Daimler Buses selects the Best of the Best at the service

• Kevin Lampert from Liechtenstein wins BusTech Challenge 2017
• Bus technician Olympiad bears the motto "Compete with friends"
• 768 participants from 16 European countries competed

Kevin Lampert from Liechtenstein is the winner of the BusTech Challenge 2017. The 30-year-old vehicle mechanic won against competitors from 16 European countries in the internal competition between authorised Omniplus service outlets and lifted the golden winner´s trophy in Neu-Ulm. Michel Hoeve from the Netherlands secured 2nd place, and the bronze statue went to Joris Keymeulen from Belgium.

A total of 768 participants, 216 of them from Germany, entered the popular Olympiad for bus technicians last summer. That was over 80 service employees more than in the previous competition, which is organised every two years by the Daimler Buses service brand Omniplus. In three preliminary rounds of the contest, now being held for the fourth time, the employees had to answer a complex catalogue of online questions at their sites on various aspects of buses and coaches and their function, maintenance and repair.

During the final round in Neu-Ulm, the 16 respective national winners demonstrated their practical skills. At different stations, they performed tasks such as diagnosing faults, rectifying malfunctioning door controls, exchanging high-pressure fuel pumps and painting body parts - all under the scrutiny of service specialists, who set a strict time limit for each task.

Bus operators win in the internal competition too

For Ulrich Bastert, Head of Marketing, Sales and Customer Services Daimler Buses, the BusTech Challenge motivates the employees all over Europe.

"With "Compete with friends" as its motto, the competition was fair, and showed that our employees are happy to take on the daily challenges in bus and coach service. With the tasks we set they were able to deepen their knowledge much further. Our operations and, in turn, our customers, feel the benefit of this."

Kevin Lampert had to take a deep breath after the awards ceremony, commenting modestly: "I was definitely surprised to take first place. But I'm honoured and now even more motivated to continue offering the bus operators first-class service."

More than 600 authorised Omniplus service outlets in Europa

Omniplus offers comprehensive services for Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and coaches. All in all, 500 Customer Service & Parts employees and more than 200 service locations all over Germany ensure high availability of buses and coaches right around the clock.

With more than 600 authorised service centres, the brand offers the largest bus-specific service network in the whole of Europe. The employees of the Daimler Buses service brand also train bus and coach drivers all over Europe in handling safety, economic efficiency and driving proficiency.

About Daimler

Daimler AG is one of the most successful automotive manufacturers in the world. With its Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services divisions, the vehicle manufacturer is one of the largest producers of premium cars and the largest globally operative manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Daimler Financial Services offers financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance services, investments, credit cards and innovative mobility services.

Company founders Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz wrote history with the invention of the motorcar in 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: the company applies innovative and green technologies to produce safe and superior vehicles which fascinate and delight customers. Daimler invests continually in the development of alternative powertrains – from hybrid vehicles to all-electric vehicles with battery or fuel cell – with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. Furthermore, the company follows a consistent path towards accident-free driving and intelligent connectivity all the way to autonomous driving. Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment.