Enserve Group, a leading provider of infrastructure support services to the utility sector, has made significant operational improvements and financial savings through partnering with Northgate for their fleet of over 1,000 vehicles. Northgate provides long-term flexible rental agreements for Enserve's fleet, allowing them to quickly adjust their vehicles based on changing contract needs without penalties. This flexibility has helped Enserve win and mobilize new contracts. Through Northgate's personalized service, holistic fleet management solutions, and reduced vehicle downtime for maintenance, Enserve estimates savings of over £20,000 per year.

1. Northgate serves up a
quality solution for Enserve
Enserve operates a portfolio of utility
brands, including Freedom Group,
Metro Rod, H2O Water and Meter
U. The company runs in excess of
1,000 vehicles across the UK, and
currently sources 450 vehicles from
Northgate on a long term flexible
rental basis. The vehicles range
from Peugeot Partners, Crew Vans
and Tippers to highly specified
Mercedes-Benz Sprinters with
bespoke heavy duty racking systems.
Before working with Northgate,
Enserve’s fleet was mainly comprised
of contract hire and lease vehicles,
in part due to a perception of rental
being a short term vehicle solution.
This meant Northgate had never
been considered as a viable option
for long term vehicle acquisition.
However this changed as Enserve was
forced to consider their operations.
The company felt restricted by having
the majority of their fleet on long
term contractual agreements, which
caused problems when needing to
respond to changes in contracts or
when winning new business. For
this reason, Enserve was keen to
add flexibility to its fleet. Enserve’s
Group Fleet Manager, Paul Brown had
previous experience of dealing with
Northgate and was a real advocate
of the benefits of long term rental.
“For me, the benefits of using
long term flexible rental were
clear. The critical point was that
Northgate could offer the same
vehicles, at the same price and with
the same equipment as contract
hire or lease, but with the added
benefit of flexibility,” said Paul.
“I was confident that Northgate could
deliver significant cost savings for
Enserve, especially as the existing vehicle
acquisition strategy was outdated.
Contract hire was too constricting for
the nature of our business.”
Flexibility
For Enserve, winning new contracts
requires adding to its fleet by large
numbers of vans very quickly. In some
instances, in a matter of days. It was
found that Northgate could provide
the logistical support to source a
Enserve Group, a leading provider of infrastructure support services to the
utility sector, has made significant operational improvements and financial
savings through partnering with Northgate.
“”You can have the
best engineers on
the job and the best
tools for the job, but
if you can’t get the
engineer to the job
it is pointless.
Paul Brown,
Group Fleet Manager,
Enserve Group
Enserve’s fleet was mainly comprised
Paul Brown Group Fleet
Manager, Enserve Group
with Rebecca Sutherland,
Northgate National
Strategic Account Manager

2. high volume of additional vehicles
to a bespoke specification with a
shorter notice period. Something
that other suppliers struggled to
deliver. Having these vehicles ready
on time to mobilise contracts was
a crucial element for Enserve.
“The vans are as much a tool to get
the job done as the toolbox. You
can have the best engineers on the
job and the best tools for the job,
but if you can’t get the engineer to
the job it is pointless.” said Paul.
The unpredictability of some
contracts could also lead to expensive
termination penalties for Enserve
under contract hire and lease
arrangements previously in place.
“Our client contracts often last three
to four years, so it was thought that
leasing was a suitable solution for
this. However, the requirements
of a contract can often change
partway through – meaning a
completely new set of vehicles being
needed to finish the job, or the
contract being terminated early.
“With no room for manoeuvre
with contract hire or leasing, we
were stung on early termination
fees to get the freedom we needed
to adjust the fleet to changing
business needs. Under Northgate’s
flexible rental agreement, vehicles
can be handed back without
penalty, making it a perfect
solution to the flexible element of
contract work.” Paul continued.
Northgate’s flexibility and
reactiveness around vehicle supply
reflects well on Enserve, with clients
impressed that Enserve can adapt
its fleet quickly. One contract win in
particular for Thames Water meant
Enserve had to mobilise 60 vehicles
within a one month turnaround
time, complete with semi cap and
livery. Northgate provided the
logistical support to deliver the fleet
requirement in time for Enserve
to begin this lucrative contract.
The personal touch
Front end service delivery from its
vehicle supplier was an important
factor for Enserve, something that
was lacking from past partners.
From hire desk staff in the branches
to the dedicated Customer Support
Centre team, technical staff and
Account Managers, all Northgate
employees are focused on delivering
to customers’ needs and expectations.
With one main point of contact and
a focus on face to face meetings,
service levels are unrivalled. The
customer experience was much
more personal than Enserve had
been used to, where they would
be passed to a ‘faceless’ dealer.
“You get a personal touch
and a point of contact at
Northgate. It makes a world of
difference.” Paul commented.
“They focus on the end user, so our
drivers have their own contacts within
their local Northgate branch right
across the UK, with no need to go
through the Transport Department.
“The benefit of the strong
customer/supplier relationship
between Enserve and Northgate
is felt right across the business.”
One stop solution
The size and scale of Enserve’s fleet
meant a holistic fleet management
solution was required, something
Northgate was able to deliver as
part of the package. Northgate
provides a range of elements for
Enserve’s fleet; from vehicles,
trackers and speed limiters to a
management information portal to
host vehicle data. The end result is
a seamless experience for Enserve.
“Dealing with one supplier for
any requests or issues saves a lot
of hassle. Removing the ‘blame
culture’ around having different
elements of the fleet sourced from
different suppliers, should something
go wrong.” Paul commented.
A management information system
was identified as a critical
requirement for Enserve’s fleet and
something that Northgate could offer
through the Northgate MI portal. The
portal hosts Enserve’s vehicle
management information, giving
them improved visibility of its fleet
whilst keeping costs low, as it was
included within the long term rental
package. To have outsourced through
a third party supplier would have cost
Enserve around £10,000 per year.
Like many other major fleet
operators, Enserve takes reducing its
CO2 emission seriously and uses
ancillary Northgate products, such as
“”You get a personal touch
and a point of contact
at Northgate. It makes a
world of difference.
Paul Brown,
Group Fleet Manager,
Enserve Group

