Pay You Go Quartix vehicle tracking system reduces the costs of Canute Group

07 April 2011, 13:01 Murat Özkaya

Canute Group serves some 750 purpose built a fleet of vehicles. If Canute Go to vehicle tracking have equipped more than 300 vehicles and 750 Quartix Pay - annual cost savings of around £ 300,000.

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The £100million company, with sites across the UK and Ireland, turned to Quartix after trialling two different systems. The first suffered from a spate of breakdowns; the second was removed when the operating company went into administration.

Mark Longhurst, IT manager, said: “The first system we tried had been installed on our recovery fleet, which operates Government contracts; these contracts dictate that we must have a fully operational tracking system so that we can update them as to the whereabouts of a vehicle at all times.”

Canute approached Quartix for a number of reasons, among them the company’s transparent pricing, straightforward pay-as-you-go rental scheme (no long-term contract), potential for cost savings, and the GPS system’s functionality and ease of use.

Mr Longhurst added: “All the above have been met fully, and the after-sales support has exceeded expectations. In fact, the team, ranging from the support desk to managing director Andy Walters, bends over backwards to assist when needed, which is refreshing.”

Canute financial director Steve Ely calculates the company saves £1,000 per vehicle per year – an annual total of around £300,000.

Mark Longhurst agrees: “There is definitely a cost saving per vehicle as idle times have decreased and our depots use the system to re-route their vehicles to new jobs whilst they are out on the road.

“In addition, and something I witnessed recently whilst out with one of our clients. There was a query on vehicle movements; we had the information to hand and on that particular occasion the system potentially saved us £200-£300.

“Also, there has been a decrease in the number of calls made to and from drivers; the less time our drivers and other staff are on the phone to each other the more they can focus on other areas of business.”

Canute’s first telematics trials involved a small number of vehicles, and it was only with Quartix’s appointment that a full deployment was commissioned.

The results, said Mr Longhurst, range from reduced costs to added value for customers, which “in itself brings financial benefits, including cost savings and new contracts.” However, he considers the biggest benefit of using Quartix “is Quartix themselves. The after-sales support is excellent and we have a fantastic working relationship with the entire team.” he said.

Based on its experience with Quartix, Canute is working with Andy Walters to develop the systems further and to seek more cost and control benefits.

Andy Kirk, sales and marketing director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be Canute’s chosen supplier of vehicle tracking systems. It is a real pleasure to be working with a company which has such clearly defined requirements, and which uses the system to maximum effect. We hope to be working with Canute for many years to come, both on the existing system and as we introduce new technology in the future.”

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