Grosvenor Group Magazine Edition 1

MARY DOPSON-TAYLOR CUSTOMER SERVICE DIRECTOR

WELCOME

THE EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the first edition of the new Grosvenor Group magazine, which I’m proud to be guest editor of.

Rather than focus on the usual fleet topics, we’ve brought to you a fascinating new mix of articles, and if you’d like us to cover any subjects in future editions you can email: editor@grosvenor-magazine.co.uk

Women in the automotive sector has been very much on my mind of late. Having worked for Grosvenor for 22 years, starting in telesales and working my way up to the position of customer services director, I was thrilled to be shortlisted

for the first ever Barbara Cox ‘Women with Drive’ award. The ultimate winner was JCT600’s Beryl Carney, who is an incredible lady, and this wonderful event champions all the great women who are very under-represented in the automotive sector.

I’m pleased to say that the Grosvenor Group bucks the trend of inequality, with many fabulous women in senior positions across the Group and many more here carving out great careers in fleet and automotive.

So, I’d like to raise a glass to all the amazing women in this wonderful industry, and to also toast our first ever Grosvenor Group magazine.

New Croyland Car Megastore web site goes live

Croyland Car Megastore’s new web site has gone live!

The car supermarket, which is part of the Grosvenor Group, enjoys a regular supply of high quality, used vehicles from Grosvenor Leasing, providing retail customers with a wide selection of cars and vans with full service histories that have been serviced and maintained to the very highest standard.

The Northamptonshire car supermarket, which spans six acres and is located on the Northampton Road in Rushden, has built up an outstanding reputation across Northamptonshire. For quality second hand cars customers are sure to find the used car or second hand van they’re looking for.

https://www.croylandcarmegastore.co.uk

WLTP:

It

But

The

Car donation for the

Ball

Interactive Fleet Management has supported the Boparan Charitable Trust Ball for the 4th year with the donation of a car for the prize raffle.

The Boparan Charitable Trust is passionate about transforming the lives of children with disabilities, life-limiting illnesses and those who are in extreme poverty across the UK. The Trust prides itself on being flexible, accessible and efficient, providing help and support to children and their families.

Its annual ball is a showcase event to raise money for the charity, with Interactive Fleet Management giving away a Vauxhall Corsa on the night to the winner of the raffle.

VW is launching new mobile EV charging stations, which will initially roll out in Wolfsburg in the first half of 2019, before the scheme extends to other German cities.

The portable EV charging stations are being introduced in a bid

to strengthen and broaden the network of charging points across Europe.

The charging stations operate independently of a power source and can be placed in a variety of locations such as temporary car parks and building sites.

Once the station’s power pack has dropped below 20 per cent capacity the station is replaced automatically with a new one.

Alternatively the station can also be hooked up to a 30kW power supply that enables the station to recharge itself.

A poll by the AA has revealed that a fifth (20%) of drivers already own a dashcam and another half (51%) are thinking about doing so - 16% seriously.

Dashcam popularity has been steadily growing, however it is expected to rise following a Government announcement that Police will receive a funding boost to use video evidence as part of a two-year road safety action plan.

Drivers have previously found it difficult to submit dashcam evidence of poor or dangerous driving to local police forces, and only 2% of drivers suggest their reason for having a dashcam is to record evidence of bad driving.

When asked, drivers stated that the chief reason for dashcam ownership is concern about establishing liability in the event of a crash (60%), or to protect against cash-for-cash fraudsters (25%).

Grosvenor Leasing has been looking into including dashcams with every lease vehicle.

What are your thoughts? To give your views on dashcams for your drivers, why not email us at:

editor@grosvenor-magazine.co.uk

Keeping an eye on the road – the rise of the dashcam!

VW launching mobile charging stations for Electric Vehicles.

Interactive Fleet Management’s seminar offers advice to fleet managers

The team from Interactive Fleet Management put on a seminar in January, with fleet decision-makers hearing about a wide range of topics throughout the day.

Hosted by Volvo at its training centre in Daventry, the day was a huge success with experts from Interactive Fleet Management, and its supplier network, talking about green issues, driver profil ing and training, accident management, WLTP, taxation,

fuel management, and maintenance management, plus a pres entation by our hosts on the latest Volvo range.

