Bumping last year’s winner down to Highly Commended is Hitachi Capital, with its cloud-based daily rental system that it had been working on for almost a year prior to the launch two months ago.
The system allows the individual requirements of car, commercial vehicle and plant leasing customers to be set up on one system, linked to 200 independent rental companies. Real-time reports allow managers to check on who has hired what, when, why and how much it costs, with bookings online 24 hours a day.
Hitachi has also been working on its auditing system, and claims to have cut its invoice error rate from 14% to 0.5% within two years, something that particularly impressed the judging panel. The company also claims efficiency gains for fleets through its rental systems, including average rental length plunging from 6.8 days to 2.4, and has focussed on an awareness campaign about high fuel recharge costs, slashing this extra outgoing by 55%.
Last year’s winner, Nexus Vehicle Management’s Iris system, again impressed the judges and is our Highly Commended recipient. The firm claims customers are able to book vehicles in under 30 seconds, and the Iris system has been refreshed with a new user interface and improved information about efficiency and cost savings. The majority of developments were, says the company, suggested by customers. The system is also now complemented by Nexfleet, a cloud-based fleet management package covering all areas of operating a business car fleet.