Penske Australia & New Zealand has presented Jason Gavin and Frederich Pfuhl the 2024 Penske Guild Master Technician awards for on-highway and off-highway, respectively.

Penske Guild members from around Australia and New Zealand competed in qualification rounds prior to the final, vying for the title of Master Technician.

Including general procedural tasks and advanced diagnostics scenarios, the 12 finalists competed against each other and the stopwatch.

Based in Penske’s Perth branch, Jason has expertise across the full range of Western Star, MAN, and Detroit product portfolios, particularly Western Star, having worked with the brand for 14 years.  

“The on-highway battle was fierce. Demonstrating his competitive spirit and commitment to excellence, Jason is a worthy winner,” said Russell Koch, training manager – northern region, Penske Australia & New Zealand.

“In his acceptance speech, Jason humbly credited his win to the supportive culture and the training investment made in him by the organisation.”

Having joined Penske in 2017, Frederich is a field service technician based in Auckland. In addition to his wide-ranging field experience, he has completed multiple mtu 2000 series and 4000 series mechanical, electrical, and automation training courses, leading him to work across all off-highway markets, particularly energy solutions and marine.

“Among a very experienced field of technicians, Frederich is a very worthy winner of the off-highway Master Technician award, showcasing his vast expertise,” said Daniel Raine, technical training manager, Penske Australia & New Zealand.

“All competitors did a fantastic job on the day, and it’s a testament to the depth of capability we have at Penske to support our mtu customers across various industries, including mining, energy solutions, marine, rail, defence, construction and industrial, and oil and gas across Australia and New Zealand.”

The Master Technician competition is in its ninth year, having commenced in 2016 with former winners on hand to congratulate their fellow champions.

“Over the years, the calibre of participants has gone from strength to strength,” said Leigh Henderson, chief operating officer and Penske Guild chair at Penske Australia & New Zealand.

“While being crowned a Master Technician is prestigious, customers benefit most from our Penske Guild program.

“Covering the breadth of operations, Penske Guild represents a tangible standard of excellence that ultimately delivers high quality and prompt solutions for customers.”

2024 Master Technicians Jason and Frederich will enjoy trips overseas to the United States and Germany to visit Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ mtu plant and the Detroit plant, respectively. To learn more about career opportunities with Penske, visit https://penske.com.au/career-opportunities.

Jason Gavin (left) and Frederich Pfuhl

Penske Australia & New Zealand managing director, Hamish Christie-Johnston addressing finalists and guests at the awards dinner.

Jason competing.

Frederich competing.

Penske’s Kings Park (Sydney) facility during the competition.