Saint Gobain makes smart savings with Total
Europe’s largest distributor of building materials is on course to save £100,000 in operating costs during 2008 thanks to SMART and mobile repair services provided by Total Accident Management.
Saint-Gobain has made the savings across its 5,000-strong fleet of cars, vans and trucks by taking advantage of the repair techniques that can be carried out on-site, rather than having to recover the vehicle to a bodyshop.
At a time of economic uncertainty, particularly for the construction industry, Total Accident Management has cut the average repair cost on Saint-Gobain’s commercial vehicle fleet by £1,000 per vehicle, saving £53,000 in the last six months in comparison to the company’s previous service provider, dramatically improving the company’s cash flow.
Leigh Whymark, Insurance Supervisor at Saint-Gobain Building Distribution (UK), said: “Around 30% of our company car repairs are now mobile repairs, with a further 33% of our commercial vehicles using the service.
“It has brought huge benefits to our business, both in terms of cost-savings on repairs and vehicle hire, plus significant reductions in vehicle downtime.”
In addition, it has also saved an average £65 per vehicle on company car repairs such as broken door mirrors and minor panel damage. Saint-Gobain has previously averaged around 700 such repairs per year, meaning the company could potentially save around £45,500 annually.
Meanwhile vehicle downtime is reduced from ten days to five days on its commercial fleet and from seven days to five days on cars – cutting the company’s reliance on replacement vehicle hire.
Leigh added: “Switching to Total means a typical HGV repair is now five days quicker than before. With rental costs on a replacement 18-tonne truck costing as much as £200 a day, that’s an instant £1,000 saving.
“Not only has this saved us £53,000 in the last six months, it also boosts efficiency. It makes sense for us to get the repairer down to one of our offices rather than us having to take a vehicle somewhere – and it gets both vehicles and drivers back on the road more quickly.”
Stefan Smyth, director of Total Accident Management, said: “Saint-Gobain has achieved outstanding cost savings through the use of SMART and mobile repair techniques.
“Technicians can go into a company overnight to carry out a commercial vehicle repair, while company car drivers can have their vehicle fixed in the office car park while they’re at work – so it saves money and is also far more convenient for drivers.”
For more information about Total Accident Management, visit totalaccman.co.uk