3. “”In total, we’ve saved around £20,000 per year since fitting
the Northgate Vehicle Monitoring product
Paul Brown,
Group Fleet Manager, Enserve Group
No contract. No commitment. No risk.
t: 0844 230 7705
northgatevehiclehire.co.uk
e: info@northgatevehiclehire.co.uk
vehicle tracking and speed limiters, to
measure and control fuel
consumption. Through using these
tools to influence driver behaviour,
the company has reduced its CO2
emissions as a result.
Northgate’s vehicle tracking system,
Northgate Vehicle Monitoring, has
allowed Enserve to reduce idling time
and speeding incidents by providing
reports on which drivers trigger these
incidents. Northgate Vehicle
Monitoring has also been used to
monitor journey times, routes and the
use of vehicles for non-work journeys.
This has reduced the cost of overtime
claims, wear and tear on the vehicles
and fuel spend. Through using
Northgate Vehicle Monitoring data to
advise drivers on smarter techniques
to reduce fuel spend, Enserve has
been able to channel the cost savings
into creating a ‘driving league’ with
rewards for the safest drivers.
“Not only does this encourage safer,
more environmentally and cost
friendly driving techniques within the
team, it also boosts employee
engagement and morale. We’ve made
savings on reducing the frequency of
repairs and replacement parts that
are due to behaviour like harsh
braking.
“In total, we’ve saved around
£20,000 per year since fitting the
Northgate Vehicle Monitoring
product,” said Paul.
The benefits of scale
The use of Northgate’s national
network of workshops for servicing,
maintenance and non-fault repair
means that Enserve can be assured of
a high level of service thanks to the
in-house technical expertise and
FTA technicians.
Enserve also benefits from the free of
charge replacement vehicles
Northgate provides to drivers when
dropping off their vans for servicing
and maintenance. This removes the
need to source spot hires, meaning
drivers and engineers can continue
with their jobs, minimising disruption
to the company’s operations. Enserve
is also assured that the replacement
vehicle will be large enough to
transport the team and the tools.
With lease suppliers, replacement
vehicles were provided from within
the dealer network, and drivers
would often be handed an
unsuitable vehicle, meaning they
were unable to get to a job. This
could heavily impact on the business’s
ability to fulfil customer
requirements.
“Northgate can do it all, from
being able to provide short term
rental when required, mobilising
contracts through delivering bespoke
vehicles on demand, to a long term
rental package that includes any
required extras such as Northgate
Vehicle Monitoring, speed limiters
and specialist equipment.”
Commented Paul.
“The way that Northgate has
responded to any challenges thrown
at Enserve and maintained the cost
savings it delivers to the business has
given us full confidence in
their service.
“For the valuable benefit of flexibility
with the same vehicles, the same
equipment and the same cost, why
wouldn’t anyone choose long
term rental?”
“”If the wheels aren’t
turning, we’re not
earning. The service
that Northgate
delivers ensures
that downtime is
minimised; they
understand how
critical our vans are
to our operations.
They help keep
our operations
operational.
Paul Brown,
Group Fleet Manager,
Enserve Group