By Kuvee Kangueehi WINDHOEK THE new Pupkewitz Nissan Windhoek flagship dealership was officially inaugurated last month in the capital. The state-of-the-art building will be a one-stop premises for purchasing, repairs and servicing of Nissan cars. At the occasion, the executive chairman of Pupkewitz Holdings Haroldt Pupkewitz said the opening of the new flagship premises of Pupkewitz Nissan is a major milestone in their six-year relationship with Nissan South Africa and is tangible evidence of the Pupkewitz group’s commitment to its leitmotif of ” Customer Satisfaction through Service Excellence” which accords perfectly with Nissan’s aim of being a “top level customer oriented company” and an important supplier of passenger and light commercial vehicles. Pupkewitz noted that in June 1999 the Pupkewitz Group acquired the Nissan franchises in Windhoek and Walvis Bay from the Lonrho Group, which had made a global Satisfaction Index in their Service Department and has risen from 74 in August to 86,5 in the first two weeks of October. ” We are serious about customer service which means that we are serious about training and development.” The chairman urged all members of staff at Pupkewitz Nissan to take full advantage of the career opportunities offered to them by practising the skills they have been taught to do their job better every day. He also a gave brief history about the Pupkewitz Group and said the company is a home-grown Namibian company with humble origins in his father’s small general dealer shop in 1925. His father started his business life in 1902 as a wagon builder but when he returned from visiting his family in Lithuania during the First World War, he found that the days of the horse and cart and ox wagon were past. Pupkewitz proudly said that today the Pupkewitz companies employ over 850 staff of whom only three are foreigners on work permits and a further three are permanent residents and that is a sure testament to their commitment to developing local talent. ” Indeed, the Pupkewitz Group can be seen as a practical Namibian Business School over the years and many employees have learned business skills which have encouraged them to open their own businesses, sometimes in opposition to our businesses.” In his conclusion the chairman added that Nissan Valid Value Cars offer their customers motoring peace of mind through ensuring that before being put on the sales floor each vehicle is refurbished to new car standards by the Pupkewitz MegaMotors refurbishment Centre where it has to pass a 150-point “health check”. ” Every car sold is backed by a full two-year warranty valid within the SADC region irrespective of distance travelled since sold.” Pupkewitz also paid tribute to Mayor of Windhoek, Matheus Shikongo and said the latter has been a friend to him for many years. On his part Shikongo said the new facilities are a very welcome addition to Windhoek’s infrastructure and a sign of the confidence that the Pupkewitz Group has in the future growth and prosperity of the city. ” Congratulations to the Pupkewitz Motor Holdings managing team for its highly impressive service to the residents of our capital city and I salute this team through its chairman for the role which the Pupkewitz Group plays in our national effort to achieve rapid and sustained local economic growth and development.” Shikongo said the group has established an enviable reputation as one of the most respected trading houses in Namibia, as a confident investor in the Namibian economy and developer of Namibian talent. ” The City of Windhoek is cognizant and aware of the fact that the eradication of poverty and other social evils such as crime, alcohol abuse and unemployment will remain a pipedream if the economy of the country is not propelled to new heights.” The mayor added that it is an open secret that the 21st Century has witnessed a swing in the global economy, which led to the crash on the financial markets in the Far East and instability in the oil prices. He added that against this background the City of Windhoek adopted the Local Economy Development Policy in 2000, which is tailor made to give impetus to the growth and diversification of the local economy. ” The inauguration of the Pupkewitz Nissan flagship dealership premises certainly adds a new dimension to the efforts being made at all level of Government to promote economic development in Namibia.” Many dignitaries including members of the Cabinet and prominent businesspeople attended the occasion. The Managing Director of Nissan South Africa Julio Panama also witnessed the occasion.