Svella Connect has achieved remarkable improvements in fleet efficiency within six months – reducing accidents by 40% and boosting resource efficiencies by 25% – thanks to a strategic initiative underpinned by Webfleet telematics.
The telecoms and digital infrastructure giant has transformed profitability, with a sharp focus on improving efficiency and productivity, following its acquisition of NMCN (formerly North Midland Construction) in 2022.
Webfleet, Bridgestone’s globally trusted fleet management solution, sits at the heart of the company’s most recent drive to optimise operations across its fleet of 440 vans and 40 HGVs.
“We analyse Webfleet data for each of our three business units every nine weeks,” said Peter Jones, Head of Fleet Optimisation at Svella Connect, “carefully checking the time spent on jobs and whether they are being scheduled and allocated in the most efficient way.
“Every mile we save drives up profitability, while also helping support our green credentials. Every hour we gain can be used to deliver two or sometimes three extra jobs.”
Webfleet’s OptiDrive 360 has been used to target inefficient behaviour behind the wheel. Drivers with the lowest scores under a prescribed quality threshold are automatically assigned to the in-house driver training team.
“Previously there was virtually no visibility of where or what our employees were doing – including on expensive bank holiday, weekend or overtime shifts,” explained Jones.
“With Webfleet, we can pinpoint the hours worked with accurate start/finish times and insights throughout the working day. This is particularly valuable as we pay a day in lieu as well as overtime rates, and has meant that we have successfully eradicated overstaffing issues, without any impact on customer service.”
Driver safety has also been a key driver for Svella. Webfleet’s integral in-cab cameras have proven to be invaluable for giving instant insights after accidents.
“One of our drivers recently had to swerve dramatically on the motorway to avoid a car, the driver of which had lost control and crossed three lanes,” said Jones.
“Instant access to the camera footage meant we could quickly exonerate our driver from any blame. This kind of support has also helped us to get buy in from our employees and an appreciation that the technology is as much to protect them as us.”
Furthermore, Webfleet is being used to dramatically improve vehicle safety by mandating drivers to complete vital vehicle checks before each journey.
Jones added: “We inherited hundreds of legacy vehicles with defects which had gone unreported for 18 months, hire vehicles with thousands of pounds worth of damage and less than half of drivers bothering with vehicle checks.
“Now we are leveraging Webfleet’s vehicle check app to great effect. Around 99% of all our drivers now complete a vehicle compliance check every morning with a direct line to the fleet maintenance team. This is having a massive impact on fleet maintenance costs and driver safety compliance.”
