The event, which was held at the MINI plant in Oxford, saw 13 Konica Minolta engineers from across the UK test cars in line with the company’s new, cost-effective and environmentally friendly fleet. The event was part of a full company car policy review to ensure fleet vehicles meet employees’ individual driving needs. 

The two firms have been in partnership since 2010, with Alphabet currently supplying Konica Minolta’s field service engineers with the latest Ford Mondeo and Ford Focus models.

As part of the company’s planned expansion of its sales force and engineer team, Konica Minolta has been reassessing its business travel needs with a view to also reducing fleet costs and ultimately lowering its carbon footprint even further.

As Konica Minolta’s service engineers spend a large portion of their working days travelling in cars, whilst providing technical customer support, their input in the next steps of the fleet decision process was deemed crucial.

Michael Cope, compensation and benefits manager at Konica Minolta explained: “In the past, our service engineers have been supplied with a vehicle rather than being offered a choice. By inviting a wide group of employees who cover a range of mileages and destinations, we hope to meet all driving needs, as well as reducing fleet costs and instilling a sense of pride throughout the team.”

David Bushnell, e-Mobility consultant at Alphabet, said: “Our team is focused on proactively supporting the customer journey for Konica Minolta to ensure that their business travel needs are matched with the most efficient mode of transport, based on mileage and destination. Rather than decisions being made autonomously, the test drive aimed to enhance customer engagement and collaboration. The event was a great opportunity for us to work in partnership with Konica Minolta to make sure its employees are getting the most out of their vehicles.”