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GETTING A GRIP ON TYRE USE
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Wny are manufacturers and retreaders urging operators to take an asset-management approach towards their
tyres? Sharon Clancy reports.
The distinction between premium and mid-range tyres is becoming blurred, partly because truck tyres are now frequently sourced from Eastern Europe.The technology (or some of it) is shared. but labour costs are lower in the East so operators can increasingly get some of the benefits of a premium brand at a mid-range price.
Matador, for example, produces truck tyres at its Slovakian plant using Continental tyre designs.Lower labour costs enable us to price the tyres competitively, but it doesn't mean we're offering a cheap product," says UK MD Miroslav Plevak. "We've shared Continental technology since 1998 and we use the latest manufacturing technologies."
Goodyear is also taking advantage of lower costs in Eastern Europe; its Sava brand is produced in Slovenia.
At the budget end some unfamiliar names are appearing in the UK, especially from Chinese manufacturers such as Gill But Bandvulc sales director Richard O'Connell advises caution:"Some Chinese companies are reputable manufacturers and the casings are acceptable for retreading. Others are at the edge of the dimension tolerances European manufacturers adhere to, so it could be difficult to get an acceptable retread."
Dimension tolerances Supermarkets are keen on the benefits of recycling first-life tyres by retreading them; this was one of Sainsbury's main criteria when it renewed its retread contract with Bandvulc. Retreads are now supplied for all wheels,except the steer axle where the policy is to fit new.
Sainsbury's runs _3,000 tractor units and trailers, which means around 40,000 tyres on the road at any one time.
The company worked with Direct Tyre Management to identify where savings and performance improvements could be made. Key performance indicators have been identified for tyre performance, safety, mileage and cost. "Bandvulc has a good no-nonsense approach to a high cost area," says national fleet manager David Landy."It differs from its competitors through the production of highclass KPIs and the way they arc put to beneficial management use."
So why pay more for premium tyres? "You're buying reliability," says Roger Moulding, marketing manager for Bridgestone-Firestone. "Premium tyres suffer fewer breakclown.s,enjoy longer life and deliver better fuel economy. Buy a cheap tyre and you're more likely to suffer a tyre-related breakdown."
Premium tyres (a nd, increasingly, mid-range brands) also tend to incorporate low rollingresistance technologies that have a direct impact on fuel economy on long-distance work."Low rolling resistance has a direct effect on wear rates too, because the tyres run cooler, reducing wear," says Moulding.
Michelin invests 4.5% of its turnover on R&D, says Helen Buckley, truck-tyre product manager." Premium tyre buyers are the first to benefit from new technical development such as Michelin Durable Technologies and operational-specific tyres, which deliver lower pence-per-mile costs."
Operational-specific tyres pioneered by Michelin. Bridgestone and Goodyear are now widely available. Continental has introduced steer-axle and drive-axle tyres to its Eco Plus range for trucks on high-mileage motorway work. On a 40-tonne articulated truck. Continental calculates its HSL I (steer-axle) and HDL1 (drive-axle) Eco Plus range can reduce tyre-dependent operating costs by up to 4.4%.
Continental calculates that tyre-dependent operation costs on 40-tonners (including fuel. maintenance, repairs and tyres themselves) can account for up to 29% of operating costs. in an analysis of sales by segment vs tonnekilometres, regional transport tyres accounted for 73% of sales, while long-distance ones accounted for only 9%. But regional traffic clocked up just 73.8bn tonne-kilometres, compared with 307.1bn tonne-kilometres for long-distance traffic.
"This indicates considerable use of inappropriate tyres," explains Herbert Mensching, marketing and sales director for Continental Truck Tyres Europe."A 40-tonne articulated truck travelling 200,000km annually, at average fuel prices and European road speeds, could potentially save more than €2,(/00 per annum by switching to the correct tyre type."
Michelin reports that some operators who usually specify premium tyres will sometimes buy mid-range for vehicles that will shortly leave the fleet. B ut Moulding says a tyremanagement policy should take deflecting into account. ''Tyre management will ensure you get the best out of the premium product, even on arduous operations —the tyre is designed to cope with that sort of application."
Bandvulc and Vacu-Lug believe retreads can make sense even for budget tyre "For offroad work, where tyre damage is more likely than excessive wear, retreading a budget tyre can make economic sense — provided the casing is undamaged,says AshleyTasker, Vacu-Lug's sales manager.
Environmental considerations
Once confined mainly to tipper and waste operations, retreading has become increasingly mainstream over the past few years. Standards have risen with the introduction of EC109, the quality standard for retread manufacturing, which removed fears about operating on substandard tyres. Retreads also appeal to more environmentally-conscious operators such as the supermarket chains, which is why JS Sainsbury and Tesco are both Bandvulc customers.
Premium and mid-range manufacturers promote regroove and remould operations as part of maximising a tyre's life. Michelin's Four Lives policy comprises new tyre, regroove, retread and regroove. Continental offers a similar policy called ContiLife Cycle.
Michelin says regrooving can extend a tyre's life by 30%.But Bandvulc's Richard O'Connell warns: 'There is the risk of tyre damage if someone unskilled does it.This could make the casing unacceptable for remoulding."
Hot-cure or remix retreads have become more popular as retreaders centralise operations. Cold-cure suits small retreaders,who Can buy in tread patterns and sizes from suppliers such as Randag, hut are also ideal for less popular patterns and sizes, says Vacu-Lug's Tasker.The company has a Ran dag franchise and offers its own Duramold premium retread andTrakmila economy retread.
Retreading is part of the asset-management approach tyre manufacturers and retreaders are urging operators to take. "Tyres are an asset operators should manage. Neglecting them can hit you in the wallet through higher fuel consumption," says Moulding.
Once signed up to a tyre-management package, you can keep track of your assets via manufacturers' and retreaders' websites. Regular checks on pressures are essential, say manufacturers. Michelin estimates incorrect pressure can worsen fuel economy by 1.5%.
Direct Tyre Management is unusual in having no Lies to manufacturers, retreaders or lyre-servicing networks. "We don't try to influence a customer towards a particular brand or service group," says owner Steven Richardson:' If your tyre expenditure represents 3-5% of your operating costs, but takes 20% of your management time, you should consider outsourcing management to an industry specialist. Our purpose is to assist the customer in obtaining the best commercial deal to maximise his tyre investment, while ensuring the service is being delivered in line with any contractual commitments made." DIM will help in drawing up contracts and service-level agreements, perform tyre audits and offer services such as breakdown call-out and centralised invoicing. It works with 800 service locations. "You need those extra service people to deliver the right level of service to operators who are located in —or break down in —remote locations," Richardson says.
At the heart of the DTM service is a live web-based mamvement-reporting suite called TAMs.As soon as a service engineer has data on a particular vehicle, the site is updated. • CONTACTS
Bandvulc 01752 893 257 Bridgestone/Firestone 01926 488 500 Continental 01895 424 3235 Goodyear Dunlop 0121 306 6313 Hankook 01327 304 100 Matador 01597 824 829 Michelin 01782 401 776 Vaculug 01476 593 095 Direct Tyre Management 01772 338 999