However, as the world becomes
more reliant on technology, cybercrime
has become a significant threat to
business. The number of reported
incidents of cybercrimes has increased
dramatically over the last decade and is
expected to keep growing as technol-
ogy used by these criminals becomes
more sophisticated and harder to
detect.
Tighter control imperative
“These ongoing challenges mean
that doing business in South Africa
is as tough as ever and in order to
survive and remain profitable business
owners and fleet managers need
to closely manage every aspect of
their business to ensure efficiency
in all areas,” says Derick de Vries,
Executive Head of Standard Bank Fleet
Management.
Key to this is the right business
partnerships and supplier relationships.
For example, a well sorted and carefully
managed fleet management system is
critical to doing business in the transport
industry.
“So too are the right financing
partners. A volatile market means that
transport operators are experiencing a
growing need for more flexible financing
arrangements that allow them to alter
their fleet as and when needs arise,”
adds de Vries.
Standard Bank Vehicle and Asset
Finance currently offer several solutions
that speak to this need. Interim agree-
ments are an interim solution until such
time that they are superseded by a main
agreement. Operating rentals allow
assets to be hired for a defined period.
Full maintenance rentals provide
a comprehensive finance and main-
tenance package for businesses and
private individuals that require the use
of a vehicle or number of vehicles for
various purposes but do not want to
take ownership of, or the risk of main-
taining or disposing of the vehicles.
A fleet management card offers
convenience and is a useful way of
paying for, monitoring and controlling
vehicle running costs. Transactional in-
formation is provided on a daily, weekly
or monthly basis. Online authorisation
at the time of the transaction and
reporting of approved and declined
transactions ensures pro-active control
of expenses. This offers increased
security that protects against any pos-
sible fraudulent transactions and helps
manage the running costs of vehicles
by comparing performance against
benchmark statistics.
“Being adaptable is key to surviving
in an ever-changing world and the flex-
ibility of partnerships and agreements
will become a critical deciding factor
for business owners going forward,”
concludes de Vries. BFA
‘These ongoing
challenges mean
that doing business
in South Africa is as
tough as ever and in
order to survive and
remain profitable
business owners and
fleet managers need to
closely manage every
aspect of their business
to ensure efficiency
in all areas.’
January 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA