Responsiveness

you signed two major contracts for the leasing of electric bicycles (e-bikes), including one with the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Could you tell us more about this?

I joined Econocom Germany in October 2021.  When I arrived, I managed to convince the service mein-dienstrad of Econocom’s potential as a financial service provider.

Mein-dienstrad is one of Germany’s largest bike leasing providers. Mein-Dienstrad already offered an e-bike service, but they lacked a flexible and reliable partner in the sector of large clients.

Under my project leadership, we immediately developed a leasing offer – ‘Dienstradleasing’ – as a solution from Econocom, we drew up a contract and introduced the corresponding processes to provide a reliable and professional offer on the market.

With our first pitch, we were able to win the first client, the German state of  Schleswig-Holstein, as part of a  public call for tender.

Furthermore, we were able to introduce framework agreements with 25 well-known German clients, including companies such as 3M Germany, Vaillant, K+S AG.

Every week, we’re pleased our offer is positively received by a vast majority of employees. I’m very impressed by the enthusiasm that this topic is generating in society. We’re pleased we can contribute, through our offer, to a better and healthier environment.

This contract then led to a new Econocom offer being built. How long did it take and who did you work with to build this offer? What are its main features?

Without my colleagues from all departments, we wouldn’t be as successful as we are today. We seized this opportunity to shape the market requirements into a competitive Econocom solution. The task was developed within various departments, and we were quickly able to implement this great solution, ready for the market.

From the perspective of asset leasing, the e-bike solution concept is very similar to IT leasing. We were able to transfer our experience in the field of company bike leasing very well into our world. Econocom’s solution is made up of different services: financing, sourcing, insurance and services for bikes, management of the contract, and an end-to-end portal. That’s why we need a strong, experienced partner.

The range of services we offer our customers makes for a truly exciting proposition. In this way, companies can offer their employees benefits to promote them, retain them, and do something for the environment and the health of employees.

What is the advantage of this offer for a German public institution? How could it be useful throughout Europe? What do you think the professional bike fleet market will look like in three years from now?

The idea of company bike leasing has been on the market for many years. The first providers of company bike leasing in Germany were based on an arrangement with trade unions: a model of salary reduction, tax conversion and tax savings based on the leasing rate, providing attractive savings in social security contributions and taxes. This method rounds up the e-bike offer and makes company bike leasing more attractive for employees in comparison to conventional private purchases.

On the positive side, the first collective agreements with individual federal states are starting to provide this offer for their employees. We’re currently seeing many big companies that would like to introduce e-bike leasing for their employees. We see a market that’s still nascent with high growth potential.  We think that in three to five years this introductory phase of e-bikes will be completed.

And in coming years, there will certainly be new trends. We shall adapt each time! In fact, that’s one of our values: responsiveness.

Our values are boldness, good faith and responsiveness. Which one do you think is the most useful in preparing for the future? Why?

When I joined Econocom I was convinced there would be a good chance for me and for Econocom to gain a significant market share in the e-bike market, even though there were no activities in this market segment at that point.

Talking to Econocom’s management in the application phase gave me the boldness to move to Econocom.

It turned out Econocom had the good faith to develop an e-bike offer. Luckily, there was a big public call for tender that was worth setting up an offer for.

I also appreciated the responsiveness of the departments involved. They were open-minded and really focused. In the end, we made it happen with our first offer.

Mein-Dienstrad is a very successful provider of company bike leasing in Germany. How do you explain the enormous growth?

Due to the increasing demand for environmentally friendly mobility solutions and the government's promotion of e-bikes, bike leasing has established itself as a popular option. In addition, mein-dienstrad.de has been able to attract many customers through targeted marketing and a user-friendly platform. The combination of sustainability, tax benefits and good service has helped the company to grow so successfully. The change in employee management and the effects of coronavirus have certainly also contributed to mein-dienstrad.de growing so successfully and doubling its turnover since 2019. In times of Corona, many companies have recognized the importance of flexible and sustainable mobility solutions to provide their employees with a safe and healthy working environment. bike leasing has proven to be an option that not only promotes health, but also strengthens employee loyalty and increases productivity.

In addition, the shift in employee management towards more flexibility and appreciation for the individual needs of employees has led to the increasing popularity of bike leasing as an attractive benefits package. Companies that offer their employees the opportunity to lease a company bike are also showing that they care about the well-being and satisfaction of their workforce.

Will you also be expanding your range internationally?

mein-dienstrad.de has been part of Green Mobility Holding GmbH since 2022. International expansion is part of the holding company's strategy, but also brings with it various challenges, particularly with regard to the tax legislation of the respective countries. Each country has its own regulations regarding leasing contracts, tax incentives for bicycle leasing and environmentally friendly mobility. These differences need to be carefully analyzed and taken into account in order to establish a successful business model in a new market.
For mein-dienstrad.de, expansion would mean that we would have to deal intensively with local tax laws and possibly adapt our offering to comply with the legal framework. This could also mean entering into partnerships with local companies, such as the addition of a Belgian company to Green Mobility Holding in 2023, or otherwise building up local expertise to ensure that all aspects of company bike leasing are handled correctly.

What characterizes the cooperation with Econocom?

Both companies attach great importance to information security and sustainability, which forms a solid basis for a trusting collaboration. Econocom's experience with large customers who constantly lease a large number of assets offers optimal conditions for the efficient, digital and reliable processing of bicycle leasing.
Overall, the cooperation between mein-dienstrad.de and Econocom promises a successful and future-oriented partnership in the field of e-bike leasing. Econocom's global positioning will also facilitate the internationalization of the service bike leasing provider, which can lead to a broader reach and a larger customer base in the future.