Heroes of the Trade – Global Dealer Technician Challenge

 As the region’s authorized dealer of Cat® Products and Services, Al-Bahar is pleased to participate in the 2024-2026 Global Dealer Technician Challenge (GDTC) hosted by Caterpillar, titled ‘Heroes of the Trade’. 

About GDTC

The goal of the program is to enhance technician engagement by recognizing and rewarding dealer technicians for their exceptional performance in the aspects of Quality, Safety, Standard Jobs, Cat Inspect, Contamination Control, Tools & Vehicle Assessment. In this hands-on, skills-based competition, our technicians are being tested on their agility, resilience, and versatility in real-world scenarios against fellow technicians globally. The assessment focuses on Troubleshooting, Diagnostics, Repair, and Maintenance of Machines’ Powertrains, Engines, Engine Emission Systems, Brake & Steering, Machine Electronics, Hydraulics, Reuse & Salvage/ After Failure Analysis (AFA), Customer Experience, and Service Reporting.

Selection Process

Semi Finals – Round 2

Semi Finals are to be held from November 3-7, at Caterpillar Malaga Demonstration and Learning Center, in Spain. With the weight of global expectations on his shoulders, Hamza Mustafa will be relentlessly preparing for the semi-finals in November 2025. Under the unwavering guidance and support of his Mentor – Waqar Khan, Hamza will be pushing his limits and honing his skills through rigorous and exhaustive training sessions. Fueled by passion and determination, he’s committed to representing Al-Bahar with pride and securing a spot in the grand finale.

Regional Qualifiers – Round 1

The regional qualifiers were held from November 18-22, at the Caterpillar Regional Training Center at Dubai, UAE. Around 10 experienced dealer technicians from 5 different Africa/Middle East dealerships competed across 4 days of exhaustive challenges and tests.

Hamza Mustafa emerged as a WINNER
by attaining the First Position
at the Regional Qualifiers Award ceremony held on the 22 Nov.

Internal Challenge by Al-Bahar

The selection process for identifying the top 2 contenders from Al-Bahar was completed by the end of June 2024 through the Al-Bahar Internal Challenge, with adherence to the following steps:

Assigning Knowledge Evaluations for all Technicians with Scores and Coaching Reports forwarded to the Selection Team. 
Assigning Additional online Programs on Service Reporting and Customer Experience.
The Committee’s selection of Top Contenders based on Competency, Highest Scores on Knowledge Assessment, and Performance on New Online Courses.
4 Days of Hands-On Physical Assessments on the Machines that cover different types of systems.

With 9 Cat Certified Machine Technicians (CCMT) already chosen from four Branches for their commendable readiness to compete for the Top 2 spots in the Regional Qualifier Challenge, we further have more technicians lined up to be fit for the same as they currently undergo the certification.

Bilson Marathampilly and Hamza Mustafa,
two of our experienced technicians, were declared winners of the Internal Challenges and moved on to represent Al-Bahar at the next phase – Regional Qualifiers in Dubai, from 18-22 Nov 2024.

In total there will be three (3) rounds, culminating in a global final where one competitor will be crowned the first Global Dealer Top Technician!

Your Support Matters! 

Our technicians’ participation and success deserve to be cheered for and supported as it is an opportunity to have their talent spotlighted while also bringing a testament to the global reputation of Al-Bahar Regional Training Center (RTC) and Technician Career Development Program (TCDP).  This is another opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to excellence and to foster a culture of continuous improvement and serving our customers better.

You will find the latest news and other details based on the Global Dealer Technician Challenge across all our official social media channels. Follow Al-Bahar across social media to stay informed.

Stay tuned for more updates! Show support.