17 Nov 16
News

Fleet Europe Forum 2016: The entrance of the Global Mobility Architect

The duties of the fleet manager are becoming more aligned with the responsibilities of a global mobility architect. Steered by innovation, technology, connectivity and sustainability and mobility, the traditional role of the fleet manager is undergoing rapid evolution into a position encapsulated by the term ‘global mobility architect’.

In this brave new world, the ‘default car’ concept, where every employee automatically picks up his or her car keys for every journey, is dead. Instead, major employers are looking at the most efficient, most cost effective and most environmentally sustainable way to connect employees, transport goods and travel to see clients.

It’s a transformation that involves buy-in from every level of employee in every sector of an organisation, said Romain Trebuil, global purchasing manager, L’Oréal.

‘The goal is to listen to all employees and then build a solution that fits their needs,” he said.

It’s not a problem, Romain Trebuil added, if not all employees adopt the new mobility solutions, but the better the solutions, the simpler they are to understand, and the easier it is to communicate their advantages, the more likely they are to be successful.

L’Oréal is currently trialling a number of different mobility solutions to identify which gain traction, and Trebuil predicts that within a couple of years the company will be in a position to nominate preferred suppliers. Early indications suggest that a version of car sharing will feature within L’Oreal’s mobility arsenal.

Departing from the well established concept of company cars requires major collaboration and reliable data, said Velma Baptiste-Destouche, global health & safety manager, British American Tobacco, which operates vehicles in 200 countries around the world. The company is engaged in the roll-out of a massive telematics project in over 40 countries for more than 14,000 veihicles, which among other things will build accurate data about how and where vehicles are used as a basis for constructing a business case for alternative mobility solutions.

“We will not take great leaps if it does not help the business,” said Baptiste-Destouche. “We will only make use of solutions when it’s right for the business.” And she underlines the necessity to have access to mobility modes and management tools that are simple, user-friendly and cost-attractive. 

For Royal DSM, sustainability is one of three core pillars of the company, so mobility solutions that help to achieve this goal are highly prized, said Daan Bieleveld, global mobility manager.

“You need buy in from the top of the organisation and from the bottom up,” he said, adding that project are more likely to enjoy success if they reward staff, rather than take away benefits. the important lesson, however, is to keep identifying new opportunities, keep trying new solutions, and learning from them if they don’t succeed.

“We should not be scared of trying new things out and sharing best practices with other countries,” said Daan Bieleveld. He is also a keen advocate of discussing these issues with peers in other companies to avoid the risk of reinventing the wheel.

One lesson from ISS World Services is the importance of buy in from both the management and operational side of the business for a mobility solution, said Henrik Schmidt Lundberg, head of group fleet management. Next to that he underlined the importance of partnerships between customers and suppliers to create a learning win-win in the development of successful mobility management solutions. 

 

 

Authored by: Jonathan Manning