Ebbon-Dacs, a leading e-procurement specialist for leasing and fleet management companies, has continued its expansion onto the European mainland with the opening of an office in Hamburg.
The UK-based online solutions provider has formed Ebbon-Dacs Deutschland GmbH under a highly experienced new country head, Hans-Christian Preymann, and intends to replicate the success of the operation it set up in the Netherlands four years ago.
Ebbon-Dacs’ Netherlands office now sources over 30,000 vehicles annually for Dutch fleet customers through its market-leading-procurement platform, Leaselink, including Athlon Car Lease, the country’s largest leasing company.
Robert Pilkington, managing director of the Leaselink International division of Ebbon-Dacs (pictured) explained that talks have already begun with major leasing and fleet management companies in Germany, along with major dealer groups, manufacturers and importers.
He said: “Germany boasts the largest new car market in Europe and one of the largest leasing markets, and many of Ebbon-Dacs’ UK customers have head offices or a major presence in the country.
Robust & resilient
“This is a natural extension for us and we intend to replicate in Germany the model which has been so successful for us in the Netherlands.
“With the arrival of our new platform for the UK, we feel this is an excellent time to launch into Germany with its strong economy, the largest new car market in Europe and a very robust and resilient leasing and fleet management sector.
“We know that to build a successful solution in a major new market takes many years’ effort, but, by starting this process based on our second generation technology, we know we have a great starting point. We can also offer our UK customers who have a presence in Germany a powerful e-purchasing option.”
Ebbon-Dacs has recently invested in new functionality and a new look for Leaselink which is utilised by well over 3,500 businesses, including leasing and fleet management companies, dealer groups and manufacturers, and which handles the sourcing, ordering and delivery of more than 140,000 fleet vehicles a year.
The latest functionality includes a third party module specifically for commercial vehicle convertors and fitment specialists, which allows leasing companies to track the progress of any new commercial vehicles that have been ordered but which require converting to meet the fleet customer’s specific requirements.
The new-look Leaselink is being rolled out in stages with the initial emphasis on new functionality modules, before rolling out a new user interface across the whole platform.
Pilkington added: “We have placed huge emphasis this year on the development and deployment of our new generation of Leaselink, which we review regularly with our leasing company and dealer users to ensure it meets their demands. We are now looking forward to introducing a host of new capabilities and extending them further in 2015.
“Crucially, the platform will also be compatible with all current integrations and will retain all historic data,” he said.