A big thank you to everyone who attended, and to register for future events please email editor@grosvenor-magazine.co.uk.

Diesels sales down as CO2 goes up!

The Society of Motor manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has reported a 0.8% increase in CO2, to 121 grams per kilometre. This is the first rise since the SMMT began reporting levels in 2000.

The reason behind the increase may surprise many who have been promoting dirty diesels, because its largely down to drivers shunning diesel cars due to bad publicity.

Diesels typically emit up to 20% less CO2 than petrol cars and are more fuel-efficient.

As well as slowing diesel sales, the SMMT said the popularity of SUVs contributed to the rise. SUVs produce about a quarter more CO2 than the smallest vehicles.

Despite the small increase in carbon emissions last year, new cars now produce a third less CO2 in total than they did in 2000.

Members of the Interactive Fleet Management team pose for a photo at the seminar.

Clean air zones – what is the latest?

A clean air zone (CAZ) is defined as an area where targeted action is being taken to improve air quality. It can be confined to a single road or part of a city and can include an area where vehicles are charged or fined for entering.

Most diesel drivers will have to pay £12.50 to drive into the centre of London from this April, and Birmingham, Derby and Newcastle are planning their own schemes to target older, more polluting cars. Number plate recognition cameras will ensure that fees are paid, with the threat of £120 fines if drivers fail to do so.

Diesel owners will be worst-affected, as most diesel cars sold before September 2015 don’t meet the

RDE2: Real Driving Emissions Step 2

No, it’s not a robot in the Star Wars Movies! RDE2 stands for Real Driving Emissions Step 2, which imposes stricter limits for toxic compounds in exhaust fumes.

The measure was announced in the November 2017 budget when the Chancellor declared that any new diesel cars registered from 1 April 2018 that do not meet the standard will move into a higher road tax band, attracting a 4% diesel surcharge in the vehicle’s first year.

Anyone choosing a new diesel car is likely to have to pay more because new cars won’t have to meet the standard until January 2020 at the earliest, so most manufacturers have not yet introduced compliant cars.

Currently, only the Mercedes A 220 d and B 200 d have been officially tested and approved under the regulations. Jaguar has confirmed that the XF range will feature RDE2 approved engines by the end of the year.

latest emissions standard, known as Euro 6, mak ing them subject to the charges. These account for around 9.5 million of the 12.9 million diesel cars on British roads.

The majority of diesel vans sold before September 2016 will need to pay too. Petrol models built since 2006 will be unaffected, as these are cleaner than older diesels, along with all electric cars and most hybrids.

Need further advice or have a question to ask? Mark Gallagher, the Grosvenor Group’s green fleet special ist, can be contacted on 01536 536 536 or via email mark.gallagher@grosvenor-leasing.co.uk

Croyland Car Megastore Donates Cash to Help Local Pupils

Hundreds of Northamptonshire schoolchildren are set to benefit from a £1,000 donation from Croyland Car Megastore made to the Rotary Club of Rushden.

Mark Swindells, general manager at Croyland Car Megastore, officially presented the cash windfall to the local rotary club, which is one of the longest established in the UK.

Rotary Club of Rushden treasurer, Mark Darnell and president, Ian Smith, visited the Rushden dealership where they were officially presented with the £1,000 cheque by Croyland’s Mark Swindells and James Wigglesworth from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, who were also involved with the charity collaboration.

DRIVING FOR GREATER WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACE

Businesses are increasingly recognising the link between company performance and staff that are healthy, motivated, focused and feel valued.

According to mental health charity, Mind, research consistently shows that when employees feel their work is meaningful and they are valued and supported, they tend to have higher wellbeing levels, be more committed to the organisation’s goals and, importantly, they perform better too. This strong relationship between levels of staff wellbeing, motivation and business performance is often called ‘employee engagement’.

Research shows that FTSE 100 companies that prioritise employee wellbeing outperform the rest of the FTSE 100 by 10 per cent. By supporting staff wellbeing, they reap the benefits through enhanced morale, loyalty, commitment, innovation, productivity and profitability.

Wellbeing and driving at work

When we talk about the workplace, of course, this extends to company vehicles. For many field-based staff, whether they are on the sales team, are field engineers, care workers or delivery drivers, their vehicle is part of their workplace and is where they spend most of their time.

