Summary
Changes to the vehicle specification, together with bespoke servicing and maintenance has driven down operating costs and reduced vehicle downtime for a customer who offers a round the clock service.

About DORMA UK Limited
The DORMA Group is the world market leader in door technology systems and access control systems. It has four offices in the UK, which provide a range of products and services for many of the country's leading hotels, retail chains, facilities management companies and NHS Trusts.

It is a round-the-clock service and engineers from DORMA UK have to respond quickly to customer's needs and ensure all equipment is working, safe, legal and secure.

DORMA UK runs a commercial fleet of around 160 vans. It is a sophisticated van user as it requires different types of vehicles for different types of job. Its teams of engineers are home-based and rely on their vehicle and hand-held communication tools to carry out their jobs.

The Business Challenge
Geoff Roe, Finance Manager at DORMA UK has 3 objectives from the fleet:

" Improving Vehicle efficiency - "We look to Hitachi Capital to recommend which vehicles are the most suitable for the job we expect them to do".

" Reducing Fleet Operating Costs - "Our priority is to have the right vehicles - at the right price - and not waste budget on vehicles which are too sophisticated or too large for the job expected of them."

" Minimising downtime - "Keeping vehicle off-road time to the minimum is critical to the efficient running of our commercial fleet." f

" The starting point was to fully understand the needs of DORMA UK's business and its van users before we could make recommendations as to the types of vehicles which would prove most fit for purpose." Said Glenn Whatley, Key Accounts Manager at Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Services. "Minimising downtime is particularly important to DORMA UK which has to provide a round-the-clock service. Their engineers tend to see their van as an office - if a vehicle is off the road it means equipment and tools have to be transferred to a replacement vehicle and this can be time-consuming and disruptive to service schedules."

How we helped
" Applied our expertise to get the specification of the vehicle right:
"Our whole of life cost" approach has been very effective for DORMA UK" said Glenn "Not only have we made recommendations to change the engine size, but changes from RWD to FWD gave added benefits around load capacity and fuel economy. We also created bespoke internal racking for some of the vehicles which has had a positive impact on both Health and Safety and reduced damage to stock and equipment in transit".
"  Continuous review of the fleet:
"Over the years, the list of vehicles has been continuously assessed and refined and DORMA UK currently relies on five models of van to address their needs - from standardTransit vans for service engineers, to MWB Transits for engineers specialising in industrial doors through to a range of options for engineers working in city environments where too large a vehicle can be a drawback" added Glenn.
" Managing the Vehicle order and build process:
As DORMA UK operates over four sites in the UK it is important that ordering and specifying of vehicles is done to one uniform standard, depending on the job the vehicle has to do. Hitachi Capital has set up processes which mean DORMA UK is confident the right vehicle will be ordered every time, irrespective of who is placing the order. This has given DORMA UK greater control and makes it easier for new vehicles to be ordered in batches.
" Reviewed our supplier network:
"The efficient running of its fleet is fundamental to DORMA UK's operation" said Glenn " we continually review our supplier network and appoint new suppliers to ensure vehicles can be serviced and maintained close to their operating location."
" Created bespoke servicing and maintenance programmes:
Creating bespoke service and maintenance schedules based on the job each vehicle has to do is key to ensuring vehicle reliability. But synchronising these events and carrying the work out "out of hours" has a real impact on reducing downtime.

Hitachi Capital is DORMA UK's commercial fleet supplier and also provides it with around 80 fleet cars. It also provides commercial vehicles to its company in Ireland, DORMA Ireland Ltd.

What Our Customer Says

"DORMA UK has been working with Hitachi Capital for more than eight years and we can't put a price on the technical knowledge which Hitachi Capital brings to our fleet operation." Says Geoff Roe.

"We value their expertise and their knowledge of vehicles which allows them to make the right recommendations for us. New vehicles are coming into the market all the time and given that we use a broad range of vehicle types, we want to be certain that we always have the best value vehicle for the job. We look to Hitachi Capital to recommend which vehicles are the most suitable for the job."

"Working with Hitachi Capital enables us to make decisions about our commercial fleet with confidence and means we benefit from the vast experience they have within their organisation."

"When we needed vehicles for our branch in Dublin we decided to ask Hitachi Capital to source those vehicles for us as well so the whole of our fleet can be managed through one standard specification."

"Any vehicle off the road is frustrating but if we do have problems Hitachi Capital is quick to respond and has a wide database of suppliers it calls upon to make sure that vehicle is back on the road as early as possible," added Geoff.

Our People Working With Your People
Driving Your Fleet Costs Down
" Whole of Life cost review to get the best value over the life of the contract
" Getting the specification of vehicles right
" Continuous review
Minimising Your Downtime
" Using local and specialist suppliers to so vehicles can be supported close to their operating location
" Synchronising service and maintenance events
Minimising Your Compliance risk " Creating bespoke timetables for service and maintenance regimes for vehicles
Supporting Your Business " Providing on-line vehicle information, 24/7
" Managing the vehicle order and build process