Swiss Post's fleet has more than 18,000 vehicles, from electric mopeds to lightweight commercial vehicles and heavy goods vehicles and is thus one of the largest in the country. More than 6,000 vehicles are fully electric, which equates to first place in the country for electric fleets. Despite these impressive figures, Swiss Post's fleet would have to be substantially larger because it cannot meet all delivery orders with its existing fleet. "Particularly in the period between the end of November and Christmas, the fixed fleet is fully utilised and additional vehicles are required," explains Nigel Storny, CEO of Post Company Cars. Swiss Post's subsidiary acts for it as a fleet service provider, but its customers also include other organisations and companies.
#Hertz Business with POST COMPANY CARS
Greater sustainability thanks to efficient fleet management
There are days on which Swiss Post does not have enough of its own vehicles to ensure a reliable and punctual execution of its delivery business. Nevertheless, out of its concern for the environment, its fleet service provider, Post Company Cars AG, does not simply order more vehicles. How does that fit together? Like this: The size of Swiss Post's fleet is kept as efficient as possible and peak times that occur are covered by the specific rental of additional vehicles.
Additional vehicles are needed at the post office in the run-up to Christmas.
As a federally owned company, Swiss Post wants to and must play a pioneering role.
By nature, the fleet mandate from Swiss Post is by far the largest of Post Company Cars, and also the most challenging – not only with regard to the heavily diversified fleet, as Nigel Storny emphasises: "In principle, Swiss Post has the same basic principles as any other company, for instance with regard to cost efficiency. Another factor applicable to it is that it is a public enterprise that wants to and must adopt a pioneering role."
Nigel Storny CEO Post Company Cars
Climate neutrality as the target
This is a role that Swiss Post is striving to adopt, for instance regarding the topic of sustainability. With its Corporate Responsibility Charter, it wants to reduce the undesirable effects of its business activity and is putting the focus on climate and energy. A special focus is on delivery – the core business of Swiss Post: It wants to be climate neutral here by as early as 2030, and Post Company Cars as an important partner and pioneer in the area of electromobility will ensure that this target can be reached. The aim is then for the entire company to be climate neutral in its operations by 2040.
It is obvious that a climate-friendly delivery is directly linked to the fleet. In the process, however, it is not only about its CO2 emission (this is already being successively reduced today at Swiss Post thanks to advancing electrification), but also about its size. Daniel Stäubli, Fleet Director at Hertz Switzerland, explains in this regard: "It is often underestimated how many emissions a vehicle has caused before it has even driven the first kilometre. For instance, several tonnes of CO2 are produced when a single passenger car is manufactured and transported. This applies for models with a combustion engine as well as for electric vehicles."
The solution to this problem is thus to only keep the fleet as big as is really necessary. But so that peak times can be reliably covered nevertheless, Swiss Post does of course need access to additional vehicles at all times – to a kind of "fleet on demand". "We find that at Hertz, among others, where we can draw on spacious commercial vehicles within a short space of time if needed," explains Nigel Storny. Does that mean that there are always a particularly large number of delivery vans with the Hertz logo out and about in the run-up to Christmas? Not really because of course the Hertz rental vehicles are also available for business purposes without branding, which means they can be integrated into an existing fleet without being noticed.
For Post Company Cars. however, it is not only the perfect "disguise" of the additionally rented delivery vans that is decisive but also their engine. "Zero emission" is the order of the day here, which is why Daniel Stäubli has already included four purely electric-powered Fiat Ducato BEVs in the Hertz fleet. Others will follow – entirely in line with Nigel Storny's goal: "That is hugely important for us because electric vehicles improve the CO2 balance significantly," he emphasises.
Daniel Stäubli adds: "The benefit of a sustainable fleet management is based on several factors, and this benefit is becoming even greater thanks to the electric option that is being selected as often as possible by Swiss Post. It is thus well on its way to achieving its planned goal of climate-neutral delivery, also with the help of our rental vehicles." Good to know: Hertz can provide business customers like Post Company Cars with a CO2 report so that the emissions saved can actually be proven.
Daniel Stäubli Director Fleet at Hertz Switzerland