Nurture Group, one of the UK’s leading grounds maintenance and landscaping firms, is streamlining its vehicle preparation process by using the new Supplier Hub from Mediafleet.

The company, which runs a significant and complex vehicle fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles, has deployed the hub to prepare vehicles for operational deployment, adopting a unique centralised approach that brings multiple specialist suppliers to the vehicle rather than moving the vehicle between different conversion facilities.

Ensuring its fleet vehicles are efficiently equipped and work-ready is vital to Nurture Group’s national operations and forms a major part of Mo Iqbal’s role as group fleet project manager.

Mediafleet’s hub provides a single location from which to monitor progress. Work completed, outstanding activities, technical issues and planned completion dates can all be tracked as the vehicle moves through its conversion programme.

Iqbal commented: “Delivering a complex fleet replacement programme requires effective supplier collaboration, clear visibility, strong controls and fleet governance. The Supplier Hub model has helped simplify what is traditionally a fragmented process, providing greater oversight across the vehicle build journey and supporting the efficient deployment of vehicles into service. As Nurture Group continues to invest in its fleet, this approach helps drive consistency, efficiency and value across the business.”

Iqbal said the hub’s unique workflow has completely transformed Nurture Group’s set-up process, stating: “The difference is significant. The fact that all the vehicles remain in one location for the duration of the conversion, with my choice of individual suppliers coming to the Supplier Hub to carry out their work, is unique.

“It gives us much better visibility of progress, creates a much smoother workflow and makes it considerably easier to manage the whole programme. It is this type of service innovation that will drive the conversion market forward and something I look for in a supplier.”

The model also gives Nurture Group the freedom to use the specialist suppliers it considers right for each element of a vehicle’s preparation, rather than being restricted to the capabilities or preferred supply chain of a single converter.

Iqbal continued: “The Nurture Group vehicles receive racking, telematics, tow bars, security plates, locks, floor mats and seat covers, to name a few, with the branding always provided by Mediafleet. Depending on the specification, a vehicle can pass through the hands of as many as five different conversion specialists during its preparation – all working from the same location.”

That combination of specialist choice and centralised management is at the heart of Mediafleet’s Supplier Hub.

Nurture Group said visibility is one of the key benefits.

“We can see where every vehicle is in the process and what needs to happen next. Mediafleet’s specialist project team manages the programme, with its proprietary CRM providing real-time visibility of progress across every vehicle. If something isn’t progressing as planned, it can be identified and addressed early, rather than becoming a problem when the vehicle is due to be delivered,” stated Iqbal.

Bringing the specialists together also increases efficiency. With conversion activities coordinated around the vehicle, there is less waiting between stages and faster turnaround – enabling more vehicles to be completed and faster service deployment.

Keeping the vehicles at Witney throughout the process also removes many of the unnecessary movements associated with conventional multi-supplier conversion.

There are fewer collections and deliveries, less loading and unloading, and less handling of vehicles between different locations. For Nurture, that means a simpler process and fewer opportunities for delays or transport-related damage.

The Supplier Hub provides environmental benefits.

“From a sustainability point of view, it makes obvious sense,” said Iqbal. “With businesses under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, there is a real opportunity to avoid unnecessary vehicle movements during the conversion process. Bringing suppliers to the vehicles means fewer journeys and lower transport emissions – removing avoidable carbon from the process.”

Barnaby Smith, managing director of Mediafleet, commented: “Customers shouldn’t have to choose between specialist expertise and a simple conversion process. The Mediafleet Supplier Hub allows them to choose the suppliers and technologies they want, while Mediafleet brings those specialists together, coordinating the suppliers and managing the vehicle programme on behalf of the end user.”