A New Phase of Servicing
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How the Fleet Liaison System Helps the Small _User. Keeping a Check Upon Wastage and Minimizing Operating Costs By R. F. Hanks, Service Technical Dept., Morris Motors, Ltd.
SERVICING plays an increasing 1.-)part in the sale of commercial vehicles. One of the most recent developments is the fleet liaison system, which has for its object the efficient handling and economical maintenance of light vans and salesmen's cars.
• The growth of the commercial use of motor vehicles has led many business houses to realize that, if their transport costs are to be kept to a reasonable figure, strict control must be maintained over management and running expenses. An appreciation of these facts led Morris Motors, Ltd., to introduce the system mentioned above, which is of special value to the smaller business house, which has to watch closely the maintenance and running costs of its representatives' cars and its vans.
Travellers' Needs Studied.
A special section is organized for affording advice on problems peculiar to travellers' cars and vans, working in conjunction with the sales and service departments, thus providing a valuable link between the various parties interested. Matters dealt with by the fleet liaison section include such vitally important points as periods of renewal, co-operation between representatives and their headquarters, contract hire-purchase and individual buying of vehicles, technical knowledge for representatives and drivers, running expenses and statistics, analysis of running costs, etc.
Such matters require a specialized knowledge, which is not always available to the average commercial house. It is obvious that, unless there be the fullest co-operation between user, vendor and manufacturer, the pros pects of operating successfully a fleet of commercial vehicles are seriously prejudiced.
It is some four years since the fleet liaison section was established and it is 'proving of enormous value in keeping a close watch on what may easily become an extensive channel of waste, by providing firms with valuable data on running expenses and the keeping of statistics. Further, of still more importance to the small man, a representative from this department is always available at short notice to make a special call if his services be in demand.
Sales Conferences for Travellers.
There are times, for example, when travellers attend a weekly or monthly sales conference. Here it has been found of great value to allot an hour for a talk on vehicles, sales representatives being encouraged to ventilate difficulties that they may have experienced, and to take the opportunity of seeking first-hand information relating to the vehicles in their charge.
One fact that emerges forcibly in connection with fleet liaison work is that systems of control which do not take into account all the costs involved in the ownership of motors, as well as the " time-lost " factor, due to vehicle deficiencies, can be seriously misleading. Therefore, fleet users are urged to keep statistics from which individual vehicle costs, as well as the fleet average cost, can be estimated. In this connection, specially prepared sample forms are available for interested users.
For those who consider, quite erroneously, that statistical control is a costly process, it should be pointed out that, in the case of an average
size fleet, say, of 30 to 50 vehicles, proper management costs only 44 per cent, of the total fleet-operation expenses. This is equivalent to only one-seventh part of the petrol bill.
Those business houses which do not take advantage of the fleet system of operation have often the alternative only of vesting control of cars in an already fully engaged departmental manager. As an example of the wastage that can occur through lack of organization, it is on record that one industrial concern maintained that its cars were costing approximately 4d, per mite to operate—a little hard, to say the least, on the manufacturer ! Proper statistical control reduced the cost of the entire fleet to less than 2d. per vehicle-mile. Further, by comparing individual car costs, marked economies were effected.
The fleet liaison section affords further assistance by arranging special courses of instruction for mechanics on the best and quickest methods of making repairs and adjustments.. Moreover, apart from the services available through the Morris distributor and dealer channels, responsible service representatives are available from any part of the nine territories into which the country is divided.
Percentage Costs for Fleets.
For those interested in the percentage costs of running a fleet, the following figures have been found to be generally applicable :—Fuel, 33 per cent.; lubricants, 2 per cent.; repairs, 5 per cent.; garage, 5 per cent.; cleaning, 34 per cent.; tyres, sundries and delivery charges, 7 per cent.; tax, insurance and depreciation, 40 per cent.; management, 44 per cent.
As it is generally recognized,. to-day, that every department or section of an industrial concern must be responsible for its own overheads, proper fleet control must result in a substantial saving in what can become a most expensive item in a company's annual turnover.