New Zealand ground engineering company Mainmark says that around five years ago, their eclectic mix of employee-owned vehicles was less than ideal, with vehicle appearance and cost holding them back – so they turned to fleet leasing company FleetPartners for help.
According to Mainmark, the nature of their line of work equates to a large investment from the customer, saying that It’s not a small decision for their customers to future-proof and invest in the long-term, meaning that first impressions are paramount in the ground engineering company’s customer approach.
Mainmark says that five years ago, their talented, hard-working sales team used their own personal vehicles to go out and meet customers, they were a professional team, yet the unbranded, mix of different personal vehicles didn’t showcase them to the highest standard they wanted to portray.
“We previously had a wide range of cars that people showed up with to client visits,” says Mainmark General Manager Theo Hnat. “We felt that we weren’t putting our best foot forward, so we wanted to increase our professionalism and overall presentation.”
Changing and upgrading Mainmark’s vehicles was the obvious solution, however, the capital cost of buying a new fleet of vehicles was just too high, plus the recent instability (and cost) surrounding the vehicle supply chain also concerned them. So they looked to leasing as a great step forward and that meant FleetPartners.
Mainmark and FleetPartners completed a whole-of-life cost analysis, which subsequently made it obvious that a long-term cost to lease was lower than managing a fleet and maintenance themselves.
Mainmark says that they knew FleetPartners could recommend the best selection of professional looking vehicles to suit their needs, whilst also giving them cashflow control, by paying for their vehicles as they use them.
“FleetPartners really listened to our needs as a business,” says Theo. “In the last couple of years with the vehicle supply chain issues, they’ve provided recommendations and helped us adapt to using brands that were available. That meant new team members could start and they weren’t waiting around for more than six months due to supply chain issues.”
Mainmark has a long-term plan to transition to more sustainable vehicles as the leases come up for renewal and has recently introduced more sustainable vehicles to their fleet, including two Hybrid Toyota RAV4’s.
“One of our values is sustainability,” says Theo. “We use technologies that are less invasive than alternate methods so it means a smaller carbon footprint compared to other technologies, to achieve similar outcomes.”
Keeping business moving (even if a vehicle is off the road) is imperative for Mainmark, which is why they like having access to FleetPartners relief vehicle service. If an employee’s leased vehicle is off the road for any reason, like an accident, then FleetPartners will provide that employee with a like-for[1]like replacement vehicle to carry out their work duties.
It’s not just cars either, FleetPartners has helped customise Mainmark’s three trucks so they can transport supplies with confidence and ease. Theo says the switch to branded vehicles has boosted employee morale.
“Now, there’s a sense of ownership and accountability for each vehicle. Every employee keeps them very clean, and I see that there’s a sense of pride in turning up to see a customer in a branded vehicle. It looks really good.”
With the ability to upgrade to a new vehicle every three to four years, not only does Mainmark ensure vehicles are compliant and well maintained, they also impress potential customers with their immaculate fleet. In working with FleetPartners, they’re tightening their capital expenditure and enhancing their drivers safety and reliability.
