Features
10 avr 19

Building your international fleet in Latin America - ALD

Harmonizing and regionalization are key to more efficient and cost-effective fleet management, according to key industry executives who spoke during roundtable discussions about optimizing vehicle fleet operations in Latin America.

The event was put together by international corporate mobility solutions company ALD Automotive on Wednesday (9 April).
“For ALD, it develops best practices within each of the countries it operates in and then exchanges information between its national team members to develop regional policies for its clients,” said Javier Amozurrutia who is ALD Mexico Commercial Director.

He was joined by ALD General Managers from four countries, being Pedro Reis (Brazil), David Palmer (Colombia), Antonio Cruz (Chile), and Julien Bourdonnec (Peru).


Left to Right: Julien Bourdonnec, David Palmer, Antonio Cruz, Javier Amozurrutia, and Pedro Reis (source: Fleet LatAm)


Also at the event were executives from ALD’s regional partners AutoCorp (Argentina & Uruguay) and Arrend Leasing (Central America), in addition to fleet and procurement managers from several pharmaceutical companies.

“It is very gratifying to work with a single supplier across multiple countries,” Takeda procurement manager Danielle Gonçalves said.

This is especially true for some of the smaller countries throughout the region which don’t really have large international players.

However, before deciding on a regional supplier, you must first know what you are looking for, according to Thiago Foroni who is the senior procurement manager indirect for Johnson & Johnson.

“Some companies seek innovation, some are focused on cutting costs, and some are really set on safety. Find out what you are really looking for and find a supplier that is in line with your goals,” said Mr. Foroni.

“Map out your plans and discuss it with your internal team, addressing issues from acquisition (leasing v.s. buying) to remarketing/sales,” added Wilson Ricardo Belekevicius who is the LatAm and JAPAC fleet manager for Abbvie. 

Among the other topics discussed at the event were electric vehicles (EV) and Mobility as a Services (MaaS), or to say ride-hailing, car-sharing, scooter-sharing, and ALD’s own, e-bikes.

In terms of EVs, although this option is still quite new for Latin America, there are some cities which are at the forefront, two of them being Bogota and Medellín. According to ALD Colombia General Manager David Palmer, the company already has a 10-car EV fleet in the country.

Meanwhile, Chile is also making strides in EVs, but they are more directed toward EV bus transport in the city of Santiago.

The region’s largest car market, Brazil, will be seeing several new models on roads this year but many in the industry are still waiting for government policies aimed at better pushing EVs. One country definitely seeing better fiscal benefits, however, is Mexico, according to ALD Brazil Manager Pedro Reis.

 

Authored by: Daniel Bland