Ashfield In2Focus ticks all the boxes when it comes to managing an effective and efficient fleet.
Chief among its concerns is ensuring the safety of its drivers, which didn’t go unnoticed by the judges at the 2013 Fleet News Awards.
They praised the company’s ‘robust safety policy’ and named it Fleet of the Year in the 501-1,000 vehicle category.
Ashfield In2Focus insists that every driver takes a Rospa risk assessment so their driving style can be evaluated, before embarking on road safety training, regardless of the results of their risk assessment.
It’s a proactive approach that allows the company to identify any potential issues before they arise.
All road safety incidents are also reviewed at its bi-monthly health and safety committee meetings.
Helen Walne, fleet and business services manager, explains: “As part of our duty of care, if an incident of this type arises, a nominated member of the committee is responsible for having regular contact with the injured employee throughout the recovery process.
"This measure was introduced to offer the employee support and to ensure that they are given the opportunity to raise any issues or concerns.”
The committee also discusses any driver incident trends that become apparent and may need addressing with further training.
Walne adds: “We check all of our drivers’ licences through the DVLA, as well as keeping hard copies on file.”
As an extra precaution, all field-based managers carry out a vehicle check on each field visit.
“If anything is found that may compromise the safety of the driver, the manager will report the necessary details to the fleet department for further action,” says Walne.
Fleet News: How does the nature of your business impact on the lifecycle of your fleet?
Helen Walne: Ashfield In2Focus is primarily a contract sales organisation for the pharmaceutical industry.
We supply sales and nurse field teams to our clients on a contractual basis.
When a contract comes to an end, the team will either be disbanded or extended for another term.
Due to the nature of the business, we must ensure that at all times our vehicles can be managed for the minimum possible cost.
The majority of our fleet is on two-year lease cycle, with our management team on a three-year lease cycle.
Vehicle orders are planned at regular intervals throughout the year to ensure the allocation process is efficient.
If this process is not managed effectively, there is a risk of holding a large number of standing vehicles, the average cost of which is £10.20 per vehicle, per day.
We work closely with our lease provider to monitor the fleet, making alterations to lease lengths and mileages as and when required in line with the business need.
FN: How do you address environmental pressures?
HW: In November 2011, our average CO2 was 136g/km. Our current fleet average stands at 123g/km, with the lowest at 92g/km.
A benchmarking exercise against Lex Autolease’s other clients showed the average CO2 emissions to be 143g/km.
Our fleet consists mainly of Toyota Avensis 2.0 D4D Icons. The 2012 model has a CO2 of 119g/km. This means that as our earlier model vehicles are replaced, we will reduce our CO2 average.
Our manager car lists, which make up the rest of our fleet, range in CO2 from 94g/km, with the highest at 135g/km.
We do not include any vehicles on our lists that have a higher figure than 135g/km.
This is made clear to the car manufacturers during list compilation and subsequent negotiations.
FN: What are you doing to keep fuel costs in check?
HW: We encourage all of our drivers to use supermarket filling stations when fuelling their cars as they are generally the cheapest.
We also advise the use of www.petrolprices.com.
This is communicated to employees via regular newsletters and e-shots, which also cover driving tips such as winter driving and drink-driving, along with policy and internal process updates and reminders.
Communicating the reasoning behind our fleet policies and procedures makes our drivers much more willing to adhere to them.
FN: When it comes to procuring vehicles, how do you ensure you’re getting the best deal possible?
HW: The majority of our fleet comes from a single supplier, currently Toyota. The remaining vehicles are selected from a choice list for manager levels and this currently includes BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Lexus.
Our manager level agreements run on a yearly basis, depending on the ordering trend of our managers in previous years.
In the case of our main vehicle supplier, we usually procure two-year agreements, unless the model is due to come to the end of its life cycle within that period.
That’s because the new car may prove unsuitable or may be received negatively in the market, which in turn could affect our lease costs.
My line manager, Kate Forknell, and I have both worked in the procurement department, which gives us added insight into the procurement process.
As we approach the final quarter of our current agreement, we release our tender to the market.
We create a score card featuring a checklist of essential criteria for each vehicle and we also analyse the potential impact on our profit and loss account, on the environment and on our employees.
We then present our findings to the senior management team and make our final recommendations.
This ensures that all key stake-holders are aware of the reasons behind our decision and are given the opportunity to discuss them.
Ashfield In2Focus uses the Japanese Kaizen philosophy to inspire the way it works, with continuous improvement key to the way it runs its fleet.
Walne says: “No matter how well you think you are running your fleet or how good your processes are, there is always room for improvement; we just try to be proactive.
:Giving yourself time to stop, step back and reflect means you can see if there is a better or more efficient way of doing things.”
And Walne prefers her team to be pro-active rather than having to find a solution to a problem they didn’t see coming.
“Of course, there are always things that come to challenge us, but that is what keeps things interesting,” she says.
Factfile
Organisation: Ashfield In2Focus
Fleet and business services manager: Helen Walne
Fleet size: 879 cars
Brands on fleet: Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz
Funding method: Contract hire
Replacement cycle: 2 or 3 years depending on car grade, mileage is pooled
Fleet team size: 10
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Gareth has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist having started his career in local newspapers in the 1990s. Prior to joining Fleet News in 2008, he worked in the public sector as a media advisor and is currently news editor at Fleet News.
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