Fleet management is good business for those who have the expertise, but a costly nightmare for those who don`t. Fleet Support Services (FSS) has established itself as the country`s only independent fleet management bureau service, and acquired some of the country`s best expertise. But such skills are in short supply, and IT is being used to maximise competitive advantage, provide a better and broader range of services to the customer, and drive down the cost of fleet management. FSS IT manager Jacques Barnard says many companies, government departments and essential services are outsourcing their fleet management to cut the costs of vehicle maintenance. For example, local government essential services have been crippled by the abuse of motor vehicle privileges, and independent fleet managers are tendering to take over the function. Barnard concedes that FSS, until recently, did not view IT as a strategic tool. "Our computer systems were seen as a repository for financial and other data. However, we came to recognise that IT would be key to making us more competitive. We had to look at adding value; we have years of data and years of HR experience which had never been used. IT used to play a reactive role; now it works for us." Out with the old FSS moved off an IBM RS/6000 server running FourGen Financials and an operational system using Informix, to a high-speed Corollary 4 Processor SMP server. This was supplied by Computer Configurations, a company in the JSE-listed Computer Configurations Holdings group. The new software system, to be commissioned during 1998, will include the financial suite, AccountAbility, from Hill Cunnington. and an object-orientated, Delphi-developed system, both running on Microsoft Windows NT and against SQL Server. The company`s target market has opened up since the decision in 1996 to offer services to all players instead of only to its two shareholders, ABSA Motor Lease and Imperial Fleet Services. McCarthy Fleet Services and Volvo truck agents Swedish Truck Distributors are among FSS`s clients. FSS has a team of "dealers" which shop around for the best deal for their clients. All supplier details, maintenance contracts, discount schedules and the records of every vehicle administered are housed on the Corollary system. This level of flexibility, and the ability to manage a host of different management packages for clients, requires flexible software and powerful hardware. The Corollary was the ideal fit, says Barnard. "The machine satisfies our current needs, and is scalable enough to accommodate our future plans, which includes giving our clients Internet-based access to information." FSS`s month-end invoice processing has been cut from 13 hours to three, and a month-end run from three hours to 20 minutes. "Before the Corollary our users were idle for half a day because they could not log on while the month-end was running," says Barnard. But processing was not the only consideration when looking at new systems. "We couldn`t upgrade the RS/6000, and although we tried adding extra storage and a Raid system, the results were not satisfactory." What followed was an exhaustive search. FSS wrote its own benchmark software to test various machines. "We also looked at rental options, trade-ins, trial periods, and other options," Barnard recalls. The end came with a shootout between a Sun server and the Corollary, and in all instances, says Barnard, the Corollary won hands down. Computer Configurations` technical staff threw themselves into the conversion. "We faced some migration challenges, but our supplier ensured the best possible performance," says Barnard. During 1997, a Corollary Promaster 605 was installed to replace the old development machine. "FSS has made a strategic decision to use Corollary machines for operations and system development." Barnard believes that, by combining expertise and technology, FSS has stolen a march on its competition. "Other companies are now trying to emulate us; however, we are well on the way to expanding our business and to continue re-inventing our services. With our IT infrastructure we are positioned to stay ahead of the rest."
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