Indie Campers

: driving through expansion

Abstract

Founded in 2013 by two friends, Indie Campers was a start-up that was dedicated to the innovative concept of the camper van rental - vans transformed into "mini-homes" with bed, kitchen and shower. The vans had a young and adventurous look and were attractive for young people who wanted to travel with no constraints. Indie Campers offered the opportunity to explore, to get lost and to discover. Since the beginning, the company had experienced a fast growth, at an approximate rate of 300% yearly. Expected revenues for 2017 were 6.4 million euros. This growth was mainly due to its customer-oriented service: close and professional treatment; flexible schedules for pick-up and drop-off of vans; availability to pick-up and drop-off the van at different locations. However, in 2017 the scale of the company had reached a dimension that created a lot of challenges. While keeping the same systems to manage operations, in 5 years, Indie Campers grew from a fleet of 2 vans to a fleet of 413 vans, and from one depot in Portugal to 62 locations spread through 6 countries. During the high season of 2017, the depots with more demand had to pick up and deliver around 20 vans a day. The number of people working in depots was about the same as in 2015 and the service procedures that created success for Indie Campers made the task even more challenging. The staff's fatigue made it difficult to deliver an excellent service and to pay the attention customers expected. The operational problems that arise from fast growth are the main topic of this case study. Related themes are the company’s value proposition, productivity and customer and employee satisfaction. A Literature Review is presented in order to contextualize the topics addressed. Finally, a Teaching Note is developed, relating the Case Study and the Literature Review and providing a class plan and tools to analyse the different issues.

Date of Award	8 Mar 2018
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nuno Magalhães Guedes (Supervisor)