Crown Paints is looking to drive efficiency through the installation of a new vehicle tracking and communications system from Aeromark.

The system will allow Crown to see where each of the vans in its fleet are at any given moment, while at the same time restricting drivers’ private phone use on company handsets to incoming calls.

Over 100 of the Crown Paints fleet will now be fitted with trackers incorporating Smartdash software from Aeromark Optimatics, as well as Dialpads to provide a cost-effective alternative to issuing company mobile phones.

Crown Decorating Centres’ operational support manager Ian Kay said: “Reducing our carbon footprint and overall mileage costs were key motivations for this roll-out.

“We have never had vehicle misuse issues, but the new system from Aeromark has trimmed speed, reduced distance travelled and eliminated the temptation to drive company vehicles out of hours.

“Couple these savings with removing the cost of outgoing private calls and texts on company mobiles through Dialpad and we have achieved substantial savings.”

Aeromark Optimatics provides a wide range of business analysis software to create and enhance service, fleet, communications, and call centre management systems, both directly and through a network of strategic partners.

Roger Marks, managing director of Aeromark, said: “With fuel prices continuing to rise, businesses are looking for ways to lower wastage without having to commit to high capital expenditure.

“The right vehicle tracking systems can offer great value for relatively low investment, and act to start saving money as soon as they are installed. The key is to find a solution that delivers accurate, reliable data and detailed, configurable reports in order to gain total visibility of your resources.

“Customers are generally enjoying a return on investment of four-to-one with this type of solution, with some achieving as much as a twelve-fold return.”