Vertu Group Fleet , part of Vertu Motors, has seen positive results from a pilot scheme involving MoDel VM, a new, standalone version of Ebbon-Dacs’ MoDel solution, which improves vehicle collection and delivery efficiency.

The MoDel VM solution completely automates the new vehicle delivery/used vehicle collection process and allows users to remarket their vehicles more efficiently, as well as capturing all relevant information electronically and removing all paper from the system.

Vertu Group Fleet, based at Vertu House in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, is trialling the new system with two of the logistics companies it uses to transport vehicles to leasing company and corporate fleet customers around the UK.

If the trial is successful, it will then roll out MoDel VM to all the logistics providers the company uses to help handle the movement of the 10,000 new vehicles it sells a year.

Caroline Imrie, fleet supply manager at Vertu Group Fleet, said the new system had worked very well so far. She continued: “We deliberately decided to trial it in March which is the biggest month for vehicle movements due to the registration plate change.

“Our reasoning was that if it could work well this month, then it could probably work well for the rest of the year. And, so far it has been just what we are looking for.

“It removes all the paper from the system and gives us fully automated confirmation of vehicle collection and delivery, rather than having to rely on a paper system as we have in the past.

“It also helps speed up the pre-payment process as it allows us to complete the necessary information required much more quickly and efficiently.

“Our objective is to provide our customers with outstanding service and MoDel VM helps us do that.”

Vertu Group Fleet targets 100-plus vehicle fleets and looks to check and prepare as many new vehicles as possible at PDI centres around the UK, rather than through the Group’s 120-strong dealer network.  This generates a large number of vehicle movements across the country, the very situation that MoDel VM was created to handle.

MoDel VM complements the original MoDel system which currently handles around 4,500-5,000 vehicle movements per month across the fleet market and is employed by 11 of the UK’s largest contract hire and leasing companies, who are also users of Ebbon-Dacs’ Leaselink e-procurement platform.

The MoDel solution, a joint venture between Ebbon-Dacs and motor accessories supplier, VGroup International, has been designed to allow Leaselink users to automatically upload all electronic vehicle delivery and collection information directly into the Leaselink platform, thus cutting time, errors and needless administration, and speeding up the time to market.

Now, the same level of functionality is available through MoDel VM for companies which are responsible for large movements of vehicles, but which are not necessarily members of the Leaselink trading community, such as logistics companies, daily rental suppliers and auction houses.

MoDel VM offers the very latest functionality and features, including improved photographic capabilities to more accurately record and assess the condition of collected vehicles, along with more detailed, but easier to use, damage reporting which can be relayed instantly to end users.

The damage reporting functionality uses a ‘dynamic flat car’ schematic to allow specific areas of the car to be captured in more detail, including individual items of the vehicle’s specification, and uploaded instantaneously to users’ websites. 

The solution works perfectly on tablet computers which use the Android 4.0 operating system or newer, while an inbuilt compatibility app allows users to check whether their device is fit for purpose.  

Ebbon-Dacs has introduced a tiered pricing structure for the new system based on the number of vehicle movements it records and is also offering training in its use, which can be carried out online, at the user’s place of work or at Ebbon-Dacs’ Oxford offices.

MoDel product manager Michael Terry said: “We are delighted with the success to date of the pilot with Vertu Group Fleet for our moDelVM solution, which allows non-Leaselink users to benefit fully from the functionality that the new generation system offers.”

More articles on: