Autoglass Can See Clearly Now, Thanks to GPS Rollout

News Article

Autoglass Can See Clearly Now, Thanks to GPS Rollout

Digital Ireland – Ireland Independent
Thursday 30 July 2009

A €120,000 GPS vehicle solution for Autoglass deployed by FleetMatics is helping to reduce costs

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Autoglass is one of Ireland’s leading vehicle glass repair and replacement companies, serving more than 60,000 motorists each year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The company employs 110 people in the Republic of Ireland. Autoglass has implemented a GPS vehicle solution from FleetMatics to reduce business risk, deliver high availability and better monitor its fleet and reduce costs.

“We have 55 mobile units on the road and we felt we could offer our customers a better service if we knew where our mobile units were at all times,” explains Alun Donnelly, operations development manager at Autoglass.

“Customers are in distress if they have had their vehicle’s glass broken due to vandalism. Our main priority is to secure the customers’ vehicles and get them back on the road as soon as possible.”

After reviewing different solutions from various companies, Autoglass decided on the GPS Vehicle Solution from FleetMatics based on price, service and commitment to customise the solution for their own specific needs.

The FleetMatics vehicle tracking solution uses satellite technology to provide real-time fleet vehicle location and record historical vehicle activity.

FleetMatics’ highly skilled team of professional technicians installed a GPS vehicle tracking unit into every Autoglass fleet vehicle. There are no exposed wires or antennas, making the equipment virtually tamper-proof.

The vehicle GPS tracking units transmit data to the FleetMatics system every 30 seconds. This information can be accessed 24 hours a day through any internet connection around the world.

“Every one of our mobile technicians has his/her own windscreen chip repair kid,” explains Donnelly. “The FleetMatics solution enables us to include jobs on their mobile runs by locating the closest technicians to the customer, ensuring that the job gets done the same day.”

Key vehicle management reports such as the vehicle location report, daily report and hours worked report give the company more control. “We also run daily speeding and excess mileage reports, which has helped us curb poor driving habits and unnecessary fuel usage,” says Donnelly.

“We are experiencing improved customer service, increased productivity and a 13.5pc decrease in fuel usage, which makes us very happy.”