News

December 2007
Barker Evans saves fuel and improves service with the help of SupaTrak

Banbury-based Barker Evans, the commercial plumbing and heating engineers, estimates it has saved over £2,000 in fuel since it fitted vehicles with SupaTrak, the vehicle tracking system developed by CMS SupaTrak of Swindon.  The savings are a direct result of being able to monitor and manage its mobile workforce more efficiently.

The company says the new system is also helping its business in a number of other ways, some unexpected, with the overall benefit of improving its service to customers that include the police and local authorities. They have already noted and commented on the firm’s increased pro-activity and ability to respond more effectively in emergency situations since it began using SupaTrak in July.

Sue Barker, Director of Barker Evans, says the decision to fit trackers to its vehicles was initially prompted by concerns over rising fuel prices and the realisation that enhanced control over engineers’ productivity and movement offered the possibility to reduce operational costs whilst improving service.

“With large-scale contracts, response times are crucial and better visibility of who is where at any given moment was   becoming essential,” she says. “Another plumbing company that was already using SupaTrak recommended it and after seeing a demonstration of what it could do we were sure it was right for us.

“As well as being able to tighten up our operation and save money on fuel, SupaTrak is also helping the business in other ways. It’s brilliant at compiling the sort of information the Inland Revenue now needs to separate private and business mileage, and can quickly help resolve any billing disputes regarding when an engineer arrived or left a premises and how long they were on site.”

“SupaTrak’s comprehensive reporting facility with ‘history trail’ option enables us to see where a vehicle has been, when and at what speed, which comes in very useful for all sorts of things that enable us to work smarter,” she adds.