Puddy’s Vehicle Solutions (PVS) – a Somerset-based provider of strategy, procurement and consulting services for the UK fleet sector – is the first new customer of Prestige Vehicle Servicing (Prestige) since its acquisition by the AA in February 2019.

Prestige says it works with 60% of the fleet sector

The agreement will see PVS-managed vehicles entering the Prestige – which works with 60% of the fleet sector – service, maintenance and repair (SMR) network, which consists more than 400 garages via an automated software platform, Unity.

It took the AA and Prestige less than a month from PVS viewing the operation in Melton Mowbray to pushing the first vehicle through the network.

The AA says the deal indicates its B2B strategy, which seeks to create partnerships with intelligent and innovative use of data and customer relationships at their heart.

Gavin Franks, business services director, commented: “This is a great example of the AA’s Business Services strategy in action, showing how the innovative introduction to a customer of a truly differentiated product can deliver real value and opportunity for everyone involved. We look forward to confirming further wins as we are able to share our insights and service offering with the much wider fleet and OE community.”

Joe Bharma, commercial director at Prestige, added: “We’re pleased that we’ve been able to react so quickly to the PVS demand for a responsive, innovative and nationwide SMR package. With the first vehicle having already come into the network, we look forward to usage ramping up over the coming months.”

Marcus Puddy, MD of PVS, concluded: “We pride ourselves on bringing our industry knowledge and expertise to bear in securing the best solutions for our clients, improving fleet risk, increasing uptime and boosting operational usage to maximise efficiencies. Prestige and the AA were able to show us the benefits that having access to a dedicated SMR network would offer to our fleet, and we’re excited to work together on the roll-out.”

The AA’s acquisition of Prestige in February 2019 is part of an ongoing strategy to address business and driver planned and unplanned needs, playing into the organisation’s technology-led push towards preventative maintenance and breakdown services.