Schindler Lifts Productivity
18 December 2008
Managing a corporate fleet is a full-time job incorporating many detailed and legal components. With Toyota Fleet Management's Fully Maintained Operating Lease, the responsibilities of day-to-day fleet management are assumed by industry experts, leaving in-house fleet managers with more time and less stress.
Well-known lift and escalator company Schindler manages the installation, upgrade and maintenance of 10,000 sites across Australia. Schindler technicians are on-call 24-hours a day, making cost-efficiency and mobility the top priorities for its company fleet.
Toyota Fleet Management provides a fully outsourced solution for Schindler, achieving Schindler's dual fleet imperatives through regular communication, tailored reporting and pricing transparency.
The Relationship
Schindler operates a large fleet which, prior to signing on with Toyota Fleet Management (TFM), was a challenging mixture of lease and company-owned vehicles.With standardisation and streamlining in mind, Schindler outsourced the management of the 290-strong fleet to Toyota Fleet Management, transferring a third of the fleet's Fully Maintained Operating Leases in the first year.
For each vehicle on a Fully Maintained Operating Lease, Toyota Fleet Management handles timely vehicle delivery, a fuel card, roadside and accident administration, maintenance and servicing, re-registration, compulsory third party insurance renewals, tyre replacements and a comprehensive array of reports.
Schindler Fleet Manager, Rod Inberg, says that because his entire fleet is now on Fully Maintained Operating leases, the time-consuming day-to-day aspects of fleet management have been taken off his hands and are dealt with by the experienced Toyota Fleet Management team.
"Regular meetings and in-depth reporting help us understand where improvements can be made towards operating a more efficient fleet," he said.
"The fleet agreement has been up for tender three times. Toyota Fleet Management's overall fleet management solution means it's hard to find a better provider - they are always responsive and accurate with the information they provide.
"Toyota Fleet Management understands that our goal is to make the fleet more efficient, especially regarding fuel costs.
"With Toyota Fleet Management taking control of the entire fleet operation, including reporting and collating the details for Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT), I have more time to focus on other areas of the business," Mr Inberg said.
The solution
A major aspect of finding increased efficiency for Schindler's fleet involved a closer analysis of all costs incurred, over and above the transparent pricing analysis and quoting.
Toyota Fleet Management produces a range of detailed reports on the Schindler fleet including vehicle delivery times, vehicle mileage, fuel card statements, Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) and fuel consumption - all of which are customised to Schindler's specific cost-centre requirements.
Mr Inberg says the data provided in the reports are invaluable when analysing and making decisions on the make-up of the fleet.
"Using a thorough reporting schedule, Toyota Fleet Management has helped us evaluate our fleet make-up, and ensured the applicability of each vehicle to the job it is assigned to. To achieve this we have introduced the small passenger vehicle, Yaris, as a tool of trade vehicle for our technicians. It still has enough cargo space for their needs, but the whole-of-life costs are considerably less expensive," Mr Inberg said.
"Alterations to the fleet make-up suggested by Toyota Fleet Management - such as rearranging vehicles within the fleet to optimise overall performance - benefit our business and our bottom line.
"A large component of corporate fleet management is compulsory FBT-reporting to the Australian Taxation Office. One of the benefits of the Fully Maintained Operating Lease is that Toyota Fleet Management collates FBT data for each one of our fleet vehicles," Mr Inberg said.
"Their assistance means our FBT reports are always accurate and completed on time.
"The team at Toyota Fleet Management helps me keep the fleet running smoothly. There is peace of mind in knowing that when I have a specific requirement, their experience and expertise in fleet management will provide the answer."
The Business
Schindler's products can be found in many well-known buildings throughout Australia, including premium commercial office buildings, hospitals, major airports, national shopping centres, exclusive residential apartments and specialty buildings.
The Schindler fleet is primarily made up of Toyota HiLux, HiAce and Yaris vehicles, used as tool of trade vehicles for regional maintenance visits, attending CBD passenger entrapments and building site deliveries.
"Toyota Fleet Management stands out from other companies in their absolute focus on ensuring we are mobile," said Mr Inberg.
"They have developed a thorough understanding of our business, always responding to our needs with smart solutions.
"The comprehensive array of services and tailored reports provided by Toyota Fleet Management has eliminated the time and hassle involved in fleet administration."