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How Hugg & Hall is Meeting Toyota Standards Through ASEC Certification

Congratulations to the Muskogee branch for being the newest ASEC-certified Hugg & Hall branch!

In order to comply with the high standards that Toyota Material Handling expects of their dealers, Hugg & Hall Equipment Company has implemented changes to our parts and service processes.

What is ASEC?

Toyota requires that their dealers abide by the After Sales Service Evaluation & Certification (ASEC) program. ASEC is Toyota’s method of promoting their organizational philosophy of kaizen. Kaizen is a philosophy which encourages continuous improvement, in small steps, throughout all members of an organization. 

The ASEC program promotes Toyota’s goal of providing improved operational quality and excellent customer service through accuracy, caring, and trust, throughout their entire dealer network. ASEC is a method of differentiating Toyota from competitors by expecting their dealers to consistently deliver high-quality service and steady operational procedures that align with Toyota’s standards. 

How has Hugg & Hall implemented ASEC?

Tracey Gibbs, Corporate Parts Manager at Hugg & Hall, spoke on some of the changes the company is implementing and why they are important to the entire organization. 

“In 2019, Hugg & Hall implemented the ASEC program in Oklahoma City and El Dorado,” said Gibbs. “Our Springdale branch was certified in October of that same year. The Fort Smith branch was certified in August of 2021, and our Baton Rouge branch was certified in January 2023.

“ASEC has given us a whole new culture that puts us at a higher level of professionalism. From our parts warehouses, to our service shops, to our facilities, we have become more organized, productive, and efficient. We have done it all in service of our customers.”

Many of the changes involve shop and warehouse organization to meet ASEC standards. See examples below: 

How Hugg & Hall is Meeting Toyota Standards Through ASEC Certification How Hugg & Hall is Meeting Toyota Standards Through ASEC Certification

How Hugg & Hall is Meeting Toyota Standards Through ASEC Certification How Hugg & Hall is Meeting Toyota Standards Through ASEC Certification

Hugg & Hall is proud to have met Toyota’s high standards in six of our branches! We look forward to successfully attaining ASEC certification at more branches in the future. 

Members of the Hugg & Hall OKC branch proudly accepting their ASEC certification

Members of the Oklahoma City, OK branch proudly accepting their ASEC certification.

Members of the Fort Smith, AR branch proudly accepting their ASEC certification.

How Hugg & Hall is Meeting Toyota Standards Through ASEC Certification

Members of the El Dorado, AR branch proudly accepting their ASEC certification.

Members of the Springdale, AR branch proudly accepting their ASEC certification.

Members of the Baton Rouge, LA branch proudly accepting their ASEC certification.

 

 

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in 2021. We updated it for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness in March 2024. 

Employee Spotlight: Rhonda Griffith

Meet Rhonda Griffith!  Rhonda has been with Hugg & Hall for 20 years and works as our Accounts Payable Manager at the company’s corporate location in Little Rock, AR. 

Griffith is from and currently resides in Carlisle, AR but spent most of her life in Hazen, AR. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Marty and they will celebrate 36 years in May.

They have two children, Ashley and Martin.  Ashley and her husband Kyler live in Cabot, AR where Ashley is a family nurse practitioner. Martin and his wife Courtney live in Little Rock, AR but travel a lot since Martin is a welder and inspector for 798 pipe liners.

In December, Martin and Courtney welcomed Griffith’s first grandchild, Katelynn. Griffith stated, “We are so excited to be Gigi and Pop!”.

Griffith enjoys family time, being outdoors, and has a “green thumb”. She loves planting and watching her flowers grow. In the summer, you can find her relaxing by the pool. Something you might be surprised to learn about Griffith is she was crowned Rodeo Queen and spent most of her childhood on a horse and traveling to horse shows and rodeos.

Griffith says a typical workday is “Crazy, but I love it. Lots of invoices, interruptions, and lots of money being spent”. Her daily job duties include managing a “great group of employees, along with vendor invoices and check disbursements, all the while maintaining a strict schedule to keep us on good terms with vendors”. Each month includes 8000+ invoices to process for payment, fuel cards for over 350 company vehicles and corporate credit cards to maintain. All this keeps Griffith and her team very busy. “I love what I do, but it’s not just the job, it’s the people…I love my Hugg & Hall family!” Griffith stated.

We are thankful for Griffith’s years of dedicated and loyal service.

We enjoy sitting down to talk with our fellow employees! Visit our website for more employee spotlights!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2020. We updated it for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness in February 2023.

A Day in the Life: Product Support Sales Representative

product support

Over the last 60+ years, Hugg & Hall has strived to be superior in the industry to assure businesses always receive the best service. As innovators in the industry, we excel in providing services that our competitors may not even offer. With each purchase, in any department, Hugg & Hall meets exemplary customer service standards.

A key role in providing unmatched service are Hugg & Hall Product Support Sales Representatives (PSSR). The individuals in this position work everyday to provide businesses the customer service that has come to be expected from Hugg & Hall. Knowing your needs and exceeding your expectations are their mission. Here is, “A Day in the Life of a PSSR.”

Your PSSR doesn’t wake up a superhero, that takes a cup of coffee. Once your PSSR has consumed their hero juice, they are set for the busy day ahead. They have a schedule filled with parts & service requests, but the agenda is likely to change with their first phone call. Today that phone call may be a customer with a machine down, but the requests are different each day.

