A van fleet has achieved a £400,000 saving by moving from a three-year to a four-year replacement cycle and switching from Ford to Citroen.

Wakefield District Housing’s (WDH) fleet of over 350 Ford vans was supplied on a three-year replacement cycle by Lombard.

Last year, Lombard offered to extend the contract for 12 months to help WDH through the uncertainty of the recession and develop the most appropriate ongoing fleet strategy. The move reduced costs by over £700 per unit to finance the fleet for the additional 12 months.

WDH also switched to a new, solus Citroen fleet, which has helped drive CO2 emissions down more than 10%. The move from three to four years and the switch of manufacturers resulted in a saving of around £200,000.

Following a tender, Lombard has now been reappointed as the contract hire supplier for a further four years and has begun delivery of the new Citroen vans.

The first 180 units are being delivered this year and will be run on fully maintained contract hire over four years.

Lombard’s Van Sales Unit is handling the design and build of different variants for a range of trades requiring the specification of features ranging from false floors to dropsides with axle weight indicators.

“As a young and growing company we wanted a leasing provider with a degree of flexibility and Lombard has delivered on that,” says Wakefield’s fleet manager Rick Young. “This has approach proved hugely valuable at such an uncertain time, ensuring that we have the most efficient fleet operation possible and allowing us to look forward.”

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