Assessing Your Upfit Strategy for 2024

For the last three-plus years, fleet operators have been challenged to navigate a severely disrupted automotive supply chain. Fortunately, during the latter half of this year, the supply chain stabilized and started to rebound. While the industry isn’t out of the woods just yet, there’s certainly reason for optimism as the calendar turns to 2024.

As we look to the year ahead (and beyond), now’s an ideal time to re-assess your acquisition and upfit strategy to make sure you’re well positioned to adapt to an evolving business landscape while still adhering to long-standing best practices. With that in mind, Holman’s Ted Davis recently shared his advice for developing an effective upfit strategy with Modern WorkTruck Solutions. In the article, Ted highlighted a number of key factors to keep in mind as you craft a comprehensive strategy that aligns with the needs of your business.

Ted notes that developing vehicle and upfit specs isn’t just a fleet project; it is an overall business project for which you need to solicit input from other fleet stakeholders – operations, frontline employees, procurement, safety, etc. He also recommends maintaining a reasonable number of vehicle specs for your fleet so you don’t complicate the acquisition process with an overwhelming library of options to manage.

Ted also stresses the importance of being proactive in your planning. He adds that most fleet operators will benefit by embracing a macro approach to budgeting that forecasts three to five years out for greater flexibility. Finally, he emphasizes the importance of aligning with strong strategic partners throughout the supply chain.

Visit Modern WorkTruck Solutions to read the entire article and be sure to subscribe to the Morning Brake newsletter to have the latest supply chain updates delivered right to your inbox.