“Navman Wireless has saved us time and money in so many ways that our Accountant now sees it almost like a procurement item - more divisions will be installing it soon.”
Benefits of Navman Wireless
- Excellent job response times
- Significant fuel savings
- More accurate timesheets and improved record keeping
- A more focused, professional workforce
Transfield Services’ Facilities Management division is responsible for the scheduled and urgent maintenance of 7,200 Housing New Zealand homes in the greater South Auckland region. They have over 30 vehicles on the road carrying out a variety of plumbing, electrical, carpentry, glass, construction and paint work. The fleet is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and completes 4,500 jobs a month.
Transfield Services first began the Housing New Zealand contract in 2005. They had six months to get their systems right before their response time KPI came into place. Tony Costin, Contract Manager, says, “With a couple of million dollars at risk if we didn’t meet the KPI, I knew we needed a tool that would help us manage the guys and get them to their jobs faster.”
Mr Costin says that he looked at every tracking system on the market and chose Navman Wireless because it had everything he wanted. “I had to put in a strong business case because the Accountant didn’t want me spending money on ‘toys’. Now, I have proven that Navman Wireless is not a toy but a cost saving tool that has increased efficiencies across the board.”
Excellent Job Response Times
Before Transfield Services had Navman Wireless, they only met 22% of their response time KPI. Today, they use the OnlineAVL 2 to proactively manage and assign jobs to the nearest vehicle. Because they can allocate jobs in this efficient manner, they now meet 79% of their KPI. This increase has paid for the Navman Wireless system 20 times over.
“On average, our workmen used to get nine jobs completed in a day. Navman Wireless has helped us increase that number to 13 jobs a day and has made our charge-out rates more profitable,” says Mr Costin.
Significant Fuel Savings
The visibility that Navman Wireless offers enabled Transfield Services to reduce their fuel costs by 6% in the first three months of having the solution installed. “Now we assign our guys to jobs in the neighbourhoods in which they live and monitor their progression throughout the day so they simply don’t need to drive as far any more,” states Mr Costin.
Transfield Services’ servicemen are only supposed to use their vehicles to get from home to their jobs and back home again. “I knew from the fuel bill account that some vehicles were travelling out of area, but we couldn’t identify the extent of after-hour vehicle usage. With Navman Wireless on board, the guys now ask if they need to use their vehicles outside of work time. We’re sure this honesty is another reason for lower fuel bills,” says Mr Costin.
More Accurate Timesheets and Improved Record Keeping
“Timesheet accuracy improved overnight,” claims Mr Costin. “We use the Navman Wireless reports to verify start and finish times and it’s made things easier for both the workmen and our payroll people. This increased accuracy and efficiency alone has paid for the Navman Wireless system.”
Every manager uses Navman Wireless reports and functionality. The dispatch manager runs monthly mileage reports and site reports to see how long the guys spend on jobs and in the office in order to better schedule their work. The team also uses Geofences to pinpoint particular Housing New Zealand properties - especially vacant properties - to ensure the safety of their servicemen.
A More Focused, Professional Workforce
Just before installing Navman Wireless, Mr Costin had a workshop with his team to explain the solution and why it was important to both Transfield Services and their client, Housing New Zealand. After some initial ‘big brother’ murmurings, the team accepted the system and now everyone enjoys its benefits. New employees appreciate the system as well. Mr Costin comments, “New guys say, ‘If we had this at my old job it would have been fantastic!’ That’s how I know I’ve done the right thing for Transfield Services.”
