IBM is one of the best known companies in the world, and a global leader in the computing industry. In Belgium, Luxembourg and France, it operates around 5,000 vehicles, and has selected Fleet Logistics to be its strategic partner. Car Fleet Director Claude Michel explains some of the thinking behind the move.
Can you give us some details of your fleet?
In Belgium and Luxembourg, we have 2,000 cars, all of which are the responsibility of Fleet Logistics. We have a further 3,000 cars in France, of which 600 are currently managed by Fleet Logistics.
How does the arrangement involving Fleet Logistics and the leasing companies work in practice?
The leasing companies are responsible for everything to do with the car, all the technical items, with Fleet Logistics being one level above this. We are currently fully developed in Belgium with this arrangement, and we have started a trial in a part of France. I think that in the future, other large companies such as IBM will be more and more interested in this type of arrangement. Large companies often use more than one supplier, and Fleet Logistics can compare prices from different sources to provide the best deal. The actual definition of what is required, of course, comes from myself.
Since you started your international fleet policy, what are the main lessons you have learned?
Firstly, you have to maintain a very close relationship with your suppliers. And from our point of view, it is better to call upon Fleet Logistics to act as a driving force between ourselves and the leasing companies. They can bring their own professionalism to this task. It is after all their core business, whereas it is not ours.
How does Fleet Logistics help you?
What I look for from Fleet Logistics in this arrangement is that they replace the work I would otherwise have to do. They take over the management process for my fleet, looking after invoicing, checking and follow-up, cost control etc. We have been working with Fleet Logistics in Belgium for many years, and I find them very professional; they know their job very well.
What advice would you give to other fleet managers looking to make their policies more international?
It is vital to use more than one leasing company. In this way, you are able to benchmark and in our case, this certainly has a positive financial effect. I would recommend that they keep the fleet policy in-house – they know better than anyone else what they want to achieve – but that they subcontract the second level of control, as we do to Fleet Logistics. Why try and create a level of expertise yourself, when this expertise already exists with other companies?
For details please see: http://www.fleetlogistics.com
