Fleet Tools Will Help You Get More Done In Less Time Companies that understand the need to drive sustainability and an eco-friendly business are enabled to reap other rewards as well - most notably they can improve efficiencies, productivity and reduced costs.

What's good for the environment is good for business. Technology designed in Europe to reduce a vehicle or fleet's carbon footprint serves another purpose as well: It improves efficiencies, drives productivity and radically reduces costs.

According to Neil Yates, founder and CEO of BinClean SA, a recycling, waste removal and waste management services business based in Johannesburg, installing Webfleet fleet management software and deploying TomTom GPS units across his fleet has been a game changer for his business.

"The features available in Webfleet have helped in cost savings, contributed towards a reduced carbon footprint and helped increase efficiency at BinClean SA," he explains. It's a trifecta that has had a significant impact on BinClean SA's bottom line.

"We've reduced our overtime bill by 50%, our fuel bill by 15%, and we're able to do 20% more work in each day. We've also discovered we had one vehicle we didn't need, and we're 20% more efficient than we were before," says Neil.

This not only adds up to cost saving benefits, but also helps to deliver a better customer experience, as BinClean SA vehicles are more efficient and reliable and arrive on time.

Automated efficiencies

"When we launched the business, my wife and I recognised the need for a service driven, responsible and ethical waste management business. In order to add value to our customers, we needed to offer a more environmentally friendly, economically feasible and convenient service to our customers.

"The only way to achieve this was for our drivers to navigate Joburg's notorious traffic in the most efficient way possible. The less time spent on the road, or idling in traffic, the smaller our carbon footprint."

The problem was that the company did everything manually. Orders were captured by head office through order forms, and sheets were given to drivers at the beginning of each day, detailing their customers for the day. If addresses were spelt incorrectly on order forms or pages were missing from their map books, valuable time would be lost. There was also no way to predict the most efficient routes to take, and a lack of planning often meant backtracking to later clients.

Increased productivity, lowered costs

"All industries have specific challenges and requirements, but we're all looking for ways to reduce costs and improve efficiencies and productivity," says Neil, whose business has been transformed by Webfleet's capabilities. "Becoming environmentally sustainable was also a big concern for us.

"Operator errors have been significantly reduced, as all orders are now sent remotely to drivers from the office. In the past, we communicated with our drivers via two-way radio. Today, all of our orders are pre-generated as we receive them from our clients. The TomTom Telematics system indicates if there are any faults with the addresses, and navigates the vehicles to the exact delivery location via the most efficient route. The system completely optimises our logistics planning.

"The results speak for themselves. The overall benefit of using the TomTom Telematics system has had further advantages. As our overtime decreased, so we were able to do more work every day for less costs. This means we increased our productivity, while using fewer resources."

Less fuel, more efficient routes and one less vehicle have also reduced BinClean SA's carbon footprint as a whole, helping the company to move into the future as a more sustainable, environmentally responsible business.