Under the brand name ARI, Holman has been successful in Germany since 2013 as a fleet-management and financing company. Beginning at the end of March 2022, ARI will be renamed “Holman.” What will change? What will stay the same?

On 3/28/22, ARI Fleet Germany will bid the market farewell. But the reason is not a sad one—quite the opposite. The old—some say rather clunky–logo will be retired, and all signage will be replaced. Because as of the end of March, ARI Fleet Germany will be called Holman and no longer ARI Fleet Germany “a Holman Company.” Not only is the name changing, but there is also a completely new corporate design. From website to business cards, everything is being redesigned—fresher, more modern, more digital.

In Germany, Holman is known only to industry insiders. In the US, it’s a very different story. As a family business, Holman has been a major player in the automotive business in the United States for 100 years. With seven companies and 7,000 employees, hardly any other company in the world is so broadly positioned in automotive services: fleet management, car dealerships, vehicle facilities, truck specialists, logistics, spare parts, financing, consulting, software, venture capital, insurance.

Now the individual companies will work together even more closely as one unit in a strategic network. Therefore, all the companies under the Holman Group umbrella are being renamed “Holman.”

But rebranding isn’t just about superficial aspects. For the German branch of the Holman family, the renaming is a symbol of closer cooperation and a clear commitment of the founding family to the German market. With an even closer collaboration, German employees can now access the wealth of experience of their international colleagues. In terms of structure, Holman will remain the same as ARI: there will be no personnel changes, for example. “The rebranding is not an austerity program in disguise—on the contrary, we will grow and want to keep growing,” emphasizes Holman Managing Director Majk Strika.

For ARI customers, Holman isn’t changing much except for organizational details, and if at all, then for the better. Even though ARI Fleet has operated under a different name for years, the company has always benefited from the founders’ experience and lived the founders’ values. Even though we are part of a globally positioned group, here in Germany, we will remain a typical medium-sized partner, working with our customers. We will continue to break new ground in the areas of fleet management and leasing. As a medium-sized leasing company, we are unique in the market compared to all the banks driven by quarterly results. In addition, we can draw on the Group’s extensive network and other financial capacities. It is particularly important to us that our customers understand that with us they have a company at their side that, like them, not only thinks long-term and thus acts strategically, but also always puts people first. This applies to our dealings with customers and our employees alike. Everything we have been doing for almost 100 years is sustainable in nature. This is brilliantly borne out by the use of the name of the founding family as the new lead brand.

Will it be “business as usual” after the end of March? Certainly not. The fleet market is in a state of upheaval, and Holman is offering its customers sustainable solutions. For Managing Director Majk Strika, there are four keywords for the future: “Automated, networked, electric and shared. The market has been very straightforward in recent years. Today, on the other hand, there are many drive technologies and a vast assortment of acquisition options.”

Sales Director Henning Schick also sees movement in the future: “We will continue to break new ground in the areas of fleet management and leasing. In addition, there is one topic that occupies our customers’ minds: The demand for electric vehicles has increased enormously among our customers over the past twelve months. This new trend gives us the opportunity to further expand our portfolio of services.”

Holman will therefore continue to map the entire fleet value chain with its well-known Open Flex product system—from procuring and financing to managing and remarketing fleets. But beyond that, solutions to customer problems are being developed. The current trend in fuel prices, for example, has prompted many fleet managers to reassess and think towards the future. Telematics programs that can analyze driving behavior and fuel consumption have become even more important. So one thing is guaranteed not to change: Whatever the future holds, suitable solutions will always be worked out together with the customer.