FLEET intouch caught up with Toribio Noel Ilao, Director, Bureau of Equipment with the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Noel is building the bureau’s fleet management capability and when speaking to Noel it’s fascinating to learn of the size and breadth of the DPWH fleet and the approach Noel is taking to improve performance and efficiency.
In this first part of the interview, we look at the makeup of the DPWH fleet and how it's managed.
FLEET intouch: Hi Noel, what is the make-up of your fleet?
Noel: As of June 2016, we have 9038 assets in the fleet including what we call Basic Highway Maintenance Equipment or BHME. The fleet is diverse in both make-up and geographically. Some of the major brands in our fleet include; Caterpillar, Komatsu, Volvo, Doosan, SDLG, Hino Trucks, Wirtgen, Amman, UD Prime Movers, Hitachi, Watermaster and IHC.
FLEET intouch: What drives demand for your fleet?
Noel: As of 2015, the total national road length was 32,633 km. This has increased from around 29,000 km since 2007 when the national highways started being managed by DPWH.
FLEET intouch: You operate from an office in Manila. Do you get out in the field often?
Noel: The Bureau, which I currently head, does the fleet management remotely. Our staff goes into the field often. At least once a month, even as a Director, I do field work, to better understand the requirements in the field and what is happening out there. This allows me to arrive at better decisions.
FLEET intouch: So how geographically distributed is your fleet?
Noel: The Philippines consists of more than 7100 islands and some of our assets are in very remote locations. Given this unique geography of our country, we manage these assets through Regional Offices and their respective District Engineering Offices. Our Bureau provides the required technical services, support, policies and procedures. DPWH currently has 17 Regional Offices (RO) and 182 District Engineering Offices (DEO), 17 Regional Equipment Management Divisions (EMD), 65 Area Equipment Sections (under Regional Office-Equipment Management Division) and 182 Equipment Services Units (under District Engineering Office – Highway Maintenance Section).
Aside from this, we have Unified Project Management Offices which also operates and uses service vehicles and equipment.
FLEET intouch: What is the key to managing such a large and widely distributed operation?
Noel: I would say that leadership, management support, communication and performance management are critical in managing a fleet dispersed across the various islands in the country. Leadership gives the fleet management direction and sets the image for the program. Management support will sustain the program. Two-way feedback between Bureau of Equipment (BOE) and the end-users is one of the keys in our strategic management and makes the organisation mature.
In the next installment, FLEET intouch looks at some of the improvements Noel's approach to fleet management is delivering.