Kiho x PHM Group
A comprehensive solution for rollout and the field
Good products are good products, but effective onboarding and successful integration into a company’s daily routines are absolutely vital—otherwise even the best product is of no use. Kiho met the tight deadline through careful planning and built an end-to-end solution tailored precisely to PHM Group’s needs.
The whole system is easier to manage when fleet management lives in a single platform
PHM Group is a property-services conglomerate whose mission is to take care of people by maintaining their living environments. Its local companies operate in several countries, with over 10,000 employees across the group.
Due to a deliberate expansion strategy, PHM Group found itself using different fleet-tracking systems from multiple vendors—six in total just within Finland.
“In principle the systems did what they were supposed to, but they weren’t fit for decision making because their metrics differed. The data lived in different places, and comparing it was challenging. Sure, you can define new metrics, but managing multiple systems and reconciling their reports into one cohesive document simply doesn’t work,” explains Erkan Yilmaz, PHM Group’s Head of Procurement.
Yilmaz and PHM’s Fleet Director Mika Uusi-Simola wanted a single system for the entire PHM Group. First, it would be rolled out to PHM’s Finnish companies; then they would evaluate whether to expand to other countries where the group operates.
At that point, Kiho was already in use in a few small PHM Group subsidiaries in Finland—but only on a small scale. One system managed 1,500 vehicles, another 800—whereas Kiho tracked just over a hundred. Yet in the procurement process, Kiho rose to the top.
“Price is an essential factor in a tender, but what matters most is the functionality the solution provides. In the end, most fleet-management systems are quite similar, but Kiho had additional features that convinced us.”
— Erkan Yilmaz, Head of Procurement, PHM Group
Listening to the customer’s needs and answering the call
Kiho’s execution quality, service features, and willingness to develop the solution to exact requirements were compelling. The overall package was already strong, and the plan for a PHM-specific application for regional job dispatching was clear.
“We were able to offer a broad package that convinced the customer. We negotiated, we listened to their needs, and then it was clear—this was our project,” says Antti Koponen, Head of Key Account Sales at Kiho.
The tactical map—Kiho’s regional job-dispatching feature designed for PHM’s vehicle fleet—was a critical selling point. “They wanted it ready by winter for our snow-clearing operations. Sure, there are job-dispatch systems out there, but we needed one tied directly to our fleet,” Yilmaz says.
The final package was an all-inclusive fleet-management system. Today, Kiho tracks nearly 4,300 PHM Group machines, and about 750 of PHM’s property-service technicians use the Kiho app.
Especially pivotal were the custom tactical map for PHM, the features for managing the entire group’s fleet, and the unified view for both supervisors and field staff. Plus, everything had to happen on a strict, pre-agreed timeline—the deal was sealed at the end of summer, and installations had to be complete before the first snow.
“On the agreed day, Kiho was live at PHM Group. That was extremely important for the customer, and thanks to meticulous planning we met those demands,” Koponen recalls.
“The schedule was extremely tight. But Kiho took charge and ensured the devices were installed—and through hard work we stayed on track. Organizing our group—60 different companies across Finland—was no small feat. Some have a few million in turnover, others a hundred million; individual sites can be very large. We had to have the equipment and installers in the right place at the right time, ready to go. It wasn’t a small task, but we pulled it off admirably.” — Erkan Yilmaz on the scope of the implementation project.
Maximizing Profitability by Site
While Kiho’s comprehensive asset registry already met the customer’s needs, the field teams wanted additional operational features. They needed to see, for each machine (for example, a snow-plow truck), where other machines were, what they were doing at that moment, and what they had already completed that shift. The Kiho team designed and built the tactical map to fill that need.
“When we presented this feature and a couple of others to Kiho, they made it happen. Exactly the functionality we wanted didn’t exist at that point in the sales phase, but on a very tight schedule and by listening to our wishes, they implemented the missing features,” says Regional Director Mikko Jurvelin from PHM Group.
Kiho’s tactical map cuts out paper job sheets and constant phone calls, ensuring that, for example, when drivers change shifts, the handover happens seamlessly.
“In our larger cities we might have 50 snow-clearing machines out in the field at once. Instead of guiding them with paper lists and endlessly calling each other—‘Where are you now? How much have you plowed and salted?’—drivers can see on their in-machine terminals where their colleagues are and what they’ve finished so far. Work is now far more efficient,” Jurvelin explains.
He adds almost immediately:
“And the ability to attach instructions to each site helps, too. When a machine arrives at a driveway, the driver automatically sees, for example, ‘Do not pile snow on parking spot number one.’ If it’s a different driver next Saturday, they still know exactly what to do.”
Before Kiho, these instructions circulated on sticky notes or a whiteboard in the break room. Now they’re in the digital system, always attached to the correct site.
“No special device training was needed. Kiho runs on a tablet in the machines—hand the driver a tablet, walk through the main features in the app, and in a couple of minutes even someone used to a basic phone has mastering Kiho and operations are running,” says Jurvelin.
Reception in the field has been overwhelmingly positive, and according to feedback from PHM Group, this past winter was one of the company’s best ever.
“People even asked, ‘When can we get Kiho?’ Clearly there was a real need. In property services you have many moving parts—now it’s easy when you see how all the pieces fit together,” Jurvelin notes.
Data-Driven Management Requires Data
For supervisors, it was also crucial to have a reporting tool that supports decision making.
“Nothing improves unless we have metrics—and those metrics must be based on a consistent scale. When we make decisions and changes, we need something to compare against,” Yilmaz explains.
“Now we can easily generate the necessary KPIs, and the measurement points are selectable according to our needs. Every supervisor or unit manager now has visual, clear KPIs. Kiho committed to developing these with us, and they’ve invested in them. Immediately we can see where we stand compared to other locations and where there’s room for improvement,” Yilmaz says.
Finland is PHM Group’s headquarters country, where other operating countries report their performance. Naturally, they need comparable data from those countries, too, and discussions are underway to roll out Kiho to other PHM Group markets.
“Without exception, feedback has been positive since we went live with Kiho, and personally I would like Kiho in all our countries. Then we could develop as a group consistently, with a system covering the entire organization. We’d see the same KPIs everywhere, compare fleets, machine types, consumption, driving and working methods, and so on,” Yilmaz envisions.
Extending the Partnership
They also hope to deepen the collaboration further. Kiho has already helped coach PHM Group on creating and refining the right metrics, but Yilmaz is ready to expand the partnership.
“If Kiho could bring together different fleet managers, we’d be open to collaboration. We could coach each other and possibly develop the app and its reports together,” Yilmaz hopes.
Both sides are pleased with the partnership: when the overall solution works and development needs are addressed promptly, it becomes a relationship that serves both parties.
“It’s great to work with someone you can trust,” Yilmaz concludes.