In what is regarded as a significant achievement by the Mercedes-Benz representative in Nigeria, Weststar Associates recently held a one-week product training in Lagos, in collaboration with Daimler AG of Germany.
Weststar Associates, which is the authorised general distributors of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles in Nigeria hosted the participants – including nationwide dealers, as well as dealer representatives from various African countries, such as the Gambia, Rwanda, Ghana and Nigeria – at its premises in Lekki.
The product training which was organised by Daimler AG, was jointly coordinated by Abdul Ligali, Head Trainer, Weststar Associates and a certified global trainer for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, Uwe Strauss.
The primary focus of this year’s training was to equip sales staff, customer relationship personnel and other Mercedes-Benz dealers with technical knowledge needed for the incoming products to be launched later in the year; some of which include the new S-class, the X-class and the recently launched GLA and GLC.
Sharing his impression, one of the participants and Marketing Director of Akagera Business Group in Kigali, Rwanda, Roopak Gorajia, stated, “It was quite an exciting experience, getting to interact with professionals from different countries while learning about the new Mercedes-Benz products and analysing various African markets.”
Since inception, Weststar has organised technical and non-technical training sessions for staff, dealers, and customers, in order to expand the knowledge base of all employees and meet the various needs of customers.
An in-house training department was formally set up in 2012 to accommodate more trainees with over 2000 participants attending various categories of training, such as those relating to drivers, products, sales, and customer service, among others.
In his remarks after the exercise, the Managing Director/CEO, Weststar Associates, Mr. Mirko Plath, said, “With the remarkable training facility we have here in Nigeria, we were pleased to host other countries as this exposed us to networking opportunities and new perspectives on how to expand the Mercedes-Benz market in the country.”