Unsurprisingly, many drivers suffer different forms of stress compared to office-based staff. Examples being, getting from one appointment to another with little time to spare, having to grab food on the go, sitting in endless traffic jams, getting up earlier than others to make it to meetings and getting home later in the evenings.

It can also be a lonely existence on the road. Being a lone worker means less bonding with work colleagues and teams, time away from family, missing important events, and the choice between driving more miles and doing longer hours or staying away in faceless hotels.

From a manager’s perspective, field-based staff aren’t visible (making them harder to supervise), more difficult to manage on their outcomes, and they have to be trusted to be filling their time productively. Yet, by adding tracking mechanisms can feel a bit ‘big brother’ and, in some businesses, has been met with resistance.

Employee engagement and discretionary effort

So how do you overcome this? - ensuring that field-based workers in company vehicles feel as much a part of the workplace as everyone else. And how do you maximise their level of engagement and encourage optimum discretionary effort when no-one is watching?

According to Gartner, the world’s leading research and advisory company, highly engaged employees work 50% harder and are 9 times less likely to leave a company. Their research also reveals that 70% of business leaders believe engagement is critical to achieving objectives.

With this being so essential, it’s important that field-based workers are not left feeling forgotten, making your company drivers a key area for applying engagement techniques.

HERE ARE 5 FAVOURITES FROM THE GROSVENOR GROUP

1. A company car is for work and leisure

When setting the company car choice list, offer some flexibility so that drivers can match the vehicle to their lifestyle as well as their work. Your sales manager may be a dog lover (and want an estate), your HR director’s children may have flown the nest and she’s now ready for something more sporty, and your head of finance may be a mountain biker and would prefer an off roader. If the policy is too restricted, you may offer them a car that’s suit able for their job but not their pastimes. Remember that behind every member of staff is a person!

2. Avoid a ‘them and us’ culture

This can emerge in a number of ways. For example, office staff feeling that they are more part of the company than field-based staff, because they are more visible and have physical desks and areas they can make their own. Or, on the flipside, sales managers making their sales team feel like the A team. i.e. the team that brings in the business and so everyone should support their every whim.

Good line management will avoid this, particularly if the manager oversees a team covering both field and office-based personnel, creating a mutual respect for one another. Joint events, meetings and flexible work space in the office are also important - so that when people come in, they feel welcome, part of the team and not an interference.

3. Use pulse and engagement surveys

These can track morale and allow early intervention. By asking for regular feedback (anonymously if necessary) can help identify

issues that can either cause a ‘them and us’ culture to grow or highlight a drop in engagement levels. For example, a company car driver commenting that they don’t feel welcome in the office, or office staff feeling that field-based staff don’t understand their work pressures.

4. Encourage timely intervention

There’s a danger with remote workers that you wait until they are in the office before giving feedback. It means either criticism or praise isn’t given ‘in the moment’. As a result, those ‘out on the road’ are left in a vacuum of having very little feedback, but are then hit with everything when they come in. This isn’t just from their line manager but other team members too who say, “I’ll talk to her about that problem when I see her” or “We’ll celebrate that client win when they’re next in.” For the field worker, that means they either feel unappreciated, lonely and not involved, or know that coming into the office could be a negative experience riddled with problems.

5. Lead by example

Senior leaders and managers should be role models for health ier work habits and encourage staff by example. For example, don’t send emails late at night to field based staff on the basis that their admin time is limited to evenings and weekends. Talk to them about scheduling in desk time. Also, if you know they are on their way to see a customer, don’t phone them knowing that they will be driving.

Also, appreciate that many company car and van drivers make very early starts and can finish work later than those in the office. If they want to see their son or daughter in the school sports day, tell them to be proud and honest about what they are doing rath er than letting them try and hide behind a made up appointment. If they feel valued in this way they will be much happier driving to those early meetings before their office colleagues have even got into work.

As a result, employers benefit

able

BUSINESS TRAVEL TO DROP BY 25% IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS

Grosvenor recently invested in state of the art video conferencing technology in its main meeting room, in order to reduce its impact on the environment through unnecessary driving, and become more efficient with its time.

