Capital Equipment News July 2017

FLEET MANAGEMENT

COMPREHENDING FLEET MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

A s capital equipment-driven businesses fight to reduce operational costs and maximise efficiencies, fleet manage- ment solutions can provide significant cost savings and operational efficiencies. The benefits of a fleet management solution are many and might vary upon the nature and area of expertise from company to company, but there are generally some major pros that occur when the technology is adopted. These include lower fuel costs; improved route planning; increased employee productivity; improved cost control; and important data collection, among others. While these benefits are clearly defined, there are still some issues around fleet management solutions, which are hindering uptake of this technology. At the heart of this is that fleet managers don’t realise that this technology, and the big data that can be derived from it, is more than just a device that spits out a whole lot of information. It’s an end-to-end solution –

Every mile logged in a company truck goes against the company’s bottom line in the form of fuel expenses, tyre wear and eventual maintenance costs, to mention a few. While the benefits of acquiring a fleet management solution are well documented and some industries have gone further down this route, there are still some concerns around this technology, writes Munesu Shoko .

implemented in close collaboration with the service provider – that makes continuous improvement possible. The main challenges for local fleet managers as far as fleet management solutions are concerned are costs and management of data, as it is important for fleet managers to get the right data out of the system that is relevant to their business. However, the logistics industry seems to be one fleet-driven sector leading the adoption of fleet management and tracking solutions with little concerns. With the

Internet of Things (IoT) seemingly taking over and the number of connected devices increasing (research predicts over 46 billion devices will be connected to the internet in 2021), service delivery in many industries has improved significantly as fleet management and tracking has become a lot easier and much more interactive than in the past, according to Adam Orlin, head of Investec Import Solutions. Orlin says the use of IoT connected devices can help manage risks that the transport and logistics industry are faced

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