Focus on Fleets
Rosenbauer America is stepping up its sales activities in major cities.
Cobra aerial rescue platform with pump and tank on Commander chassis for NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia
Fleet Management
Rosenbauer is America’s second-largest manufacturer of firefighting vehicles. Thanks to a strong dealer network, it supports emergency services across the USA and Canada. As part of its strategy development for 2030, the company identified future growth opportunities for its US subsidiary. One of the most promising areas is fleet accounts.
Fleet accounts are municipal fire departments that operate large vehicle fleets. As a rule, they purchase only the very best, state-of-the-art products and want dependable support throughout the entire life cycle of their vehicles. So fleet business encompasses not only sales and customer support (including financing models) during the procurement of firefighting vehicles, but also fully comprehensive after-sales while the vehicles are in active service and, ideally, replacement procurement support after vehicles are withdrawn from service. This is an extremely exciting market segment on which Rosenbauer plans to focus more intensively in the future.
The course is set
Various measures were taken over the past few months to ramp up fleet business. Not only was the US Sales organization further optimized, but the position of Key Account Manager was also created and filled with one of Rosenbauer America’s most experienced sales professionals. At the same time, the dealer network was expanded and new, strong dealers in major urban centers on the east coast and in the south of the USA were acquired. These play a key role in the American firefighting market because they are the ones who are in direct, day-to-day contact with the customers, selling the vehicles and providing after-sales service support.
Through key account management, we want to expand our municipal vehicle business in the major cities and are focussing on multi-year contracts.”
JOHN SLAWSON, CEO ROSENBAUER AMERICA LLC
FLEET
ACCOUNTS
U.S. fire departments with large fleets of vehicles want to be served by a manufacturer that can provide all the types of vehicles they need and service them through the entire life cycle of the vehicles.
Strong manufacturer required
In the fleet business, smooth cooperation between the dealer and vehicle manufacturer is essential. They must together ensure that the vehicles are properly maintained and ready for action at all times. This is why Rosenbauer is intensifying its focus on the after-sales area, too. First, the range of training opportunities available to the partners’ service technicians is being expanded to ensure a consistently high level of quality in their workshops. Second, to speed up service processes, the partners are gradually being integrated in Rosenbauer’s systems (customer service portal with e-learning and other digital services).
Even though the day-to-day business is conducted mainly by the dealers, US fleet customers want to know that they can depend on a strong original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that they can contact directly whenever they need. This point of contact is the new Account Manager, who also acts as a link to the dealers (e.g. when offers are prepared). It is also important for fleet operators that all their vehicle needs can be covered as far as possible by one single manufacturer. Rosenbauer America fulfills this role perfectly. Virtually no other firefighting technology provider in the USA offers such a broad and high-quality range, encompassing everything from pumper to multifunctional aerials and rescue apparatus.
“Fire departments purchase only the most robust and reliable firefighting technology from the premium segment, and this is exactly where Rosenbauer America’s strengths lie.”
NIC KIRVIDA, FLEET ACCOUNT MANAGER, ROSENBAUER AMERICA
Tractor Drawn Aerial (Tiller Ladder) with steerable rear axle and 30.5 m ladder set for the Seaside Fire & Rescue Department in Oregon
New and loyal customers
Fleet account management can be likened to a long journey that the vehicle manufacturer, dealer and fire department embark upon together. One long-standing example is the partnership with the Ventura County Fire Department in California, which placed its first order back in 2014 and has since become one of Rosenbauer America’s most loyal customers. Nowadays, the fire department’s fleet comprises almost exclusively Rosenbauer vehicles – including the tiller ladder, a fully automated hydraulic aerial ladder on a semi-articulated trailer with a length of up to 20 meters and a truly iconic piece of hardware in America’s firefighting history. The partnership was last year extended by another five years – and the department immediately placed an order for two new tillers. Poudre Fire Authority, in Fort Collins Colorado, represents another long-standing fleet customer having placed their trust in Rosenbauer with several recurring multi-year contracts.
The shared journey with the San Francisco Fire Department began only recently. Rosenbauer America successfully concluded a five-year contract to supply high-volume hose tenders. Another freshly signed and sealed fleet account is the partnership with the City of Nashville, also on a five-year contract. The city immediately placed an initial order for twelve high-quality pumpers and ladder trucks and twenty more vehicles this year. The Los Angeles County Fire Department has also been won over as a fleet customer, placing its first major order with Rosenbauer for tractor drawn aerials and water tenders.