It comes at a time when the UK could see a 25% reduction in both business travel and commuting with companies looking to drive down the cost of travel, reduce their green footprint, and minimise the negative impact travel has on staff productivity.

According to ‘The British Business and Mobility Study’ by Sewells:

66% of business have set targets to reduce their volume of internal travel.

60% of businesses have targets to cut trips to suppliers.

66% of businesses have targets to lower the number of journeys to clients.

65% of businesses consider video conferencing as a viable alternative to business travel.

With online meetings, screen sharing and the rise of remote support and diagnostics, the need for travel to external meetings or to meet customers and suppliers is set to drop.

The survey showed that 48% of fleets with more than 250 cars, and 56% of fleets with between 101 to 250 cars, believe a 25% reduction in business travel is achievable within five years.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS)

The findings of the Sewells survey are interesting when you look at the growing interest in Mobility as a Service (MaaS) - a new way of thinking about transport. MaaS has the potential to be the most significant modernisation of how we get from A to B since the automobile was first introduced.

Bringing about a major change in how we view our cars, and how we choose to travel, MaaS combines mobility services from public transport, taxis, car rental and car/bicycle sharing under a single platform - all accessed through your smart phone.

Simply by stating where you are going ‘from’ and ‘to’, the MaaS platform will plan your journey, define the forms of transport to get there and allow you to buy tickets from a range of service providers.

But what’s driving change?

55% of the global population are living in urban areas and by 2050 projections suggest it could reach 68%.

Air quality and congestion measures will continue to discourage drivers from using their vehicles in urban areas, while the technology to help make choices about how to travel is coming together rapidly.

MaaS could therefore help reduce pollution, shorten commuting times and make travelling more convenient. It could help shift commuter trips from peak times to low demand times (through demand-responsive pricing of services).

Projections suggest the estimated value of the MaaS market could reach $US600 billion in the United States, European Union and China by 2025. Others have projected that the global market for MaaS will exceed $US1 trillion by 2030.

Interestingly, the Sewells British Business and Mobility Study found that the early adopters of MaaS solutions are more likely to be commuters than drivers who rely on a company vehicle for business journeys.

This is based on a rising tide of pressure on commuting due to wasted time in congestion, a shortage of workplace parking spaces and an anticipated lack of office space encouraging more working from home and hot desking.

The British Business and Mobility Study found:

58% of companies have taken steps, or plan to take steps, to reduce commuting to the workplace.

67% of businesses now see working from home as a viable alternative to the workplace, and 43% of businesses actively encourage it.

69% of large corporates want to see fewer staff commuting to the workplace.

61% of businesses have set a specific target to reduce the commuter journeys.

24% of large corporate businesses and 20% of small businesses anticipate a shortage of parking spaces within the next five years.

Encouraging employees to share lifts for the journey to work and for joint journeys to visit clients is the primary solution to reduce car use, according to the report.

Andy Reed, operations director at Interactive Fleet Management said, “As a specialist fleet management provider, our remit moves with the times and we’re keeping an ever-watchful eye on the MaaS market.

“Companies will always need to get people from A to B, however with MaaS, self-driving vehicles and our ‘connected’ world growing at an incredible pace, we are heading towards offering a mobility solutions service model in the future rather than one that purely focuses on vehicle, driver and supplier management.”

55% of the global population are living in urban areas and by 2050 projections suggest it could reach 68%.

Andy Reed Operations Director Interactive Fleet Management

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

How technology is changing the face of fleet

Just over 10 years ago the first smart phone was launched.

Back then no-one could have imagined that today’s drivers of cars and light commercial vehicles would be reporting mileage updates, booking services and notifying break downs simply by touching their mobile phone screen.

Yet here we are in 2019, and not only has Grosvenor been awarded best fleet management system in the 2018 Busi nessCar techie awards, the company’s software and I.T team is now an integral part of its overall proposition.

All drivers of vehicles leased and managed by Grosvenor Leasing and Interactive Fleet Management have access to a free App, and according to Geoff Hall, Grosvenor’s senior software developer, the team is ready to take on the biggest challenge of all.

The millennials!

“By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce,” said Geoff. “This is the generation that has grown up with the Internet, mobile phones and cable TV, and have never known a life without instant technology.

