ATS Euromaster “Focuses on Cutting Fleet Running Costs”

While the latest European Truck Customer Survey suggests that vehicle uptime has overtaken fuel efficiency as the most pressing concern on the minds of fleet operators, ATS Euromaster has continued to view both aspects of fleet service with similar importance. Peter Fairlie, group sales director with the firm, suggests that ATSE has retained a focus on helping fleet managers to “cut their running costs” across the board, through such measures as tyre husbandry, an increase in emphasis on mobile repair units and “ramping up” its service offering to accommodate fleet vehicles’ longer deployment.

“So far as ATS Euromaster is concerned, and the feedback it gets from its customers, both fleet uptime and fuel efficiency are of major importance to fleet managers,” Fairlie told Tyres & Accessories. “With that in mind, the services ATS Euromaster provides are designed to minimise downtime and maximise fuel economy, which combined can have a significant impact on fleet running costs and overall fleet performance.
 
“ATS Euromaster helps customers to cut downtime in many different ways – such as tyre safety inspections, free vehicle health checks, plus the recent investment in fault-diagnostics systems across the centre network – saving customers from having to visit franchised dealers, which can often cost more money and require pre-booking an appointment.  What’s more, ATS Euromaster’s 24/7 roadside assistance for commercial vehicle customers is designed to get vehicles back on the road safely and swiftly after a tyre-related breakdown, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day – using the largest fleet of tyre fitting vehicles in the country.  Whilst designed to support some of the country’s most prestigious hauliers and own-account operators, it’s a service which is available to any commercial vehicle customer – from the smallest car-derived van to maximum weight artics.
 
“ATS Euromaster’s commitment to professional tyre husbandry naturally helps fleets to improve fuel economy by ensuring tyres are maintained in the optimum condition to achieve the maximum performance on the road at all times.  Staff also provide expert advice to customers when selecting new tyres, which helps to ensure they select the most suitable fitment for their requirements.”
 
When Tyres & Accessories last spoke to group operations director Chris Hufflett, ATSE appeared to be developing the mobile side of the business, with 900 vehicles allowing the company to service 100,000 breakdowns every month. This has been an important aspect of the fleet business’s development, continues Fairlie:
 
“An increasing amount of work is carried out by the mobile service fleet, which in turn benefits customers as it saves them the time and hassle of visiting a fast-fit centre.  Changes made last year also enable customers to book either AM or PM appointments for routine tyre replacements, with a phone call from the technicians to confirm an ETA as soon as they are en route.
 
“For rapid response call-outs, in 2009 ATS Euromaster averaged an impressive 71 minutes from the moment the phone rang in its Birmingham-based Customer Service Centre until a technician arrived with the customer at the roadside.  So far this year the average time has dropped to just 65 minutes.  It’s testament to the lengths ATS Euromaster continually goes to fine-tune its performance and provide the best possible service to customers.”
 
As for the scrappage scheme, and the potential effects of more new vehicles within fleets, Fairlie suggested that the effect had been minimal: “in terms of retail customers, it has slightly reduced the parc of older vehicles on the road in the UK.  Fleet customers primarily operate more modern cars and vans, and whereas vehicles were typically replaced after three years, four and five year deals are increasingly common.  This has meant a greater requirement for service, maintenance and repair work.  As a direct result, ATS Euromaster has invested in ramping-up its service offering and is actively growing its MOT network.”

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