RENTOKIL Initial is fitting vehicle locator technology to more than 1,500-cars and vans in a bid to enhance vehicle security and improve operational efficiency.

Two of the company's smaller divisions had already been operating vehicle tracking technology, before the latest plan to roll it out to the 500-strong fleet of Initial Healthcare, 400 Rentokil Pest Control vehicles, and 650 vehicles run by Initial Textile Services.

The tracking technology used is Siemens Datatrak's AVL, which operates via a radio network rather than mobile phone systems, and will help Rentokil improve its response times and monitor the location and security of its vehicles.

After piloting AVL with its Medical Services division, Mike Tunnell, procurement director of Rentokil Initial, said: 'Essentially the pilot demonstrated an excellent return on investment by improving efficiency, reducing costs and increasing vehicle security.'

The company self-insures its fleet, so the cost of replacing a stolen vehicle represents a direct hit to its bottom line.

The tracking technology has already located one stolen Rentokil van, recovered the day after it was stolen.

'We are struck particularly by the controlled cost of ownership of Datatrak, which provides regular updates at a fixed cost by virtue of its radio network,' added Tunnell.