Supply chain management specialist Fleet Assist has strengthened its technical authorisation team to meet growing demand for its services from major contract hire and leasing companies.

The company supplies a wide range of services, including service, maintenance and repair (SMR) work authorisation, to more than half of the UK’s top 50 contract hire and leasing companies collectively operating more than 700,000 vehicles.

The company, which manages SMR work through a nationwide network of more than 8,000 service outlets, has promoted Mark Bruce to lead the authorisation team as technical services manager.

A qualified vehicle technician and former workshop manager, he also worked as a maintenance control manager for vehicle leasing companies prior to joining Fleet Assist five years ago.

Joining Fleet Assist is Ben Blomley, a qualified master technician through the Institute of the Motor Industry’s Automotive Technician Accreditation scheme.He becomes technical services controller.

Stephen Polhill, who joined Fleet Assist in January 2011 initially in the service booking team prior to moving to the rental and network management teams, completes the team also as a technical services controller.

Vincent St Claire, commercial director, Fleet Assist, said: “We have strengthened our technical authorisation team to meet the increasing volume of work being undertaken on behalf of contract hire and leasing companies.

"This service is scalable which has been demonstrated by both the volumes and duration of support we have provided to customers.

“As an adhoc temporary supplier we have had to deal with increases of up to 100,000 vehicles with little notice and short term contracts with no defined end date.

“Expanding our technical authorisation team with back-up available delivers service flexibility to meet demand on a day-by-day basis.”