ARI Fleet Management Review: Is it Right for Your Business?

Full service management for businesses with ambition

ARI Fleet Management: Company Overview

Automotive Resources International (ARI), also known as ARI Fleet, or ARI Fleet Management, was founded in 1948 as a subsidiary of the New Jersey-based Holman Automotive Group and today provides a world-class fleet management solution.

In the intervening decades, the company has grown into the world’s largest privately held fleet management services company. Its global presence is maintained through 2,800 employees in offices in the Americas, Europe, and Hong Kong. The assets under their stewardship extend to more than two million vehicles belonging to three thousand clients worldwide.

ARI Fleet Management’s approach is threefold, combining insight gleaned from years of experience with a full suite of products and services (including life-cycle analysis, a sensible approach to technology, and an emphasis on sustainability) and a close attention to value for money to help safeguard its customers’ bottom line. The industry has responded favorably, making ARI a global presence in the industry.

ARI Fleet Management Methodology

In contrast to some fleet management companies that rely primarily on an approach to fleet management that’s largely dictated by hardware and software, ARI draws on its experience doing fleet management the classic way.

The practical upshot of this is that in addition to the expected GPS-based, software-driven approach favored by many newer entries to the field, ARI also leverages more traditional approaches to fleet management. That means integrating fleet policy, personnel management, asset management and operating cost management in a holistic approach that accounts for the multitude of issues that impact the function of companies that rely on motor or rail fleets. ARI achieve this through a fully integrated analytics platform designed to improve and streamline fleet operations.

Products

ARI leverages a mix of common and proprietary products to optimize fleet management and performance. Available tools include customizeable dashboards, performance metrics and alerts, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and mobile integration that allows for truly global monitoring, feedback and control.

Proprietary technologies include maintenance analytics, in-memory technology developed in tandem with SAP, and the Continuous Value Integration Model™ (CVIM™), which utilizes data integration to limit inefficiency, improve productivity, and encourage cross-platform collaboration not only within the organization but between the customer and its collaborators and stakeholders.

ARI Fleet Services

While the product and technology segment of ARI’s business is no doubt important, it is outstripped by the number and kind of services the company offers, either on its own or in tandem with other companies (such as Fleet Financial and PARS) under the Holman Automotive Group umbrella.

ARI fleet management is truly global in scope, covering both developed and emerging markets. Leasing services are offered to major markets through Global Fleet Services (GFS), an alliance of leasing companies, while carefully cultivated relationships with smaller leasing concerns provide similar coverage to emerging markets where leasing consortiums aren’t yet established. The leasing services are offered in conjunction with financial, warranty, and relocation services.

Through these and other services, ARI encompasses the entire fleet management life-cycle. ARI and its affiliates handle vehicle acquisition (purchased or leased) and vehicle and equipment remarketing to recoup costs at the end of the vehicle life-cycle.

In between, they offer fleet safety coverage (through driver safety and behavior programs that include online and offline training, risk assessment, motor vehicle record checks, and ARI Driver Watch™), accident management, and full maintenance and repair services.

They also offer compliance services from licensing through tax services, to violations and personal use reporting, bringing to bear a depth of knowledge and experience in legal and regulatory regimes across industries and across borders.

Support

ARI’s approach to account management and support is threefold:

This support is delivered directly by ARI employees and via affiliates; online through courses and training modules; and through proactive communication and strategizing between ARI and its customers. Solutions to issues are developed, not delivered, and are discovered through a collaborative process involving all stakeholders.

Corporate Responsibility

In 2014, ARI notched its second straight year on Fortune’s list of the best companies to work for. The company came in at number 27, up from number 70 the year before. Fortune cited factors as diverse as AFI’s annual auto show, ample training opportunities, generous bonus structure, and the fact that the company has never had a layoff during its long history.

ARI also proudly touts its corporate values, including its long-standing work with local and national charities such as the Special Olympics and the United Way (for which the company has raised a million dollars per year for the last four years) and the volunteer hours clocked during its Holman/ARI Days of Caring initiative.

ARI’s charitable activities are matched by the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility. ARI’s Environmental Management System goes beyond regulatory and contractual compliance to encompass sustainable fleet management systems, business relationships with environmentally responsible suppliers, and initiatives to encourage responsible energy and materials use.

Our Verdict

ARI Fleet Management have wedded a classic approach to fleet management (especially with regards to analytics and the careful stewardship of assets and personnel) with cutting edge technology. The end result is a company that has retained the best from its past as it looks confidently to the future. ARI Fleet Management systems can therefore be considered to an excellent solution to fleet operated businesses.