AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

LOOKING FOR

21st September 2006
Page 56
Page 57
Page 58
Page 56, 21st September 2006 — LOOKING FOR
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A FLAT MATE?

Who do you call for fast relief from puncture troubles? Sharon Clancy reviews the range of services available from tyre service networks, both those owned by the tyre manufacturers and the independents.

Tyre-related incidents have a significant impact on productivity, and tyre problems are the cause of many breakdowns. ATS Euromaster, for example. has attended 58,020 tyre-related breakdowns in the UK over the past six months.

According toTruckPoint UK, the independent network of Bridgestone tyre service points, the three things operators want in a tyre breakdown service are fast, predictable response times, transparent pricing, and assurance that the company's tyre policy will be adhered to."A tyre breakdown specialist can get you moving more quickly than a general breakdown company," says business development managerAndy Mathias. Some tyre service networks are owned by the tyre manufacturers; others are independent distributors attached to a network. Michelin ownsATS Euromaster, for example, and Goodyear owns the Truckforce truck tyre network which is now separate from the Hi-0 tyre retail operation.ATS Euromaster has 540 service points in the UK, and 1,700 across Europe. Goodyear Dunlop'sTruckforce Actionline is run from anew incident control centre at the company's UK headquarters in Birmingham,where a team of 30 can handle up to 10.000 breakdowns a month.

Bridgestone and Continental prefer to use networks of independent tyre service dealers. Continental has 49 truck tyre specialists in its ContiNetwork service operation; between them they have 200 UK depots and can field 500 mobile service vans. Bridgestone's TruckPoint truck dealer network has 280 UK sites. Both companies believe independent dealers will deliver the best service to operators."Independent dealers have local expertise, hunger for work and pride in their business; their breakdown performance is second to none," says Mathias.

Both companies regularly monitor performance in terms of response times and stock availability.

A growing number of breakdown services are offered as part of tyre-management programmes that include whole-life tyre costs, casing management, retreading and regular pressure checks. You still pay for callouts, but the service company attending a breakdown will know your company tyre fitment policy (new or retreads), the relevant tyre sizes and patterns, and the preferred make of tyre.

Vital statistics

But it's not only tyre manufacturers that want to get you on your way retreading specialist Bandvulc manages 2,500 breakdown callouts per week via itsTyre Support Unit.This is available to operators signing up to Bandvulc'sTotal Tyre Management package, which produces monthly statistics from casing returns, tyre fitments, tyre management and breakdowns.

Sales director Richard O'Connell explains: When the driver reports a breakdown, the company already has all the details on the vehicle, tyres, replacement policy and how long the tyre has been on the wheel."

Once the repair has been completed, Bandvulc checks the serial number on the tyre that has been removed and updates its history.The operator then gets a report on this tyre. including how long it was on the wheel, the work carried out at the roadside and the reason for removing it.The service provider liaises with Bandvulc over payment.

This data is another reason the tyre manufacturers like to include breakdown callouts as part of their tyre-management packages. And even in the event of a puncture, the casing might still be of use: your tyre management provider will certainly want it back for analysis and it might be retreadable.

Tyre procurement and management company Direct Tyre Management does not employ its own fitters it has a network of 800 service providers to provide tyre-management services to its customers, including 24-hour roadside breakdown support.

"Our emphasis is on ensuring that unnecessary downtime is minimised:" says founder Steve Richardson, previously customer services director at ATS Euromaster.

However, you don't have to sign up for tyre-management services to get fast roadside assistance. Simply registering with a tyre service network can bring you the benefits of expert roadside assistance on a pay-as-yougo basis from many of the major tyre service providers via a freephone number.

"Unless an operator wants European breakdown cover, we'd direct them to one of our UK service partners," says Rebecca Sheddon of ContiNetwork.-By registering with their local distributor they get access to the rest of the UK ContiNetwork."

Registering your company or fleet allows the tyre service provider to carry out the necessary financial checks in advance and prevents delays at the roadside -or drivers having to make onthe-spot payments to get moving again.

Transparent pricing In the past, a tyre problem would be followed by an anxious wait for the invoice. But now there seems to be recognition that a roadside tyre repair should not be an opportunity for the distributor to sell a new tyre at full list price. There is greater transparency about costs, even for repairs on the Continent.

And in the UK, operators with tyre management contracts are often charged their agreed rate, with just callout charges added on.

Tyre availability is another reason louse a specialist tyre breakdown dealer. All the tyre distributors regularly audit their networks to ensure that the greatest possible choice of tyre sizes and tread patterns are available throughout the network. For example, not many UK operators use Bridgestone's 495/45 R22.5 Greatec Mega-Drive, which was developed for the Mercedes-Benz Actros MPTI, but several TruckPoint dealers in the UK stock it -primarily for Continental vehicles working in the UK. to


comments powered by Disqus