“This is a generation that finds email quite old fashioned, expecting instant messaging instead. They also expect technology to do far more for them and are intolerant when it doesn’t.

“As developers, we must cater for their needs – and this re lates to millennials who are managing fleets, and those that are driving the cars and vans we lease and manage.

GROSVENOR HAS BEEN AWARDED BEST FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN THE 2018 BUSINESSCAR TECHIE AWARDS

2025

By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce. This is the generation that has grown up with the Internet, mobile phones and cable TV, and have never known a life without instant technology.

“For a start, they are tech-dependent. For them, technology is an integrated part of their everyday life. It means they no longer ask for sufficient technology to do their job - they expect it.

“When the older generation within the UK workforce grew up, there was a sense of wonder with technology. In other words, ‘wow – can the system actually do that for me with regards to my vehicle fleet’. Now, its more a case of, ‘that’s fine, but why can’t it do this – because that’s what I need it to do.’

“Some of the older generation are looking down at the millennials, classing this level of expectancy negatively, as if it’s entitlement, having been spoilt by gadgetry in their youth.

“But what millennial workers really want are the tools they need to do their job efficiently.”

By employing its own team of software and App developers, The Grosvenor Group can control the technology to suit the contract hire and fleet management services it provides, and also be more adaptable by not relying on third party systems that are inflexible and costly to tailor.

“The tech-dependent generation will soon represent more than half of the global workforce,” said Geoff. “This is why companies are seeking ever more cutting edge tools to help them manage their fleets and we aim to be at the forefront of that technological breakthrough.

“Research shows that millennials crave feedback and communication, with immediate response time of text messages, instant messengers and group chat applications now becoming as important at work as in people’s personal lives.

“And with connected vehicles adding to the mix, it means we have to listen to the needs of this generation and develop fleet software based on their expectation of what ‘must be in place’, rather than what used to be a ‘nice to have’.”

To see OSCAR365 and Grosvenor’s technology and driver App, please email editor@grosvenor-magazine. co.uk and ask for a member of our team to contact you. Or call us on 01536 536 536.

FEATURE

Having been around since 1981, you’d expect the Grosvenor Group to offer an established contract hire and fleet management proposition.

In fact, its offering is unique in many ways, which is why companies such as Weetabix, 2 Sisters Food Group, Tata Steel, Domino’s Pizza and Glenmorangie Whiskey all choose them.

The Group’s service offering begins with it having both a contract hire business (Grosvenor Leasing) and a separate fleet management team (Interactive Fleet Management).

Whilst they often support customers independently, many clients choose to use a combination of both - often with Grosvenor Leasing providing the funding and the Interactive Team becoming the outsourced fleet management department, managing all aspects of vehicle, driver and supplier management.

But there are other mouth-watering aspects to Grosvenor’s proposition too.

0ZONE, EXPERTS AND TECHNOLOGY: THE 3 INGREDIENTS THAT MAKE THE GROSVENOR GROUP SO APPETISING.

“SIMILAR TO LAW FIRMS, WHO HAVE PARTNERS AND SOLICITORS WITH PARTICULAR SKILL SETS, WE BELIEVED THE SAME WAS NEEDED IN FLEET, WHICH IS WHY WE BASED OUR PANEL ON THE LAW FIRM MODEL WITH PEN PORTRAITS OF EACH OF OUR EXPERTS ON OUR WEB SITE.”

0ZONE

0Zone is the Grosvenor Group’s award winning, and unique, solution to help companies navigate their way smoothly towards ultra-low emission and electric vehicles.

It offers companies with cars and light commercial vehicles an assessment of its environmental impact and defines a clear pathway to convert the fleet, over time, towards ultra-low emission and electric vehicles.

“The 0Zone team offers advice in reach ing timely decisions about when your green strategy should begin,” explains Mark Gallagher, who heads up the green solution.

“This includes tailored budgeting, forecasts and help with the financial implications of choosing EVs and ULEVs.

We also develop low emission vehicle policies and provide practical advice on the steps required to move smoothly towards Electric Vehicles and Ultra Low Emission Vehicles.”

The 0Zone team also assists with plug-in and hybrid demonstration vehicles (sub ject to availability), the cultural change involved in encouraging drivers into a new era of company vehicle, green fleet reviews, and grey fleet reviews.

