When Wakefield Council realised their existing fleet system couldn’t handle the increasing demands of their fleet and transit operations, they recognised an all-encompassing solution was necessary to bring together all vehicle, workshop, plant and driver management activities into one system.
“We needed a system that could cover all transport-related matters as a total solution for all our end-users,” said Peter Johnson, Transport Services Manager, “In our case, the end-users also consisted of three fleets: Wakefield District Council’s fleet, Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation and West Yorkshire Police LGVs.”
In addition to a software solution that could handle diverse charging methods, ranging from fixed monthly charges to pay-as-you-go plans, Wakefield also needed the solution to integrate with existing systems, grow in tandem with the business and be capable of of reporting to future requirements.
Key objectives for this new software solution included:
- A centralised web-based system that can bring about major improvements in efficiency and cost-savings
- Improvements to the overall efficiency within Transport Services
- Cost-savings without compromising quality of operation or service to internal and external customers
- Implementation of key measurement criteria to effectively measure improvements in efficiency and cost-savings
- Direct access by user departments to enable them to monitor their own performance via department dedicated user screens
The OJEU tender process selected AssetWorks as the preferred supplier of the replacement software solution. AssetWorks FleetFocus fleet management software solution manages every aspect of fleet vehicles from cradle to grave, and includes comprehensive preventive maintenance (PM) schedules, work requests, work orders, labour tracking and inventory management.
Since the Council implemented the AssetWorks FleetFocus solution, it has realised a number of measurable achievements in service, staff and compliance, including:
- Vehicle turnaround time improved by 3% in the first year of implementation, which brought significant cost-savings
- Customer complaints reduced from almost daily to near zero
- Full compliance with health and safety requirements
- KPIs generated automatically to assist in management of council prosecutions for speeding, vehicle turnaround, driver performance and many more efficiencies.
- Cost-savings achieved by the Transport Services Unit amounted to over 10% during the first financial year
The full AssetWorks FleetFocus product suite comprises of FuelFocus automated fuel management system, KeyValet automated motor pool management system, integrated telematics and capital asset management (CAM) solution. AssetWorks suite of mobile applications, SmartApps, extends functionality outside of fleet and maintenance facilities for employees on-the-go.
The AssertWorks FleetFocus fleet management suite helps Wakefield Council benefit the Authority through the latest fleet technology.
Fuel Management
FuelFocus is a fully integrated component of FleetFocus. As a Wakefield vehicle fuels at a fuel site, the data is validated by FuelFocus and is instantly available in the FleetFocus system for billing and reporting.
This feature has guaranteed that not only WMDC’s known vehicles will be authorised and fueled with one system on one database the administration is the absolute minimum.
Motor Pool Management
With the help of KeyValet, Wakefield Council also operates a completely desk-less service for their Pool Travel Scheme element of motor pool allowing for short term hires of internal pool and external hire vehicles, even including bicycles and travel passes. All bookings are made remotely and electronically through self-registered portals or apps and the keys distributed securely by code at the KeyValet boxes.
This automated control of pool vehicles has produced major savings for the Authority in the efficient use of the available vehicles plus has ensured a management and fully reportable solution to recognise trends and misuse.
Moving Forward with Mobile Technology
Moving forward, Wakefield’s relationship with AssetWorks continues to grow– especially in regards to mobile technology through the AssetWorks SmartApps suite of mobile applications. Wakefield are a key member of the Special Interest Group (SIG) that designed the mobile applications.
“The council is always looking for ways to improve current processes, and by offering tablets and smartphones in the workplace, tasks like managing a day’s workload or directly inputting key data in real-time to the system will offer some major benefits and improvements,” said Johnson.
The AssetWorks FleetFocus fleet management system provides Wakefield Council with an integrated technology platform on which to expand their ability to exploit technology for the benefit of the Authority. This includes the ability to provide a hosted service to other Local Authorities, who can then share the same system benefits from AssetWorks on a pay-as-you-go basis, which Wakefield have been successfully doing in a true system collaboration.
