Viacom Outdoor, which handles advertising and sponsorship on the UK’s buses, the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and the national rail network, is part of media group CBS Corporation, whose brands include Paramount Television.
The company runs more than 1,000 cars and vans in France, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK. The company has awarded the contract to Fleet Alliance, which has managed the fleet since November 2004.
As part of a new arrangement, the six fleets will be rationalised – 24 manufacturers and 22 leasing companies are being replaced by Ford, Volvo, Renault, Volkswagen and Audi and there will be no more than three leasing companies per country.
UK facilities manager Karen Gilbert said: ‘The scheme required buy-in at a very senior level including our European chief executive and the European executive board. But after being shown savings amounting to more than E1 million a year, the support was overwhelming.’ She added: ‘As a company we wanted to save money, but not at the user’s expense and vehicle choice had to continue to be one of the main motivating factors.’
While some countries will gain an enhancement to their existing fleet policy as part of the deal, others may see the introduction of some constraints. Gilbert added: ‘It has meant balancing a number of cultures and approaches.’
Viacom Outdoor has also introduced a diesel-only policy and Fleet Alliance has created a website which includes pan-European vehicle procurement and online reporting.
Fleet Alliance managing director Martin Brown said: ‘Cost savings have come from manufacturer rebates, improved leasing terms, selection of the most appropriate vehicles, the introduction of wholelife costs, fuel savings and central ordering.’
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