PANEL OF EXPERTS

For key issues such as compliance, CO2, taxation, legal, technical, policy, health and safety and many others, the Grosvenor Group’s expert panel is just a phone call, email or LinkedIn message away from answering any question a customer may have.

As another industry-first, Grosvenor put its panel of experts together having recognised that the level of profession al advice required by its clients was growing.

“We have always had expertise in the business and have also always been here for our customers to give them advice and support,” said Mary Dopson-Taylor, who sits on the panel.

“However, the complexity of operating a vehicle fleet is growing and we decided that it would be advantageous for cus tomers to have access to a dedicated panel, offering greater clarity of who to speak to regarding each topic.

“Similar to law firms, who have partners and solicitors with particular skill sets, we believed the same was needed in fleet, which is why we based our panel on the law firm model with pen portraits of each of our experts on our web site.”

TECHNOLOGY

In-house software development began at Grosvenor back in 2009 when the Group foresaw that technology would play an ever-pivotal role in contract hire and fleet management.

It brought development in-house having anticipated the need for greater inte gration of fleet management software into its proposition, and not having to rely on off the shelf standard industry programmes.

As a result, OSCAR was born – the Grosvenor Group’s very own online fleet management platform which recently won the best fleet management system in the 2018 BusinessCar Techies awards.

Today’s version, called OSCAR365, offers a whole new experience for customers, making it quick and simple to see key information across their vehicle fleet in an easy-view format.

“There is a lot of data involved in running a fleet, and it can be quite over whelming if its not brought together in a useable format,” said operations director, Andy Reed.

“Recognising this, we’ve developed visually appealing, easy-to-understand dashboards and reporting so that you can see the profile of your fleet in an instant, and where any potential issues may lie.

“The whole user experience of OS CAR365 is designed around priorities for fleet managers. With our in-house software development team, we asked the question ‘What is it that fleet man agers need to see’ and ‘How can we present that in a format that’s quick to digest and understand’?

“In launching the latest release of our fleet management system, we believe we have taken reporting to a new level, and the feedback from clients so far has been exceptional.”

Offering what many believe is the most sophisticated suite of fleet tech nology available in the fleet sector, the Grosvenor Group’s on-going invest ment and in-house development are producing industry-leading systems and Apps that are complimentary to all fleet management customers.

Members of the Grosvenor team celebrate winning Best Green Solution at the BusinessCar awards 2018, with CEO Shaun Barritt holding the trophy

MY ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND ME!

Two members of Grosvenor’s sales team swap their cars for EVs and take to the road.

Ever wondered what it would be like to have an electric vehicle? Would you be able to live life in the same way, and fulfil your job role?

To find out, we asked Mark Richardson and Martin Rose, both willing members of the Grosvenor Leasing sales team, to swap their company cars for a Renault Zoe and a Nissan Leaf.

WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO LIVE LIFE IN THE SAME WAY, AND FULFIL YOUR JOB ROLE?

Martin: There’s been a huge amount of interest in Grosvenor’s 0Zone solution, which offers advice, guidance and support to help companies with vehicle fleets navigate their way smoothly towards ultra-low emission and electric vehicles.

I therefore felt it was time I took to the wheel of an electric vehicle so that I had hands on experience of what it was like to have one.

Living in Penistone, I had my res ervations when collecting the car in Kettering that the 117 mile trip from Northamptonshire to York shire might be its first challenge. However, I arrived at home with distance to spare and popped it on charge.

Mark: My home town is in the Lincolnshire Fens, and my EV had no problems getting me back from Kettering, where our purchasing manager, James Parnell, had

handed the car to me earlier that day, showing me all of the controls and how to charge it.

My first impressions were positive, with an automatic gearbox and Bluetooth connections which I loved. I did, however, think I’d have to plan my journeys and time better as the nearest charg ing point from my house was 12 miles away in Spalding.

Mark: I’ve got my current company car for a year or so more now. But when I’m due to replace it I will certainly look at what electric vehicles are available. It was a great experience and I can now look a customer in the eye and say, “I’ve used an EV for my job and can give you first hand advice!”

