ASEC Certification: What's In It for You?

ASEC is an in-depth certification process designed to optimize and organize the service process at every level — from workspaces, to service vehicles, to parts storage, to facilities, to communication, and more — for maximum productivity and customer satisfaction.

It reflects the core of our belief that Seikaku (Accuracy) and Shinsetsu (Caring) will enable us to earn your Shinrai (Trust).

Through the ASEC certification program, dealers walk through a process of applying many of the renowned principles of the Toyota Production System (especially Kaizen, the idea of continuous improvement) and 5S (Sort, Systematize, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) to their aftermarket service. This is accomplished by making necessary improvements to meet the key requirements of our comprehensive ASEC survey.

During this certification process, the dealership receives an initial evaluation of documents, processes, and physical items by a certified ASEC evaluator. They must then complete Kaizen activities to make necessary improvements to meet the high standards of the wide-ranging ASEC survey. Once they are ready for final evaluation, these key requirements are then physically inspected, reviewed, and photographed or otherwise documented as evidence of meeting or exceeding ASEC standards. Finally, this survey must be confirmed as passing by a completely different ASEC evaluator.

A minimum 90% score is required to pass the ASEC certification program. And in the most recent survey update, key additions were made to better address Customer Service & Trust (CST) and place additional emphasis on 22 questions related to essential 5S activity.

As an example, some of the questions assessed in the ASEC survey include:

• Whether the service vans have all the tools, parts, and equipment necessary for repairs — and keep them in good order.

• Whether the operating hours and emergency phone number of the parts and service department is posted for you.

• Whether the dealer has a service schedule for technicians that is clearly visible.

• Whether the dealer follows up with you after service.

Our dealers are accountable for these standards and a wide variety of other aspects of their business – now and into the future. ASEC accreditation isn’t a lifetime certification. It expires every three years, at which point a dealership must go through each of the questions again and submit new photos and documentation for recertification. This helps to sustain the improvements made and build upon them, for even better results, through the continuous process of Kaizen.

As a result of this comprehensive process, the service teams at ASEC-certified dealerships have their shops well-ordered and ready to go so that they can focus on the task at hand: servicing and repairing your forklifts, order pickers, reach trucks, automated systems, and other material handling equipment.

And that’s what you want. Because when your service team is moving efficiently, you are, too.