Changing Fleet Maintenance to Fleet Management

Derived from a

2009 APWA International Public Works

Congress and Expo presentation by the

City of Columbus

Division of Fleet Management

Columbus Fleet Management- on the Cutting Edge

Make the Transition -Fleet Maintenance to Fleet Management

• Migrate from a simply “changing the oil” culture to a full-fledged management operator of the entire fleet

• Keys to the Transition:– Gain Efficiencies through your Facility and Centralization – Bill Burns,

Operations Manager– Technician Training and Testing – Bill Burns– Invest in Technology – Bill Burns– Effective Safety Program – Terrell Spencer, Safety Manager– Be Socially Responsible - Green your Fleet – Amy Krohn, Project and

Policy Manager– Measure your Progress – Amy Krohn– Drive Change and Culture – Kelly Reagan, Fleet Administrator

City of Columbus Statistics

• Fleet Mgmt. services approximately 6100 pieces of vehicles/equipment– 3000 on-road (cars, trucks, SUVs, etc.)– 3100 off-road (construction equipment, tractors, mowers,

etc.)• Primary customers include Refuse, Police, Fire,

Transportation, Development and Rec and Parks• Approximately $32 million budget• Obtained ASE Blue Seal in 2008, again in 2009 – largest

municipality in US and only city in Ohio to obtain

Fleet Facility and Centralization

• New state-of-the-art fleet facility opened March 2008 – combined 6 locations into one 150,000 square foot facility

• 24/7 staffing capabilities, enables cross training of mechanics eliminating the need to hire additional technicians

• Latest technology in repair equipment for the automotive and truck repair industry

• On-site fueling station equipped with a new automated fueling technology set up for diesel and unleaded fueling

• 1500 kw generator enables facility to run off the grid for up to a week or more

New Fleet Facility Cont.

• Several green building initiatives:– Energy efficient lighting– Automated fluid dispensing system allows efficient

dispensing of lubricants, generates zero waste– Latest environmental technology for collection of used oil

and antifreeze– Fuel containment system for fuel islands and storage areas– Reduced site disturbance by utilizing many existing trees

and green space

Invest in Technology to Decrease Supplier Services

• Determine laptop needs on the floor– Provide laptops and training to enhance diagnostics– Result is decreased Parts expense/external services

• Promote training by pulling men off the floor and training them on new technologies

• Become the “benchmark” city for reduced costs and control over all vehicles & equipment

Technician Training/Testing

• Become the best by: Training and testing employees in nationally recognized certifications - ASE & EVT

• In Columbus, 81 % of employees hold at least 1 (one) ASE– 75 employees hold 460 ASE Certs on the floor

• 28 ASE Master certifications• 20 employees hold 55 EVT Certifications

– 4 Master Fire Apparatus Technicians

Implement an Effective Safety Program

Make Safety a Priority • Develop an annual Strategic Plan• Have weekly Safety “shop talks”• Set goals – review areas for improvement• Develop a monthly Training Schedule• Track progress quarterly• Spend time on the floor-inspections• Use an Employee Safety Committee• Reward good behavior• Use incidents as “training tools”• Send employees home in one piece

2008 City of Columbus Safety Stats

19 1715

476 295

$209,522

$24,294

15

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

Recordable injuries 19.00 17.00

Freuqency rate 15.2 15.4

OSHA Severity Rate 476 295

Medical Costs 209,522 24,294

2007 2008

Fleet has a Responsibility to the Environment

• Driving “Green Initiatives” can be costly and requires patience - educate your audience– Seek grants when possible to offset costs

• Green must be a “Top Down” approach• Reducing/controlling fleet (pooling, right-sizing, reducing

take-home, etc.), decreasing vehicle emissions and increasing the use of alternative fuels ultimately improves air quality for everyone

Develop a Viable Green Fleet Plan

• COC created and implemented a Green Fleet Action Plan- became effective January 1, 2008– One of first cities in mid-west to adopt a Green Fleet plan

• “Green” Purchasing- language that gives preference to hybrids, flex fuel and CNG vehicles should be included in light duty specifications

• Use alternative fuels and implement reductions in petroleum consumption

• 2009 & 2010 will deliver $1.4 Million in CMAQ grants• Recently awarded $1.4 million in DOE Clean Cities grant

Measure your Performance - Columbus Stat

• You can’t manage what you can’t measure• Performance measures are a communication tool to the

outside world, including upper level management/Mayor’s office

• Columbus achieves communication through “Columbus Stat”- re-occurring meetings with panel of City directors and Mayor’s Office staff– Performance measures and other timely issues are

discussed in a forum type setting

Columbus Stat “Dashboard”

Mission:

Fleet Maintenance Program Performance DashboardProgram Manager: Kelly Reagan

Manager's Email: kwreagan@columbus.govTo provide fleet management support services to city agencies to ensure efficient, safe, reliable, and green vehicle operation and maintenance. Report Date: Thursday, September 03, 2009

1. % fleet maintenance customers rating service as satisfactory or better

100.0% 94.7%

2. % of fleet units within preventive maintenance service schedule (excluding Utilities)

89.9% 90.2%

3. % Fleet maintenance work orders with re-works 0.2% 0.2%

4. % available fleet mechanic hours billed 74.0% 72.7%

85.0% +

+

+70.0%

90.0%

3.0% +

+

5. Dollars of inventory in parts room over 730 days $32,222 $28,514

6. Total $ volume of inventory in parts room $614,526 $645,024 $750,000

+$50,000

~

Go to Division Dashboard Go to Data Entry Go to Measure Definitions

Performance NarrativeKey Performance IndicatorsAnnual Target StatusYTD Actual

Past 12 Months

We continue the year on target for most measures.

7. % of mechanics with ASE certification 75.2% 75.0% +8. Average vehicle down time for all shops (in days)

2.1 2.5 2.5

Fleet Key Performance Measures

• % Fleet customers satisfied –100% YTD, 92.6% overall for 2008

• PMI Currency – 89.9% YTD, 92.8% overall for 2008• % Re-works - .2% YTD, .2% 2008• % mechanic hours billed – 74% YTD, 71% overall for 2008• Downtime – 2.1 days YTD, 2.45 average in 2008

Driving Change & Culture

• Spending time on the floor works wonders• Invest in your employees – training, testing and safety• Communicate & articulate vision – goals• Become the “guiding” light for ALL Fleet related issues• Know your budget & ensure fiscal responsibility – think

out of the box• Don’t keep successes a secret!

Plan for the Worst, but Expect the BEST!

Contact Information

• Kelly Reagan, Fleet Administrator – (614) 645-6254, kwreagan@columbus.gov

• Bill Burns, Operations Manager – (614) 645-6206, waburns@columbus.gov

• Terrell Spencer, Safety Manager – (614) 645-6133, tespencer@columbus.gov

• Amy Krohn, Project and Policy Manager– (614) 645-6105, akkrohn@columbus.gov