All articles by Grant Collinson
Grant Collinson
Fleet Alliance continues to expand sales team
Fleet management company Fleet Alliance has continued to expand its sales force as the business seeks growth. The Glasgow-based company has recruited three graduates as trainee business development executives following the appointment of Steve Lane as new business development manager in June. Stuart Naismith, Stephanie Morris, and Gareth Fulton join the business as trainee business development executives straight from university, both Naismith and Fulton from the University of West of Scotland and Morris from Glasgow Caledonian University.
John Bevan elected new ABFA chairman
John Bevan has been appointed as the new chairman of the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA). Bevan is currently the head of Trade and Working Capital UK & Ireland at Barclays Corporate He has worked in the invoice finance industry for the past 16 years and has been at Barclays Corporate since 2007
ING Lease & Barclays join forces to fund SMEs
ING Lease UK has signed a deal to provide asset finance for the business customers of Barclays Bank. The alliance will enable Barclays SME customers to obtain asset finance products through the bank six months after it announced it would no longer provide asset finance for the SME market. Under the agreement Barclays will be responsible for the sales and marketing of the products which they will offer alongside their existing debt products through their Business Banking division.
Leasedrive focus on quality after integration
Six months after the acquisition of Masterlease, and with a new board appointment, the plan for Leasedrive is to keep getting better not just bigger, commercial director Roddy Graham tells Leasing Life Integration with Birmingham-based Masterlease is nearly complete with the two businesses running side by side and Graham insists the future of Leasedrives new stable mate is secure.
SMEs plan equipment investment drive
SMEs in the UK have lost £8.3bn in revenue over the last 12 months because of equipment they have put off replacing, according to research. GE Capitals SME Capex Barometer also shows businesses plan to invest £74.9bn in capital expenditure over the next twelve months to facilitate expected growth. The survey of 1000 SMEs across Europe showed 92% of businesses intended to invest, with an average spend of £73,805 on items including manufacturing equipment, commercial vehicles, company cars, IT and office equipment.
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Safe in software
Software leasing has been avoided by many lessors and funders, thereby allowing the specialists to profit Grant Collinson explores the threats and opportunities in this area of technology Something sets software leasing apart from much of the asset financing industry which historically has put lessors and funders off this growing market.
Hitachi Capital appoints Richards
Richards has worked at GE Capital since 2001 as sales manager within the industrial vendor sales team and previously in relationship development in the IT, telecoms and industrial assets sectors
Alphabet buys ING Car Lease for ?637m
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2011, subject to regulatory approvals. The price is far below the 4 billion mooted earlier this month when the news of the sale by ING was leaked by a Dutch newspaper.
LeasePlan delivers first fleet of new eco cars
Fleet management company LeasePlan UK has handled the acquisition of the first commercial fleet of Fords ECOnetic Mondeos for client Hilti. The power tool manufacturer has taken delivery of 42 of the 1.6 litre vehicles as part of a £1 million investment in its car fleet.
Lloyds provide HP facility for steel plant
Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance has provided a hire purchase facility for UK-based Shropshire Galvanizers to open a new plant. The £86,000 deal allowed the firm, a subsidiary of Hereford Galvanizers, to open the new powder coating plant in Oswestry, Shropshire in response to regional demand. Lloyds TSB CF provided the initial capital outlay which allowed Shropshire Galvanizers to purchase the necessary equipment for the plant without impacting its balance sheet.