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OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
Page 46
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Micro-management is the key to success
ulmer believes in minute-by-minute east analysis and optimising every aspect of the fleet. One example is the tyre-pressure management scheme he set up two years ago. Every vehicle is checked regularly for pressure as Bulmer beheves it can make 0.2mpg difference either way. Even tyres on factory-fresh trucks can be over or under-inflated. They should be 115-120psi, but often they come in anywhere between 90-145psi. You would expect the dealer to check, but they don't always." The firm saved C175,000 last year alone through tyre-pressure management and is investing heavily in driver training. Bulmer also believes strongly that the industry and freight customers should be more efficient, and so supports the development of Teesport. "As much as 53% of goods coming into southern ports are destined for north of Birmingham. There is an additional cost to feeder systems, but taking the load straight to a northern port makes sense," he says.
Eliminating empty running and introducing night deliveries are both on the agenda and although there is no specific rail work at the moment, working closely with rail and educating the shipping lines is a recurrent theme.