GENERAL Motors Global fleet Strategy Board is beginning to see its labours bear fruit 18 months after being established. Set up to meet the demands of global companies that were turning their attention to their company car fleets, GM's Global Fleet Strategy Board already has a couple of notable successes under its belt with the likes of Honeywell Control Systems and Royal & SunAlliance.

Mike Bonner, Vauxhall's corporate sales director, said: 'We are talking to a lot of major companies now, and I expect to see more and more organisations committing to global supply agreements in the next 12 months. In my experience, once a company starts to analyse its car fleets country by country, the first thing that surprises it is the size and diversity of its fleet - and, of course, the cost.'

The solution is increasingly a global fleet deal that rationalises an organisation's purchasing policy, and standardises its products and procedures on a global basis. GM claims this can achieve tangible cost savings and management efficiency gains, particularly as communication links allow operations on either side of the world to co-ordinate their fleet policy with ease.