Martin: Being in a small town in Yorkshire, many of my appointments can be a hundred or more miles away, resulting in me driving two to three hundred miles in a day, and I soon began to realise that my electric vehicle would be best suited to someone who operated more locally within a smaller radius.

However, by using an App that pinpointed where the charging points were, I got into the habit of planning my day based on who I was going to see, whether they were near a charging point and how far the round trip was. For local meetings, the EV was perfect and, for those old enough to remember the BBC series Last of the Summer Wine, I even managed to tie in a client meeting with a tea break at the famous café in Holmfirth. However, there were occasions when I resorted to my diesel – particularly on a day when I was particularly tight for time and was travelling 238 miles.

Mark: I’d agree with Martin that my EV would be better suited to someone living in a city or urban area, as I live in quite a rural area, cover large distances with my job role, and definitely experienced the ‘much discussed’ range anxiety. If I lived and worked in Spalding, where there are charging points, the EV would be a great car, offering me all of the financial and environmental benefits they bring. Being objective, the car drove beautifully and smoothly, was fun to be in and comfortable. Once the charging infrastructure is more expansive, and the battery range of EVs increases, I can see a fast and dramatic shift to drivers choosing electric cars.

On the downside, I became so conscious of running out of power that I stopped using the heater and radio, however I also drove very carefully which must be a plus point!

Martin: The Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield gave me free EV charging, topping me up for 134 miles, which was 95% of the battery. If I lived and worked in Sheffield, that would be perfect – probably keeping me going for days on end. The upshot is, the manufacturers are producing very nice cars, which are great to drive, but I can see the uptake being for people whose jobs are in densely populated areas, rather than for country folk like me!....but watch this space as the technology and infrastructure are improving very quickly!

VERDICT

Martin: Ditto! I would also consider an EV next time round based on the driving experience. However, it’s all down to battery range, charging points and speed of charging. Once that’s in place, I can see myself joining the EV brigade!

YORK WARD AND ROWLATT BECOMES PART OF THE VAUXHALL BUSINESS CENTRE PROGRAMME

York Ward and Rowlatt, the Grosvenor Group’s Vauxhall dealership, has been chosen to represent the Vauxhall Motors Van franchise in Wellingborough.

The appointment underpins York Ward and Rowlatt’s excellence in the sales and servicing of commercial vehicles, and means the dealership began representing Vauxhall as one of the manufac turer’s new van business centres from January 1st 2019.

Nick Hughes, retail franchise director for the Grosvenor Group said, “We’re delighted to have been granted this very special status by Vauxhall. Only a select number of dealerships across the UK are invited to join the Vauxhall Business Centre Pro gramme and it is a reflection of our reputation as a dealership for Vauxhall commercial vehicles and our very high levels of service and support.”

Vauxhall’s Business Centre Programme requires nominated deal erships to work to a service charter that covers three key areas.

Convenience, which covers areas such as express bookings, quick diagnostics and efficient collection and delivery.

Professional, which ensures highly trained personnel, the use of genuine Vauxhall parts and free health checks at every visit.

Transparent / added value, to include benefits such as national all inclusive pricing, full explanations of work carried out, and further added value such as free wash and vacuum.

The programme also requires York Ward and Rowlatt to meet very high key performance indicators (KPIs) and service stand ards as part of a Vauxhall customer charter.

As well as selling commercial vehicles, York Ward and Rowlatt is very well-known as a leading Vauxhall car dealer in Northamptonshire.

The Grosvenor Group’s other retail businesses are Broad Green, an independent car and van retailer also in a prime location in Wellingborough, and Croyland – a used car megastore in Rushden.

“We’re incredibly proud of our reputation as a new and used car and commercial vehicle retailer, “continued Nick, “and we are very well-known for our aftercare programmes, which include servicing, maintenance and repair for all makes and models, as well as fast fit items, body repairs, and small business contract hire and leasing.”

WE’RE DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN GRANTED THIS VERY SPECIAL STATUS BY VAUXHALL

Nick Hughes Retail Franchise Director

Group

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF: A MAINTENANCE CONTROLLER

Controlling SMR costs (the acronym for a vehicle’s servicing, maintenance and repair) is pivotal to running a fleet.

