Optimum launches fleet management arm
MANCHESTER-based procurement specialist Optimum Procurement has launched a dedicated fleet management subsidiary.
The decision was taken after the company won several contracts, including a five-year deal in June with facilities management firm OCS, that took the scale of its fleet work to 6,000 vehicles.
Optimum Fleet Management has around 20 staff based at its own office in Peter Street, separate to the group’s headquarters at Riverside in New Bailey Street.
Optimum was founded in 2007 by chief executive Peter Rushton and group managing director Michael Jones. It has recorded strong organic growth, achieving sales of £5m in 2013 and this is expected to grow to £6m next year.
“We generate value and make sure the balance of that is retained by the client,” said Mr Rushton. “Where an organisation needs to improve commercial and operational performance significantly they look at a company like Optimum.
“It’s about as line of best fit. There is a strategic imperative but also a value proposition. The reason this market is going well is because organisations are seeing the return on investment by outsourcing in the first place.”
He added: “The reason why it’s successful is because it’s largely self-financing for clients. If it wasn’t we wouldn’t be in business.”
According to Mr Rushton large organisations are keen to outsource fleet management because technology offers transparency by allowing them to monitor hundreds of vehicles as well as the performance of drivers.
“Being in control of your fleet gives you confidence when you’re bidding for contracts because you can go to your clients and say, ‘these are our credentials’,” he said.
