Features
30 mai 18

Global Fleet Expert meeting Asia-Pacific: getting to grips with diversity and disruption

Things are moving at different speeds across the APAC region, mainly because time is not considered linear, but cyclical. That was the philosophical conclusion of the very first APAC expert session at the Global Fleet Conference. The more pragmatic one is that within a global fleet approach, you have to make allowances for local business etiquette, different degrees of market maturity and the non-presence of your global suppliers. 

These are just a few elements at play, evidently. Yves Helven, expert at Global Fleet and Director at Connector, started by drawing an eye-opening picture of the diversity of Asia. GDP related to vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants shows a tremendous growth potential, not least in terms of leasing, but also MaaS. 

The APAC value chain explained

Reggie Cabal, CEO and MD at ORIX Australia & New Zealand, elaborated on that. "Countries are in different phases: emerging versus growing vs mature," he said. "The number of suppliers increases with the maturity and so does the tendency to go for operating lease."

The big question he raised was whether to treat APAC as one region, or several. Whatever your strategy, he advises to introduce a fit for purpose principle, to stay up to date with the latest technology, and to be flexible towards local particularities.

Fleet management optimisation in APAC put in practice

John Dmochowsky, Senior Global Fleet Manager at Mondelez, gave some valuable insights in a session called "From global to ultra-local, consolidation of supply chain and car policy", supported by Miray Halavurt, Manager Global Sourcing Car Fleet and Finance and David Weeks, European Fleet Manager.

The main takeaway was perhaps that even though supplier consolidation is needed, you sometimes have to allow flexibility because your strategic partner is not present in a certain market. "Also, KPIs can change, and should change. The world is changing all the time", Mr Dmochowsky concluded.

A crash-course on doing business in China

For those not familiar with China and the major other Asian countries, Radoslaw Stanczewski's (Warsaw and Shengzhen university) workshop on the importance of cultural awareness when doing business in China was a valuable crash course.

His golden advice: Build trust by allowing ime to build up rapport. "With regard to seizing opportunities: time is not considered linear, but cyclical. An unseized opportunity is not wasted as it will come again. Follow up and return to the table when the time is right."

China in a few mind-blowing figures

"Leveraging fleet efficiency via technology and mobility, dealing with urbanism and mobliity management in China": that looked like a promising title for the final presentation of today's APAC session. And Markus Collet, partner at Corporate Value Associates, delivered on his written promise.

"China will be the spear tip for new mobility in the world. New mobility thrives in environments which are concentrated, willing to adopt, connected and strictly guided", he convincingly concluded. "The mobility evolution in China will be fast, massive and disruptive."

Image: Yves Helven, expert at Global Fleet and Director at Connector

Authored by: Dieter Quartier