FIMA – trip journals that write themselves, as if by magic

FIMA uses our solution for hassle-free management of its fleet, which allows it to save time and costs while boosting productivity.

FIMA is a leading provider of smart infrastructure solutions in the Baltic states and has spent almost three decades developing public and private infrastructure through large-scale projects. In keeping with its market position, FIMA uses modern, innovative technology not only in its projects but also in its internal processes. A clear example of this approach is its use of the Ecofleet system to efficiently manage its large fleet, which includes both road and rail vehicles. FIMA currently employs 200 people and runs a fleet of more than 100 vehicles.

“We have installed the system in more than a hundred vehicles. It automatically collects data on the distance driven, the route and the fuel level. By comparing this data with the fuel purchase information collected by filling stations, we can make better use of the company's resources.”

Justinas Grigaliūnas, Head of the Service Centre

Trip journals that write themselves, as if by magic

Drawing on technological innovation, FIMA offers its customers solutions in information and communication technology, security, automation, construction infrastructure, transport and energy. FIMA's headquarters are in Vilnius, Lithuania, and it has subsidiaries in Latvia and Poland.

“The company has around 200 employees in Lithuania. What makes our work special is that we constantly have to travel all over the country: we install security systems on the state border, maintain security systems at power grid facilities, modernise railway infrastructure and so on. That means our engineers, project managers and supervisors are always on the move,” said Justinas Grigaliūnas, Head of the Service Centre at FIMA.

With so many people using company cars, it is vital to keep track of day-to-day activities and to fill in and manage trip journals. First the employees themselves have to do the work, and then an accountant checks the information.

“For fleet management, and especially for preparing trip journals, we used a system that had been developed for us earlier. Every employee with a company car had to use it each month and enter where they had driven, how many kilometres and for what purpose. All this was very time-consuming: the information could be interpreted in many ways and had to be checked constantly,” said Grigaliūnas, describing the company's recent past.

Many employees had probably dreamed of trip journals that fill themselves in. Now that dream has come true: FIMA's vehicles are fitted with the Ecofleet solution, which creates automated trip journals for reporting vehicle use.

“We have installed the system in more than a hundred vehicles. It automatically collects data on the distance driven, the route and the fuel level. By comparing it with the fuel purchase information collected by filling stations, we can make better use of the company's resources,” said Grigaliūnas, praising the benefits of the new solution.

Managing dozens or even hundreds of machines is extremely easy when you use the right software – you can also read about the experience of the ABC rental company.

He added that the company had two main goals in switching to an automated transport management system: transparency and efficiency.

“The new system has allowed us to optimise our processes and save the time we used to spend filling in, checking and correcting the trip journal. We are completely satisfied with the system, because it has significantly changed and simplified our internal operations,” Grigaliūnas concluded.

“FIMA buys our service through the rental company, together with the vehicle rental itself. We believe this option is advantageous for the company, because it receives its invoices from a single source, together with the rental and maintenance of the car. It is the result of a tripartite agreement between Ecofleet, the rental company and FIMA,” said Tomas Stonys, Sales Project Manager at Ecofleet.

According to Justinas Grigaliūnas, the current system may be just the beginning of the cooperation with Ecofleet. To make FIMA's operations even more efficient, the company is considering integrating the Ecofleet system into its existing resource and work planning systems.

The Ecofleet solution locates rail vehicles

In addition to its road fleet, FIMA used the Fleet Complete solution to locate its rail vehicles. The need arose after a joint project with the state-owned company AB Lietuvos Geležinkeliai. To carry out and supervise the work, a rail vehicle had to be purchased. Later it also had to be located, so Ecofleet was approached again. Until then, such solutions had only been used for road vehicles – this was the first time one had been applied in rail transport.

“Our main need was to determine the location of our rail vehicles. We not only use them ourselves but also rent them out, so we need to know where the vehicles are, when they are idle and when they are working. We have even adjusted the terms of our contracts with customers to reflect the indicators we monitor and measure, so it is very easy for us to check whether the rail vehicles have been used in line with the contract,” said Justinas Grigaliūnas.

“Our customers' needs motivate us to keep developing and looking for new solutions. It's wonderful to see our solutions doing their job and making our customers' work easier,” said Tomas Stonys.