Fleet professionals are being urged to underline the contribution they make to their organisations, including cost savings, to highlight the importance of a fleet management focus.

AFP chair Paul Hollickow said it was a good time to help fleet departments spell out exactly the concrete benefits and advantages they bring, or can bring

The call comes from the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP), which is running a new webinar on ‘Fleet Operators – Adding Value to Your Business’ later this month.

Taking place at 9:30am on 23 September and open to all in the industry – not just AFP members – it’s designed to help fleet professionals underline the contribution they make to their organisations.

The event will be hosted by Julie Summerell of TR Fleet and include presentations from Steve Winter, head of fleet at Centrica; Steve Openshaw, group fleet and transport manager at Eric Wright Group; and Stewart Taylor, fleet manager at Police Scotland.

Explaining the rationale for the webinar, AFP chair Paul Hollick said: “At a point in time when many companies are looking to make cutbacks, including potentially redundancies, now seems like a good time to help fleet departments spell out exactly the concrete benefits and advantages they bring, or can bring, to their businesses.

“The fleet operators who are presenting during the webinar will be looking at subjects such as showing how the fleet management role within a business can increase efficiency, reduce cost, improve robustness in systems, and which key projects drive business performance.

“We believe that it is also important to show best practice on how to work in close partnership with other stakeholders in your business, partnering on projects, generating board engagement, networking and making the most of any training that may have been undertaken.

“It is very much about constructing demonstrable facts to highlight the ongoing importance of fleet and business transport facilities within organisations. Sometimes, even quite significant achievements can pass under the radar and fleets need to shout about their wins.”

The AFP webinar – the second to be held since the formation of the organisation in March from the merging of the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO) and the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM) – will also give a general update on AFP activity.

Hollick added: “We’re now in a position where all the necessary infrastructure for the AFP is in place, ranging from committees to training resources, and we are receiving significant interest from potential new members, with many already joining.

“Now that things are settled, we are planning to hold more webinars to help provide members with useful tools and advice as we all continue to work through the implications of the coronavirus crisis. It is at difficult times such as this that trade bodies can really come into their own, and the AFP is very much committed to playing its part.”

To attend the event, please visit https://www.theafp.co.uk/webinars/adding-value-to-your-business/.