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Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions has proclaimed itself "open for business" as it seeks to expand and raise its profile in the market for medium-sized fleets.
New divisional director Robert Wastell said the firm has previously been "off radar" for many business car operators, but the time is now right for growth.
"We are the leasing companies' best kept secret, so raising the profile is important," Wastell told BusinessCar.
"We want to grow this business. We've got aspirational plans to grow and we've got good secure funding; we are open for business."
Wastell said the target is fleets of 25-1000 vehicles: "We're not really big players in that sector; it's an area we'll be looking at going for and taking our expertise with larger fleets to a wider audience."
Acquisition is also a possibility for Hitachi, especially in the wake of the recent structural reshuffle that saw Wastell come in as head of the car division, operating alongside the separated commercial vehicle and driving instructor businesses.
All three divisional chiefs report into chief executive Simon Oliphant. "We've got good access to funding, the market is consolidating and if there is an opportunity in the marketplace - not necessarily vehicle leasing but plant, heavy machinery etc - then we'll look at acquisition," revealed Wastell. "It's one of Simon's jobs now."
Wastell said Hitachi's key area will be fleets looking for leasing, fleet funding and fleet management across a broad spectrum of vehicles.
"We can offer a fully integrated service across cars, commercials, HGVs and plant, and it's not about sole supply of contract hire because we can offer funding solutions; it doesn't have to be leased," he said.
"If it has to be hire purchase for a customer, for example, we can manage that through the business."
Hitachi manages a number of diverse fleets, according to Wastell. "It wasn't the decision of the company to sign up large, complex, outsourced fleets but it has been very successful," he said.
Hitachi has been planning for expansion and has been carrying out an organisational review and business improvement process.
"We're looking at what's important to the customer," explained Wastell. "In our industry we're very good at coming out with a whizzy product, but what's most important to customers? Invoicing and delivering on the price quote, and issue resolution quickly and fairly."
He added that a recent potential customer, when asked what they wanted from a leasing contract, replied "boring predictability", with any problems sorted quickly.
"All leasing companies have issues with customers and you can deal with it, but have you fixed the root cause?" he concluded.
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