Done well, a lot of money can be saved. Get it wrong and money could be haemorrhaging from your fleet budget each time a vehicle enters a garage.

The problem is, most of us aren’t qualified maintenance technicians. So, when we’re told that a vehicle needs a new part, will take this long to repair and costs that much, we have little idea as to whether that’s right or not.

It’s for this reason that many companies choose either the fixed cost, peace of mind, route of contract hire with maintenance. Alternatively, they retain ownership of their fleet, or opt for a leasing package with ‘pay as you go’ maintenance, and commission a team of qualified maintenance controllers to manage the maintenance for them.

But what does a maintenance controller actually do? Branko Djujic, who is a qualified maintenance technician, describes his typical day.

“For every vehicle we lease or manage, we hold the complete service and repair history on screen,” says Branko. “This is not only visible to us, but to our customers too – making our role, and the decisions we take, totally transparent.

“We have pre-negotiated discounts on parts and labour with a vast network of repairing garages across the UK, and a process to ensure that the repairing garage has to contact us for authorisation prior to work being carried out so that we can approve the work and the costs.

“It means, when a garage calls and explains the proposed work to us, we can see from our system if that repair is in keeping with the vehicle’s age and mileage. We can also see what work has been done previously, and we use our experience to determine whether the work described would resolve the problems the vehicle is experiencing.

Branko Djujic Maintenance Controller

“After all, there may be an alternative solution, and if we have concerns we may ask the garage for further diagnostics before we agree for them to proceed.

“In some cases, it’s simply a routine service, and is pretty straightforward. At other times, it’s more complex. However, we will only authorise the work when we are satisfied it’s the correct action and in every instance we check what work is being done, what parts are being used, and how long the job will take.

“All parts are pre-priced, and every item of work has approved labour times. This means a garage cannot add a part that’s not needed, price anything over the odds or charge a minute of labour time too much.

“Often when we talk to companies who haven’t used professional maintenance controllers before, we take a sample of their repair invoices and show them what it would have cost with us pre-authorising it for them and

they are astonished by the savings. We see so many invoices for work that took too long, for items that should have been within the warranty, and for items that weren’t necessary in the first place.

“We’re all time-served technicians who have worked for major manufacturers and dealerships, for both cars and light commercial vehicles, which means you have true experts on your side when you place your vehicles in our hands.

“At the end of the day, we enjoy saving our customers money, and also ensuring that every vehicle leased and managed by Grosvenor Leasing and Interactive Fleet Management is safe and roadworthy.”

Would you like us to look at a selection of your repair invoices? Scan up to 10 recent ones and email them to editor@grosvenor-magazine.co.uk and we will get back to you.

GROSVENOR’S GREEN

Grosvenor Leasing now has its very own ‘green’ hero, after Mark Gallagher was presented with a BVRLA hero award in front of a notable audience of 850 industry leaders.

The British Vehicle and Rental Leasing Association (BVRLA) accolade was presented to Mark at its annual dinner at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Two unsung stars from the sector, whose work deserves to be recognised, are given the hero award placing Mark into a highly exclusive club of fleet specialists.

Shaun Barritt, Grosvenor’s Group CEO, said, “Mark thoroughly deserves this honour.

“When we launched our innovative 0Zone solution 2 years ago to help companies with vehicle fleets reduce their emissions and move towards ultra low emission and electric vehicles, we asked Mark if he would like to head it up.

Mark Gallagher, Grosvenor Group’s green fleet specialist, collects his award at the BVRLA dinner

“Thanks to Mark’s incredible drive and commitment to learn, develop and make 0Zone a truly game-changing offering in the fleet market, it has gone on to be “the” leading green solution in the sector.

“In 2018 we won the best green product in the Business Car awards, and a highly commended award in the Green Fleet Awards, putting Grosvenor Leasing on the map as the company spearheading ULEVs and EVs and helping many companies with their green strategies along the way.

“Mark is not only the key consultant at Grosvenor for helping companies reduce their emissions and plan for alternative fuels, he has taken Grosvenor’s 0Zone proposition way beyond expectations.”

MARK GALLAGHER WAS PRESENTED WITH A BVRLA HERO AWARD IN FRONT OF A NOTABLE AUDIENCE OF 850 INDUSTRY LEADERS.