With each request it is important to set daily goals to easily manage all tasks. These goals are to follow-up with customers, visit as many customers in person as time allows and to clearly communicate Hugg & Hall’s business practices. Long term goals are also in place as your PSSR always wants their value to be recognized by you, the client. Building strong relationships with clients and understanding that every business has different needs allows for a PSSR to be truly successful.

Today your PSSR is tasked with ordering a rental to temporarily replace the down machine while ordering and delivering parts to keep other operations moving forward. As the PSSR passes a new warehouse, they make a stop to understand the new business opportunity. The PSSR explains to the potential client that having a PSSR on their side is no additional cost to the consumer and leaves a business card making a note to reach out in a few weeks.

As their day moves forward your PSSR is sure to never over promise, but they try their best to over deliver each time. This honesty differentiates our PSSRs and allows them to truly shine in their role. Being inquisitive, dependable and knowledgeable with all their day’s tasks are also key to their performance.

Through industry knowledge and observations, a Hugg & Hall PSSR assures that every situation is handled differently and appropriately for the application at hand. As the day draws to an end the PSSR has accomplished more than you could imagine all while making each client a number one priority.

 

A PSSR on your side assures the greatest possible service that Hugg & Hall can provide. They work each day to ease the daily stress of operations in many different industries. If you don’t already have a superhero on your side, call today to meet with a Product Support Sales Representative.

Employee Excellence: Brandon Brantley

“There are employees that work hard daily who may not get an “atta-boy”, “great job” or an “I appreciate you”. I wanted to make sure Brandon Brantley knew we appreciated him and that he did a great job.” – Justin Hines, Nexans AmerCable

Hugg & Hall Equipment Company has a quality standard that is beyond many other companies; Brandon Brantley has gone above the standard of excellence to best serve clients in our El Dorado, AR location.

Brantley works as a delivery driver for Hugg & Hall and started with the company a month ago. He conducts day runs between Hugg & Hall locations, as well as deliveries to customers. In his short time with the company, he has made a significant impact in the delivery division. Brandon said that his favorite thing about being a driver for Hugg & Hall is, “interacting with the customers.”

Brandon’s hometown is Farmerville, Louisiana where he currently resides with his wife Nikki. He has his hands full with a son, Logan, daughters Macayla and Karlee, and a granddaughter Paisley-Brooke. He enjoys spending time with his family and has a passion for horses & equipment. You may also be surprised to know that he is afraid of heights.

In his first few weeks, Brandon has noted that every day is memorable. If he weren’t currently working for Hugg & Hall, Brantley mentioned he would like to operate equipment. He thinks it is important for others in the profession to, “Never take safety for granted.”

Hugg & Hall would like to thank Brandon Brantley for his hard work; welcome to the team Brandon! To create your own story with our team, visit our hiring website.

Hugg & Hall Parts Professionals Attend Gold Level Certification Training at Toyota Manufacturing Facility in Indiana

Hugg & Hall Parts Professionals Attend Gold Level Certification Training at Toyota Manufacturing Facility in Indiana

Michael Cooper (second from left), Josh Napier (second from right)

Hugg & Hall Equipment Company (Hugg & Hall) parts professionals, Michael Cooper and Josh Napier, recently attended training at the Toyota Manufacturing Facility in Columbus, Ind. Cooper and Napier trained for Gold Level certification in Toyota parts. There are three levels of parts certification: Bronze, Silver and Gold. 

“On the Gold Level, we took a tour of the manufacturing floor and learned how that process works in coordination with the parts process and how each use a lot of the same thought processes,” said Cooper, who is a member of the Little Rock parts team. “We toured the parts warehouse and saw everything from the customer service people to how efficient the warehouse and shipping departments are. Also, how to incorporate some of their processes into what we do on a local level every day. And, about how to work better with customers one-on-one and help them understand the value of what Toyota has to offer.”

Napier, who works at the Fort Smith branch in the parts team, expressed gratitude to Hugg & Hall for the opportunity to attend the out-of-state event. 

“I am privileged to work for a company that is willing to send its employees to this type of training,” said Napier. “The experience was amazing and seeing how Toyota does their process was great.” 

The training also consisted of studying Toyota’s definition of value which pertains to the idea that customers will be willing to pay more for a part or service if they believe the quality is worth the extra expense. They also studied Toyota’s dictum of “Kaizen,” which urges the notion of continuous improvement in small steps that eventually manifest into big, positive changes.

Quality is the hallmark of the Toyota Production System practiced at all Toyota manufacturing facilities, including the Toyota Manufacturing Facility in Columbus, which was named a 2011 North American Best Plant by IndustryWeek Magazine and is a member of the National Safety Council. Toyota’s commitment to excellence in customer service extends throughout the United States and Canada. With more than 70 authorized Toyota Industrial Equipment dealers and more than 220 dealership locations throughout North America, Toyota dealers offer comprehensive customer service and support, including one-stop shopping for both new and used lift trucks, rentals, parts and service, fleet servicing and financing.

Hugg & Hall would like to thank Cooper and Napier for their hard work and their dedication to continuous improvement!

Michael Cooper

Michael Cooper

Michael Cooper Award