“Aside from structuring a finance
deal that is right for your business, the
positive ownership experience that
comes with buying quality products
is a more important factor than
ever before,” says Derick de Vries,
Executive Head of Standard Bank Fleet
Management.
These days the purchasing decision
is about so much more than just the
purchase price. In addition to the
obvious factors such as fit for purpose,
fuel consumption and safety, buyers are
now placing increasing value on a high
level of actual product quality, a national
dealer network which can support
products across South Africa and the
availability of quality replacement parts
at reasonable prices.
If all these factors are in place in
the beginning and remain functional
throughout the ownership period, fleet
owners have the best chance of getting
good service and value for money out of
the entire ownership experience as well
as a good return on their investment
when the time does come to trade their
vehicle in for something newer.
These ownership and support factors
are critical in an era of learning to man-
age transportation in an environment
of price escalation and more extended
ownership periods,” adds de Vries.
When running vehicles for longer
periods of time, it is critical to have a
meticulous service and maintenance
programme in place that is well
managed. Preventative maintenance
becomes so much more important when
you know that you will still be operating
the vehicle three or four years down the
road, and it is critical for protecting your
investment and ensuring the best resale
value when the time comes.
Measurement and management
become vitally important in the quest
to determine the cost versus efficiency
equation that needs to be calculated
when deciding when to trade vehicles
for new ones and when to keep them
for longer. This can mean the difference
between success or failure.
A sophisticated yet easy-to-use fleet
management is the only way of knowing
exactly how your vehicles are used,
the costs involved with that usage, and
identifying opportunities to use vehicles
for longer and more efficiently. These
systems also assist you in staying on top
of the administration of maintenance
schedules and yearly licensing, allowing
for proper planning and minimising
downtime while these necessary tasks
are seen to.
“While all these factors will go a
long way in protecting your investment,
Standard Bank understands that meeting
repayment obligations can be challeng-
ing in tough economic times. Standard
Bank Fleet Management has various
products available to assist fleet owners
and businesses in restructuring and
ultimately running fleets more pro-
ductive and cost-effective,” concludes
De Vries. BFA
April 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA