systems product portfolio for nearly a decade, applying his expertise to products from MTU, Detroit, Allison Transmission, Western Star, MAN, and Dennis Eagle.

"Since joining the organisation in 2010 as an apprentice, Bryce has displayed a great willingness to develop which has carried him through to achieving this accolade," said Sean McLean, general manager – on-highway.

"Whether in the workshop leading by example, or in the field managing one of our breakdown services for remote Western Australian customers, he demonstrates exemplary technical skills which were evident in the grand final on Friday."

The Penske Guild program continues to evolve with the wider Penske business, and this year for the first time included the off-highway segment. Penske says the expansion opens up the possibility of a competition down the track for those who enter the guild from this direction.

As the Penske Guild's Master Technician, Bryce will receive a trip to the United States to tour the manufacturing facilities of Detroit and Daimler Trucks North America, while also visiting the Team Penske motorsport facility in North Carolina.