AN East London-based catering firm has saved £30,000 a year by investing in vehicle tracking.

Key Catering, a supplier of food packaging and disposable catering items, used Minorplanet's Vehicle Management Information (VMI) system to crack down on drivers falsifying overtime claims.

The firm has a fleet of 51 vehicles, mainly Ford Transits, that deliver fresh food across the UK.

Raymond Stacey, Key Catering financial director, said: 'We needed to have a greater control on the overtime being claimed by our drivers. I am also assured that my vehicles can be tracked should they be stolen or involved in a road accident.

'Possibly the biggest asset to the business is the ability to live-track my vehicles and provide up-to-the-minute reporting to my customers.'

Stacey opted for 'big brother-style' technology after investing in a Minorplanet telematics 'health check'.

The Minorplanet Fleet Consultancy is aimed at fleet decision-makers who want to boost fleet efficiency by receiving detailed information on their day-to-day operations. It uses the firm's VMI system to monitor vehicles over a month, then provides reports, making specific recommendations to the customer to make vehicles work smarter and therefore increase productivity.