At Amerit, we have found that even fleets with well-run maintenance programs have areas that are problematic. Challenges may stem from growth into new markets, poor services from 3rd party vendors or difficulties in recruiting qualified technicians. Amerit’s ability to nimbly create solutions that solve these problem areas has become a hallmark of our approach to keeping your fleet rolling.
The following case study outlines how we have done just that- made significant improvements for a distribution fleet that was facing severe challenges in select locations.
The Situation: The Deadly Duo- Poor Quality and High Costs.
As is common for many large fleets, part of our client’s maintenance program included outsourced locations. And as is also common, some locations ran well but in one region our client faced serious issues that crippled their fleet and profitability. The situation included:
- Local 3rd party provider had significant outsourced spend.
- Provider significantly behind on PMs creating DOT compliance concerns.
- High costs from current supplier outsourcing a large percentage of work.
- Under 75% equipment availability causing strain on remaining units and creating logistics route planning and customer service concerns.
- High costs due to low in-house technician productivity and high outsourced spend.
The Amerit Solution: Workforce Upgrade.
After thorough on-site reviews, Amerit felt confident that our expertise in right-sizing, recruiting, training and managing on-site workforces would deliver significant improvements to our client’s fleet operations. Our solution included:
- Reducing outsourced spend by staffing with technicians who were trained and qualified to perform all required maintenance and repairs, only outsourcing highly specialized work.
- Increases in productivity and quality through better management and training, tracked to targets and reported monthly.
- Staffing levels suited to fleet’s operating schedules, including the 24/7 demands of the identified locations.
The Result: A Safe and Reliable Fleet That Is Up and Running.
Our team of recruiters and managers went to work and quickly recruited, trained and deployed 19 technicians, who’s initial directive was to triage the fleet, covering the basics of DOT compliance to ensure that each unit was operating safely and reliably.
After securing the safety of the fleet, the team turned their attention to implementing a PM schedule and other best-in-class processes to address the ongoing, and future, maintenance needs of the fleet. Within a few short months the team posted these results:
- Over 35% cost reduction
- Over $1.2M annual savings in outsourced work
- 32% reduction in Total Cost Per Mile
- Raised equipment availability to 95%
- 40% increase in PM currency
- Improved tech productivity from 80% to over 100% by beating SRTs, greater efficiency and organization of shop and comprehensive in-house services.
The Road Forward- A Strategic Partner
As a committed, collaborative and professional fleet maintenance organization, our fundamental mission is the relentless pursuit of uptime. Whether it’s a single troublesome location or a nationwide plan, Amerit is your fleet’s strategic ally, reducing costs and downtime while keeping your fleet rolling and safe, on the road generating revenue where it belongs.