Ready to acquire a new fleet vehicle? “Adopting a flexible approach to mobilising employees may be your key,” says Wendy Harcus, ORIX Head of Sales for the Central and Southern Regions.
The impact of Covid-19 within the vehicle industry continues to be far reaching – from shortages of parts and componentry to disruptions of vehicle assembly lines, international shipping, air freight, ports and transportation.  
ORIX predicts it will be several months before supply chain operations start to recover.  
Further complications have also become apparent with local manufacturers competing for stock on the global market.  This means businesses seeking to acquire new fleet vehicles are likely to be faced with supply challenges, even on the most standard of vehicles.
“It can be an interesting situation to navigate when you consider that many procurement models have been built by rationalising the number of vehicle suppliers, locking down vehicle specifications and costs,” Harcus says.  
“In the past they have served businesses well with their stream-lined structures and ease of administration and she indicates that there are no calls to alter this approach today.  
“Instead, customers are favouring forward planning and ordering lease vehicles six months in advance of requirements and/or extending existing leases where they need to.”  
Mike Down, ORIX’s Acting Head of Sales for the Northern Region agrees and emphasises “astute procurement teams are not doing this blindly.  
“ORIX has been fielding a surge of interest for market intel, stock inventories, scenario planning and support to guide customers’ decision-making.  
“Customers recognise traditional procurement models are not without risks and are proactively considering economic factors allowing them to be ready to initiate change if the environment demands it,” Down says.
So, what changes are ORIX customers considering?  Some are choosing a flexible approach by mobilising employees with an ORIX Rental for three to four months before transferring to their new lease vehicle.  
Others are updating their older owned assets with ORIX Finance Leases and including a full maintenance package to protect them from maintenance pricing uncertainties.  
There are also plenty of customers transacting business as usual by seeking the best options available that meets their criteria within a given timeframe.
“We’re here to help our customers make informed buying solutions utilising ‘Whole of Life’ costings, comparative vehicle analysis, EV transition strategies and more,” Down says.  
He adds that ORIX has recently completed a significant project on gross vehicle mass (GVM) upgrades that included engagement with manufacturers, GVM specialists and key customers and now ORIX has added steps to assist customers in their leasing decisions.
ORIX spends millions in procuring heavy vehicles, equipment, passenger and light commercial vehicles each month.   
“Every day ORIX is engaging with manufacturers and dealerships throughout New Zealand to procure assets, goods and services and effectively manage cost structures and the quality of delivery to our customers” says Harcus, “so it makes sense to leverage our buying power and insights from procuring vehicles to performance trends and disposal. ”
We would say it is worth a call to ORIX to talk ‘strategy’ on how to maximise vehicle procurement and the effectiveness of your fleet of vehicles.