Managing a fleet of vehicles is a complex affair. Ford knows that and has developed Ford Pro Fleet Management Software to simplify and bring order to the process. To illustrate what this software can do, Benna Ford offers this case study about an organization known as HomeTown Services.
Creating one Company out of 26
The company was formed as a cohort of 26 separate residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical service providers in the South-central United States. The entire nature of the business involves sending technicians in commercial vehicles to locations, and overall, HomeTown Services operates over 1500 vehicles, including Ford Transit® vans, E-350 box trucks, and F-250® Super Duty® trucks. Managing a fleet of this size across multiple states would challenge any business, but how HomeTown was formed from many separate businesses brought additional complexities.
“Our oldest brand was founded in 1961,” said Del Underwood, Vice President of Purchasing and Fleet. “Even the youngest is at least ten years old.” When they were independently operated, each business had its own fleet management process, and much of it was done manually.
“Fleet management was happening largely without software support,” Underwood said.
Recognizing the need to organize these disparate, often paper-based systems, HomeTown Services turned to Ford Pro™ to guide them through software adoption and implementation.
Streamlining Vehicle Purchases
It is a growing business that can purchase up to 250 vehicles annually. They already know what they need, so the most important factor is making the process quick and straightforward. Brian Harbison, Ford Pro™ FinSimple™ Commercial Business Development Manager, was called upon to set up a Commercial Line of Credit (CLOC) so that vehicles could be easily added by applying the total amount financed for each vehicle to an existing balance. Underwood and his team work closely with Harbison to ensure a sufficient balance to match their fleet growth projections.
Managing Different Forms of Maintenance
Maintaining such a fleet is a huge task, but the Ford Pro™ Fleet Management Software helps Underwood and his department stay on top. “Some branches have in-house mechanics, some use car dealers, and others use mechanic shops,” Underwood said. The software allows him to accommodate these different maintenance and repair processes, which allows each brand to maintain its individuality while ensuring HomeTown has an overall view of the fleet’s status.
“In our industry, downtime is a killer,” Underwood said. “We look at a vehicle and technician as a ‘unit.’ Whenever a service unit is down, it costs us up to $12,000 per day, while the revenue losses from a down installation unit can be as high as $22,000 per day.”
Knowing When to Say Goodbye
The Ford Pro™ Fleet Management Software also provides advice as to when a vehicle may need to be replaced. “It might sound counterintuitive, but you don’t want to drive a vehicle until the wheels fall off,” Underwood said. “At some point, its total cost of ownership will start to rise to a point where it makes more financial sense to bring in a new vehicle.”
Any fleet manager can recognize all these issues. Hopefully, this introduction has given a hint of how the Ford Pro™ Fleet Management Software can help them from purchase through the entire lifecycle of every fleet vehicle. Contact Benna Ford to see how the Ford Pro™ Fleet Management Software can help you with your fleet.
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