Is your fleet in the market for custom options normally not listed as standard equipment, including backup alarms, special paint, vehicle cutaways, speed limiters, white powder-coated wheels, cab roof marker lamps, fender and reardoor badging delete, passenger-side airbag deactivation, or a master key system to unlock the entire fleet? Ford’s Vehicle Special Order (VSO) service just may be able to meet your specific fleet needs.
Custom Equipment & Paint Options
Producing an average annual volume of 26,000 orders, Ford’s VSO program is designed to develop special equipment and paint options, not available in a dealership’s regular production order guide, to meet specific fleet customer requirements.
“With Frito-Lay, for example, we’re working on a powertrain control module, which ensures drivers don’t exceed 65 mph,” said Lee Scafidi, manager, VSO, Ford North American Fleet, Lease & Remarketing Operations, based in Dearborn, Mich. “This feature helps limit wear-and-tear and extends the vehicle’s longevity, thereby reducing cost of ownership. It was initially established for our rental clients.”
Scafidi heads Ford’s VSO team of seven employees, two of whom are colocated in Ft. Wayne, Ind. “After the Blue Diamond joint venture launched about four years ago, we thought it would be advantageous to have a few employees in Ft. Wayne, working onsite with International’s engineering group and handling option development for the F-650 / F-750 and Low Cab Forward,” said Scafidi.
In another instance, a major truck rental fleet requested that VSO relocate odometer fuses from truck dashboards because customers were tampering with the odometer and adjusting their mileage, costing the company millions of dollars per year.
VSO also offers weight distribution de-ratings for truck fleets that request a lower gross vehicle weight to qualify for a lower truck classification. “It’s a complicated process that sometimes calls for going from one class to another and adjusting the 17- position VIN, but we always try to accommodate the customer with VSO options,” said Scafidi.
VSO does not offer special paint for every vehicle line. E-Series makes up about 75 percent of its orders. According to Scafidi, VSO’s paint chip chart consists of 34 colors not offered via regular production options. Special formulation colors are also available with a minimum quantity mandate.
Improving Turnaround Time
VSO ordering procedures and guidelines may be found under the “Ordering Center” tab on the www.fleet.ford.com Web site, as well as a link to access the VSO Inquiry System, which allows fleets and dealers to submit online inquiries requesting optional equipment not offered via regular fleet production.
- Feasibility: Whether the request is viable for both Ford and the account.
- Timing: Length of time for engineering to develop the option.
- Pricing: Develop a price for the option based on cost information from engineering and suppliers.
- Estimated Production Date.
0 Comments
See all comments