May 2008, Automotive Fleet - Feature
Fleets Implement New Policies to Lower Fuel Costs
By Cheryl Knight
Xerox Exceeds Greenhouse Gas Goals Six Years EarlyXerox Corp. is a $16 billion document management technology and services company. While providing a broad portfolio of color and black-and-white document processing systems and related supplies, it also offers document management consulting and outsourcing services.
The company’s U.S. fleet of 4,900 vehicles helps transport salespeople and service technicians. The service fleet drives mostly passenger vans. In an effort to minimize transportation costs and the fleet’s environmental footprint, Xerox’s fleet management has implemented aggressive cost-saving and environmental programs.
Tony Rossi, Xerox’s manager of programs and operational support, meets with senior management twice annually to discuss global greenhouse gas (GHG) concerns. The company looks at key metrics, including fuel consumption, percentage of deployed fuel-efficient vehicles, and comparisons of actual versus planned initiative implementation.
A large part of Xerox’s financial and “green” success has been efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. The company has already exceeded its 2012 GHG emission reduction target and is increasing its goal by more than 100 percent.
With an 18-percent reduction in GHG emissions since 2002, Xerox topped its 10-percent reduction target and is now boosting its goal to a 25-percent decrease by 2012.
Not only did the conservation efforts help the environment, they also helped Xerox save money. Energy consumption during the period declined by 21 percent, driven in part by a 30-percent reduction in gasoline and diesel fuel consumption.
Xerox’s GHG reduction program saved the company $18 million in 2006.
Rossi has sought ways to cut fuel usage of the company’s U.S. fleet since 2002, including:
- Finding the right vehicle for each driver.
- Buying fuel-efficient vehicles.
- Tracking mileage.
- Using GPS systems to send technicians to the closest client.
- Increasing use of remote diagnostics.
- Integrating more reliable products that require less service.
- Educating drivers about maintaining vehicles, including tire pressure and oil change intervals.
“We have a company-wide effort that included driving fewer miles, sound energy management, new manufacturing technologies, and more efficient heating and cooling equipment,” Rossi said, adding these kinds of efforts are easy to implement and require little up-front investment, resulting in long-term savings.