Blackhawk, a leader in IoT and real-time digital transformation for remote and mobile assets, has signed a contract with Far North District Council (FNDC) to supply vehicle telematics systems, as well as a pool booking software solution, aiming to streamline FNDC’s fleet management across its range of vehicles.
FNDC’s Journey from Proof of Concept to Full Rollout
The agreement follows a successful proof of concept (PoC) phase, during which Blackhawk demonstrated the system’s return on investment and addressed key challenges faced by FNDC.
The Council initially approached Blackhawk with a series of operational challenges, including fragmented vehicle management across departments, reliance on manual updates for vehicle servicing and compliance data, gaps and inconsistencies in maintenance and compliance records, and a lack of visibility into vehicle utilisation.
FNDC also sought to address inefficiencies in manual pool vehicle booking processes, limited visibility on possible after-hours vehicle use, and the potential over-sizing of their fleet without supporting data to inform downsizing decisions.
During the PoC phase, Blackhawk supported FNDC to deploy plug-in GPS tracking hardware (OBDII), and test the Blackhawk Pool Booking application. Following this phase, FNDC made the decision to fully roll out Blackhawk’s system fleet-wide.
Client Testimonial
Tom Frost, Chief Digital Officer at FNDC, commented on the partnership: “We had been finding it difficult to stay on top of our fleet management, maintenance, and pool vehicle bookings. A number of our processes involved manual or paper-based processes, which led to a range of issues that we felt we could do better at. Working with Blackhawk.io has delivered immediate value, given us real data to make informed decisions, and automated many of the tasks we used to struggle with. After a successful trial phase, it was an easy decision to go with Blackhawk.”
Blackhawk’s Commitment to Supporting FNDC’s Operations
Keith Oliver, Chairman of Blackhawk.io, expressed pride in supporting FNDC: “Blackhawk is proud to be able to support an organisation like FNDC as it services the 74,700 residents of the Far North community. Their work is essential, and their fleet is key to enabling that work. FNDC’s requirements to gain efficiency around the management of their vehicle fleet is our specialty. We are thrilled to work with a team so dedicated to continuous improvement in their operations.”
Media Release 9 October 2024.