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DaimlerChrysler shifts into global gear. (Travel Management).

Article Excerpt
Company: DaimlerChrysler

Headquarters: Stuttgart, Germany

2001 Total air spend: $325 million

2001 U.S. air spend: $55 million

When Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler, the newly formed DaimlerChrysler travel management team for Europe and the "rest of the world"--which handles travel for everywhere except the Americas--replaced its entire program with a highly automated and strategically planned global travel management solution.

With, the former Chrysler people in the United States handling the Americas, the Germany-based team adopted many of the procedures that are familiar to most companies that consolidate their programs, such as reducing the number of travel agents and choosing a corporate card. However, DaimlerChrysler went much further. Stemming from a mandate to save tens of millions of dollars worldwide on travel in three years, every step of the process from trip planning 'to expense reimbursement has been automated. As such, travel has been given the role of e-process trailblazer within DaimlerChrysler.

"What we have now is a real e-business solution," said Bernd Burkhardt, head of travel management Europe and the rest of the world. "Travel is the icebreaker in the company for employee self-service."

The new travel program in December 2001 was rolled out in Germany, which accounts for approximately 85 percent of the company's non-Americas spend. Some...

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