Ricoh Announce Hybrid Fleet Migration

On June 1st Ricoh New Zealand announced it has reduced its overall fleet from 109 to 66 vehicles and is transitioning the remaining vehicles to hybrid models as of May 2023 as they reach optimal kilometres/use.

Ashleigh Garrett (Internal Operations Manager, RNZ) and Darren Elmore (GM Service, RNZ) together looked holistically at the business goals, and how to align sustainability targets with efficiency and cost reduction targets, whilst also improving the customer experience.

So, with that in mind, one of their first projects was the “right-sizing” of the fleet, which was made possible in conjunction with RNZ’s initiative to shift their service delivery to a remote first model which began in 2019, with the overarching goals of increasing device uptime, keeping customers satisfied, and reducing emissions across the value chain.

Even without transitioning to hybrid models, RNZ was still able to significantly reduce their emissions by 58% through the right-sizing exercise and the ‘Remote First’ support strategy.

“Over the past 12 months, we’ve been able to resolve 42% of all Emergency Maintenance (EM) requests remotely thanks to the adoption of leading-edge technology,” said Mike Pollok (Managing Director, RNZ).

After continuing to investigate new hybrid vehicles as they became available, along with the current local infrastructure, RNZ was able to align its business and emission reduction goals by making the decision to move to a Hyundai IONIQ hybrid fleet.

“These vehicles allow us to reduce our fuel use by 50% without impacting the number of jobs we are able to handle each day for our customers,” Mike Pollok explained.This move, which is interlinked with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), helps RNZ meet carbon reduction and SDG goals without impacting the excellent service levels provided to its customers.

"This highlights how our business chooses to make decisions that not only make sense operationally and fiscally but are also better for the environment and the community around us,” Mike Pollok emphasised.

Sustainable Development Goals - Concept of Sustability

Every June across Ricoh we celebrate Global SDGs Action Month. It’s an important event that is all about strengthening our commitment to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by asking ourselves how we can reduce our environmental impact and help to solve social issues through business.

Visit our Sustainable Development Goals page to discover how we are leveraging the power of business to materialise social sustainability.