Vehicle Replacement: A Case Study in Adapting a Standard Approach for a Large Organisation

Abstract

This is a case study likely to stimulate interest in its managerial rather than its technical aspects. The study concerns vehicle replacement in British Gas, but the experiences gained should be relevant to O.R. workers applying different techniques in other industries. The work adapted slightly the standard approach to vehicle replacement in ways which will interest others working in this field, but the main focus of the paper is on the broader context of the work. It includes a description of the O.R. team's assessment of the environment within which replacement decisions are made and of its attempts to take them into account to ensure effective implementation of its work. The merits of the approach are discussed with the benefits of hindsight.