Directors of ELAN
Distinguished Guest Speakers
Distinguished Participants
Gentlemen of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am very delighted to welcome you on behalf of the Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria (ELAN), to the 5th Transport Logistics & Fleet Management Conference with the theme “THE ROLE OF FLEET MANAGEMENT IN ENHANCING CORPORATE OBJECTIVES”. I most heartily welcome our Distinguished Guest Speakers as well as all other Dignitaries. We are deeply honoured and sincerely valued your presence given the huge demand for your time at this period of the year.
The Transport Logistics & Fleet Management Conference is a gathering of stakeholders in the business of fleet management and its ancillary services, designed to equip stakeholders with essential tools and ingredients for various business models to succeed in this specialised market. This conference shall among other things provides the platform to discuss pivotal issues that will engender desired development of the fleet management industry and provides a unique opportunity for business networking. Essentially, it is organised into two sessions – business and technical, packaged to further impart techniques that would enhance the understanding of the complexities and nuances of fleet management, both as a cost saving mechanism and business. The Conference offers concentrated agenda to raise the bar for professional business practice within the Fleet Management Industry.
Globally, Fleet Management and Transport Logistics is an industry imbued with immense opportunities, that has evolved as an integral part of logistics support for economic and other developmental initiatives with focus on vehicle fleets i.e. cars, buses, trucks and other special purpose vehicles such as ambulances, para-military vehicles, dump and waste trucks, fire service vehicles, etc.
Contemporary Fleet Management Plan is complementary with an organisation’s sustainable corporate goals for enhanced service delivery, critical to customers’ satisfaction that give rise to improved bottom line in an organisation. Fleet Management has an important role of facilitating change and performance improvement in an organisation as well as enhancing service users’ experiences. In the current financial climate, it is imperative to improve the performance of our investment in the physical assets over their available life span in the business through professional fleet management programme. Efficient use of fleet includes the introduction of control mechanism that enhances the use of fuel, drivers, route management, strategic maintenance plan that dovetailed into fleet cost reduction. A Modern Fleet manager must be high up in safety consciousness and the vehicles in the fleet must comply with the road traffic rules and regulations, meeting all legal requirements on maintenance, inspections and record keeping standards.
In a bid to ensure the high level of performance standard expected of the modern fleet managers, we are here today to explore avenues that will effectively leverage on the important roles of fleet management supporting business activities, such as insurance, technology, vendors relations, fleet regulations to work in harmony with the key fleet management functions that will ensure best practices in vehicle inspection, procurement, maintenance, health and safety management, driver’s management, fuel management, vehicle disposal and replacement, remarketing, telematics etc. This will no doubt contribute to management confidence in our organisations’ effectiveness, efficiency and recognition for excellence, especially in service delivery and customer services.
These issues are becoming complex as fleet management has now evolved into a critical part of the asset management function and corporate image enhancement aimed at improving customers satisfaction, increased productivity, thereby removing or reducing risks associated with vehicle investment in organisations. Corporate organisations have so prioritise fleet management as one of the major contributors to the corporate objectives and market acceptability by creating positive corporate image that attracts customers, wins businesses, cultivates drivers attitude towards public, facilitates investment opportunities, enhances the skills of workers through learning and exposure to modern techniques, enhances safety culture in the organisation, contributes to environmental protection and improves corporate effectiveness, efficiency and recognition for excellence. Fleet Management has an important role in facilitating change and performance improvement in both the public and private sectors of the economy.
In recent times, fleet management has also grown as a business model with the contemporary trend where organisations are being modelled to concentrate on their core businesses. This is very paramount among multinationals, which gives birth to the outsourcing of operations that do not fall under an organisation’s core business activity. Outsourcing of fleet has become a significant business in Nigeria in the wake of this trend and for companies engaging in fleet management business, it is imperative that they are fully equipped with essential tools and techniques for enhanced bottom-line. Succeeding therefore, in this highly dynamic market requires adequate planning, organisation, informed management approach, appropriate execution and control.
Given the huge investment by both the public and private sectors in the acquisition of vehicles for business logistics today, especially in prevailing difficult economy situation, adequate attention must be given to fleet management activities. There is the need to seek innovative ways of managing costs and improve corporate income in addition to facilitating savings for other developmental purposes.
In all, the programme has been packaged to cover critical issues in the transport logistics and fleet management practice including: Volatility of cost and cost control mechanism, Developing fleet policy and guide, Driver and Fleet Assets Management, Meeting the fleet regulation requirement, Driver safety and productivity policy, etc. I am confident that with the pedigree of the speakers, the objectives of this conference will be well achieved.
Permit me distinguished ladies and gentlemen to use this opportunity to inform you about developments in the leasing industry. The Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria is a business membership organisation established in 1983, primarily to promote the business of leasing in Nigeria. Over the years, the Association has been engaging in various activities in furtherance of our objectives. These activities which include capacity building, policy advocacy, advisory services, lease awareness campaign, research and publications have stimulated the growth and development of the leasing industry and its contributions to the Nigerian economy
I equally invite you as major stakeholders to join the Association with a view to expanding your business/professional network and capacity as we collectively contribute to the economic development of Nigeria.
Once again, I welcome you to this conference and wish you a fruitful session.
OLUTOYIN OKEOWO
CHAIRMAN, EQUIPMENT LEASING ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA