ARRIVA Automotive Solutions has announced a £1.6 million investment in a new software system. The leasing and fleet management giant is installing the Oracle-based Willow 2000 system, developed by Tangram Computer Systems, after researching the fleet software market for two years.

Arriva has a strong record of technological development - it pioneered automatic vehicle relicensing with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - and said such internal efficiencies enable it to achieve one of the industry's lowest average overhead costs at just £18 per vehicle per month across its 77,000-strong fleet. The company claims this allows it to compete for business on a highly competitive basis, evidenced by its success in winning the recent tender for the NHS Supplies contract.

Nick Bennett, Arriva Automotive Solutions' technical services director, said: 'Willow 2000's automated workflow module will open up a whole new world for us in terms of improving customer and supplier relationships. Internally it will mean significant cost savings. Internet accessibility will improve communications radically between customer and supplier. The integrated solution will give us an entirely new dimension of communications.'