Team Harju from Finland are the VISTA 2015-2016 world champions after successfully defending their title at the world final in Gothenburg, Sweden. Having also won in VISTA 2012-2013, they are the first team to win the prestigious award twice.
The world final was held at the Volvo Training Center in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 31. In total 32 teams, representing every continent, took part in an intensive day of competition that involved completing eight work station tasks, each within 30 minutes.
It was clear from the beginning that no team was content with just being in the final and every participant was determined to do their best. “It has been very challenging because you have to complete the tasks as quickly as possible and as correctly as possible,” claimed Marco Verkerke, from Dutch team de Fietsemakers, half way through the competition, before his would go on to finish second. “Sometimes you think you’ve done a task perfectly and find out later you’ve made some mistakes. And other times you think you’ve done badly but get a perfect score.”
“VISTA is a way of showing how much we value the hard work carried out in our workshops the world over,” claimed Claes Nilsson, President Volvo Trucks, who was on site to witness the world final. “It’s also a way for us to invest in the feature that our customers value the most – world-class service.”
On June 1, a gala dinner and award ceremony was held, where the winners were announced. Despite it being their second world championship, for Team Harju, the occasion was just as special and they celebrated just as hard. “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, our personalities, how we work, and how we react in different situations,” said Immo Harju. “This is something that has been built up over time, from working together every day for years, so it is very special that we win this world championship.”
Final results VISTA 2015-2016
First: Team Harju, Finland
Second: Zarren 1, Belgium
Third: de Fietsemakers, The Netherlands
Best team spirit: Swissta, Switzerland
Best newcomer: Riga, Latvia
