PAN-European fleet group Auto Leasing Europa has won the contract to supply 1,000 vehicles across Europe to Imation, which operates 3M Corporation's data storage and imaging systems.

Imation is also funding and managing 880 vehicles in the United States and Canada through ARI, Auto Leasing Europa's trading partner. Dial Contracts established ALE last year and already holds pan-European accounts with the likes of Brown Forman Corporation, Royal Liver and ICL.

Imation will rely on ALE offices in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and Ireland to supply vehicles and manage them. These will all be on contract hire with full maintenance and breakdown and rescue services.

Rob de Kort, financial director of Imation Europe, said Imation had decided upon a pan-European structure to achieve more centralised control and secure better pricing than it could on a nation by nation basis. Local differences have been overcome by establishing benchmark cars, rather than budgets, for each grade of employee. The local company then determines which is the most cost-effective car in its market to match the benchmark car.