Case Study, Belagrícola: Focusing on people, shared mobility
The fleet management team of Belagrícola, one of the largest farming and agriculture companies in Brazil, is focused on valuing human beings through the prioritization of morals an virtues and using innovative technologies and processes such as car sharing schemes.
Fleet LatAm - the Latin America arm of Global Fleet - has put together a brief case study on the situation of the company’s light vehicle fleet in the country with the help of its labor and mobility coordinator Letícia Grassi de Almeida.
| Company | Belagricola |
| Number of Employees | 1,050 |
| Name | Letícia Grassi de Almeida |
| Job Position | Labor and Mobility coordinator |
| Number of light vehicles in fleet | 252 |
| Number of countries | Brazil |
A specialist in labor law, Ms. Grassi de Almeida started working with Belagrícola in 2014. She is now responsible for coordinating mobility solutions with the utmost in safety and efficiency as well as labor relations of the company’s 1,050 employees.
In general, the company’s goal is to focus on valuing people and taking advantage of the shared and conscentious use of vehicles, including the optimizing of route programming and implementing of ride share programs.
Fleet Profile
Belagricola’s light vehicle fleet is made up of 252 units and divided into three operational groups. “The three are Administrative in which we have chosen the Volkswagen Voyage compact sedan, Management with the Fiat Toro pickup, and finally our light Pickup group which counts on the Volkswagen Saveiro compact pickup,” the executive said.
As for the Voyage, it is provided as a carpool option for employees where reservations are made for shared usage. Both the Toro and Saveiro are commercial solutions which enable direct client support in rural areas as well as product delivery.
2020 Volkswagen Voyage (source: Volkswagen)
In terms of acquisitions, approximately six years ago (2014), Belagrícola migrated from having its own fleet to acquiring vehicles from third parties and, since then, its fleet has been reduced by 45%.
Besides its entire fleet being made up of operational leasing today, the company uses alternative mobility options such as transportation apps and carpooling.
Facing the Pandemic
Over the last couple of months, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed all human relations and fleet management has not been spared.
While practical solutions such as applying effective and ongoing sanitation measures in shared vehicles have been implemented by the company, others include increasing teleworking, video conferencing, new mobile app alternatives, and various commuting and mobility solutions.
However, the pandemic still has much to teach the fleet management industry and the corporate world overall and uncertainties will be in the air at least until the end of this year (2020).
“Authorities need to take the attitude of spreading knowhow and taking care of the matter all while considering the physical, mental, and financial aspects of people. They need to be creative enough to propose new solutions and bring new opportunities to the table.” said the executive.
