Commercial vehicle garage Ferndown Commercials has improved the efficiency of its vehicle inspections and maintenance planning after replacing manual processes with a digital fleet management system from AssetGo.
The Dorset-based business introduced the system last year to streamline inspections, improve maintenance scheduling and strengthen compliance management across its workshop operations.
Since moving away from paper-based processes, Ferndown says it has reduced administration time, improved visibility across vehicle maintenance activities and enhanced overall operational efficiency.
Based in Dorset, Ferndown Commercials is a trusted commercial vehicle garage providing servicing, maintenance and repair support for fleets and operators across the region. The business introduced AssetGo in 2025 to modernise its inspection and maintenance planning processes and create a more efficient, reliable system for managing vehicle upkeep.
“We reached a point where our manual processes were becoming increasingly time-consuming and difficult to manage efficiently,” says Carol Flay, Finance Manager at Ferndown Commercials. “We needed a system that would give us better visibility of inspections, servicing schedules and maintenance planning while also helping us strengthen compliance procedures. AssetGo provided exactly that.”
Since implementing the system, Ferndown has seen significant operational improvements across its workshop and maintenance activities.
“The difference was almost immediate,” said Carol. “Inspections are far easier to manage, maintenance planning is much more organised and we can track servicing and defects far more effectively than before. The digital system has removed a huge amount of paperwork and manual administration, which saves our team valuable time every day. For example, our customers receive their inspection sheets in a timely manner and the form is a lot clearer than a hand-written scanned copy.”
The move to digital management has also enhanced compliance oversight, ensuring inspections and maintenance activities are recorded consistently and are easily accessible whenever needed.
“From a compliance perspective, having everything stored digitally gives us much greater confidence and control,” adds Carol. “Records are easy to access, inspections are completed on time and there’s far less risk of anything being overlooked. It has made the whole process more robust and reliable.”
Ferndown also praised the ease of implementation and the ongoing support provided by the AssetGo team throughout the onboarding process and beyond.
“The system was introduced very smoothly with virtually no disruption to the business,” says Carol. “The onboarding process was straightforward and the support from AssetGo has been excellent throughout. Whenever we need assistance, the team is always close at hand and quick to help.”
While exact return-on-investment figures are difficult to quantify, Ferndown says the system is already delivering measurable value through improved efficiency, reduced downtime and earlier fault identification.
“AssetGo is undoubtedly saving us time and helping us identify issues earlier before they become bigger, more costly problems,” adds Carol. “The efficiencies alone mean the system is effectively paying for itself, while also helping us deliver a better service to customers.”
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