Robert Adkins from George Browns has scooped the top award at the annual Kubota UK Agricultural Skills Contest, an event that tests the technical expertise of service engineers from the manufacturer's dealer network throughout the UK.
L-R: Robert Adkins, Service Engineer at George Browns with Dave Roberts, Managing Director at Kubota UK
Now in its third year, the one day event, held at Kubota’s training academy at its head office in Oxfordshire, pushed the abilities of each contestant to their limits by the company’s expert service engineers.
The manufacturer challenged contestants to complete a detailed written assessment followed by an intense 90 minute practical assessment, with competitors tasked with diagnosing and fixing five faults on a M5111 tractor.
To highlight the importance the manufacturer puts on service training, top-level engineers from Kubota Corporation were flown in specifically for the event to form part of the expert judging panel with Kubota UK. The competitors were not only judged on their ability to remedy all five faults, but also being able to demonstrate the method behind their decision making process.
Robert Adkins, Service Engineer at George Browns, was crowned the overall winner with the judges citing his methodology and processes used to fixing all five faults set him apart from the other competitors.
Robert will now accompany Kubota UK to Japan to see its participation in the Kubota Global Skills Contest, where the very best Kubota engineers in the world compete.
Keith Miller, Service & Training Manager, said: “The high level of competition witnessed at this year’s event not only showcases the quality of engineers within our dealer network, but also the expertise and high standard of service Kubota customers have access to. Robert was a deserving winner and this award is a testament to the hard work and dedication he puts into his role as a service engineer.
“This competition enables us to celebrate the hard work and meticulous nature engineers from our dealer network apply to their daily jobs, as well as raising their technical and customer skills to ensure Kubota machinery users receive the highest levels of aftercare.
“Investment into improving the skills and technical abilities of service engineers within our business and dealer network is of the utmost importance and it’s great to see so many engineers willing to put their talents to the test. Such has been the success of the UK Agriculture Skills Contest since its introduction in 2015, Kubota employees from all over Europe were in attendance with a view to replicating the competition in their respective countries, therefore seeing Kubota UK as a Centre of Excellence to be aspired to.”
