With its old paper-based ordering system, the fall replacement cycle for the vehicles of Hoffmann-La Roche in Nutley, N.J, typically ran for up to 3 months.

With its new Internet ordering program from Wheels Inc., all replacement orders are being processed within 30 days.

"The savings from this program were tremendous," said Michael Bieger, supervisor of Fleet Services for Hoffmann-La Roche. "I estimate that we saved at least five weeks of administrative time, plus several hundred hours of driver time during this order cycle. We had no errors in t h e vehicle order process, in part because this system eliminates handling of paperwork. Whenever paperwork passes from one person to another, you always have a chance for error. And we increased our vehicle residual value by $200 to $300 per vehicle because we were able to resell them faster."

Hoffmann-La Roche operates a fleet of approximately 2,800 vehicles and replaces one-third of its vehicles each year in two separate ordering cycles, one in the spring and one in the fall. Approximately 450 ears are replaced each cycle. For the fall 1098 replacement cycle, all orders were processed through the Wheels Internet program, which was developed at the request of Hoffmann-La Roche. Each Hoffmann-La Roche driver is assigned a specific password. The password enabled the driver to access the well page and also restricted the driver to the types of vehicle he or she was qualified to order. The Hoffmann-La Roche ordering page works with any of the major Internet browsers. The drivers can access the page from any computer with modem and Internet software.

The driver can order the vehicle using a computer at Hoffmann-La Roche, with a laptop on the road, or from his home. The "order anywhere" feature was one of the requests Hoffmann-La Roche had for the system. The program can be modified to restrict ordering to specific computers at corporate, headquarters or district offices.

Once the driver has entered the webpage, easy-to-follow prompts guide the driver through the entire selection process. The driver chooses the basic vehicle, and then outfits according to the various option packages ordered by the carmaker.

Some of the options are paid for by Hoffmann-La Roche, but others are driver-paid. If the driver is planning to purchase the vehicle for his or her personal use when it comes off lease, the driver often upgrades the vehicle with additional features. The cost for these options is billed directly to the driver.