COVID is not slowing the team down at ORIX. They’re continuously working on new products and improvements – from fully unbundling leasing and services with ORIX MyWay, to delivering a new app that has radically changed driver experience with DRIVERHQ.
“We’re committed to helping our customers achieve their fleet objectives, so finding new solutions to excite our customers is a big part of who we are” says Barry Nicholson, GM for ORIX New Zealand. ORIX have multiple technology advancements and digital solutions in the pipeline for this year and one initiative that they are particularly excited about, is the addition of anew Sustainability Manager. It is a role focused on supporting ORIX and their customers on their journey to lower/zero emission fleets.
ORIX currently helps customers transition to hybrid and electric vehicles, which make up more than 16% of their vehicles on order and is aligned to market averages. They have built out an EVi Strategy that has 3 pillars – Discover (education and shared experiences), Develop (single/phased transition solutions) and Deploy (implementation) that is proving valuable to their customers. So why invest further? Nicholson says “We felt there was a missing link in this phase of early adoption that would take our customer’s experience to the next level. The ‘hands-on’ experience gained from transitioning a large fleet to an alternative powertrain from a fleet manager perspective. Not only as a Fleet Management Organisation”.
Enter Mark Flusk. He’s ORIX’s new Sustainability Manager, a qualified Automotive Engineer with a background in Operations and Procurement. Flusk comes from the Warehouse Group where he was Category Manager for logistics, utilities, and fleet. He’s been part of the team that transitioned their vehicles to one of the largest EV fleets in New Zealand. He has that hands-on experience, that Nicholson has talked about and understands from experience of what has worked and what hasn’t!
Flusk says “Transitioning from ICE to EVs is not a single event, it’s a lifestyle change” adding “When you make a conscious decision to transition to an EV, it will be a journey of change that requires careful planning, education, stakeholder engagement and execution”. Flusk is keen to get started, adding to ORIX’s value proposition in the coming months with customer engagements, and developing new tools and resources that customers will be able to access.
We ask him for his top 3 tips on businesses wanting to transition light commercials to a greener fleet? Flusk says:
- Get 100% granularity on the LCV vehicle application. You need to be very comfortable that whatever solution you select, it will deliver on your business requirements and remain highly productive.
- After sales support is critical. We are early adopters so there will be challenges to navigate. Vehicle downtime is detrimental to any Commercial fleet operator so ensure that the vehicle selected has the necessary aftersales support to keep your business moving and your driver’s safe.
- Plan your implementation. Ensure you have considered how you will transition vehicles, educate & support your drivers, and keep stakeholders informed.
It makes sense to us. ORIX are a global financial services company who operate by the principles of the UN Global Compact on human rights, labour and anti-corruption. They’ve reduced carbon emissions globally by over 3 million tonnes since starting their journey in 2014 and are committed to sustainable business practices.
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