JAAMA KEY2 TO BE GAME-CHANGER FOR ANGLIAN WATER FLEET

The Huntingdon-based company will use the multi-award-winning Key2 system to deliver significant administration efficiencies across the ‘cradle to grave’ management of its fleet of 1,800 light commercial vehicles, 700 company cars, 100 HGVs, 3,000 items of plant equipment and seven workshops.

Furthermore, Key2, once fully introduced by early spring 2018, is expected to aid improved utilisation of the fleet and enable fleet department employees to make more informed decisions thus delivering financial savings across the operation. Additionally, and critically, the introduction of Key2 will transform the efficiency of Anglian Water’s workshops from a paper-based operation to a sophisticated online business with significantly enhanced management of time and spend. Stewart Lightbody, who joined Anglian Water as head of fleet services three-and-a-half-years ago, said: “Management of vehicles, plant and drivers is spread across numerous applications, databases and spread sheets with no integration to allow a joined-up view.

“Key2 will allow all information and data to be accessible in one location enabling the system to manage vehicles, plant, drivers and workshops and the relationship between them. It will enable vehicle and driver performance history to be managed and additional information, such as from telematics and fuel cards, to be used more effectively to deliver efficiencies.

“Key2 will become a central repository and a great source of information and something that the fleet team desperately requires. We are investing in the fleet team and the future of Anglian Water Fleet Services with the introduction of Key2.”

One of the top 70 fleets in the UK by size, Mr Lightbody, who had experience of Key2 in a previous fleet decision-maker role, said: “I am excited about the future because Key2 will be a game-changer for the fleet department and Anglian Water in the way we currently operate and the efficiencies and ultimately financial savings that will be delivered.

“Administratively Key2 will maximise fleet department resource, analyse outcomes and enable us to understand what excellent fleet performance looks like and how we can make it even better.”

Mr Lightbody leads a 29-strong fleet team – 23 of which are employed in workshops – and Jaama won the software system deal after beating off competition in a competitive tender.

He said: “I stayed out of the tender process because I had experience and knowledge of Key2. I wanted Anglian Water’s fleet and IT teams to see what was available in the market based on our requirements. It was vital that the fleet team had a strong influence on the decision because it is they who will be using Key2 day-in and day-out.”

Mr Lightbody continued: “Key2 was selected because of the functionality available and the Jaama team’s knowledge about the product. They knew their system and whatever questions were thrown at them by us they had answers; that was not true for all suppliers shortlisted.

“Jaama’s presentation gave the fleet team enormous comfort that it was the right system for Anglian Water and that it was a company that we could do business with. Relationships are very important and that is where Jaama added increased value.”

Looking to the future, Mr Lightbody said: “Key2 will define how the fleet team works in the future. Such a sophisticated system is long overdue and once implementation is complete I want it to disrupt the way we currently work and challenge the way the team thinks about fleet.

“Having all information easily accessible is key and with everyone having access to live data it means that current manual processes will become history. The way the Anglian Water fleet is managed and the workshops are currently operated will be reinvented. Ultimately we will become paperless and that will be hugely powerful as we will be making decisions based on real-world and immediate data.”

Prior to making the decision to acquire Key2, Mr Lightbody discussed different systems with his peers and other organisations and also held discussions with Skanska UK – the project development and construction company is a Key2 user.

Anglian Water already undertakes driver licence validation with a third party, but Mr Lightbody admitted that he was particularly “blown away” with how Skanska was using Key2 to manage its work-related road safety.

He said: “An Anglian Water working group is currently looking at how we manage road risk and what Skanska is doing reinforced our view of what is possible. We will being using Key2 to more closely manage driver risk and performance.

“Ultimately we see Key2 as giving the ability to self-serve with drivers having access to their information individually online.”

Finally, Mr Lightbody acknowledged the training and support from Jaama during the implementation phase and once Key2 is fully functioning.

He said: “The support available to the fleet team will be critical. Introduction of Key2 gives Anglian Water’s fleet team access to a whole new world and the relationships built with Jaama and the faith and trust in them will be vital.”

Jaama managing director Martin Evans said: “Anglian Water is the latest major fleet to recognise the flexibility and broad range of functionality that is included within Key2.

“The diverse nature of the Anglian Water fleet coupled with complex operational demands further emphasises the huge asset, driver and workshop management capability of Key2.

“Anglian Water has recognised that investing in software will make running its fleet more efficient and swiftly pay dividends. But equally importantly in selecting Jaama as its provider, it recognised that fleet management software is an exceptionally fast-moving world and required a partner that had in place a programme of continuous investment to future proof their technology.”

Anglian Water, geographically the largest water and sewerage company in England and Wales, covering 20% of the land area, supplies 4.3 million customers with high quality drinking water, and collects used water from more than six million customers across the East of England.