PK Commercial Tyres Enters Earthmover Market

Ashford, Kent-based PK Commercial Tyres recently entered the heavy industrial/earthmover tyre market with the purchase of a 26 ton (6×4) Renault truck complete with a sleeper cab, 38 ton crane, tyre handler and London emissions. The latest addition to commercial tyres’ fleet has over £10,000 worth of the heavy tools, and the latest tyre fitting equipment. For example, the new UHL tyre handler, alone cost in excess of £18,000. The vehicle is capable of handling 85 per cent of all the Earthmover tyres in the UK market.

Upon further investigation, the reasons behind Kuske’s decision to move into the EM tyre business are clear. After a series of bad experiences contacting out the work, necessity proved to be the mother of invention and Kuske appears to have decided that his company could do a better job.

When it came to purchasing the new truck PK Commercial Tyres Ltd had originally looked at buying new, but discussions with his main customer hinged too much on price and he decided against it. What followed was a series of failed attempts at contracting out the work to outside companies, including a request for a simple price matrix that he could give to his customer. This resulted in being told he would be charged on an hourly basis from when they left the depot to when they returned, as well as a non attendance charge for them being out of tachograph hours. A request for weekend work resulted in Kuske being told: “they don’t work weekends,” and a further incident resulted in the reply “tell the customer to park the ship up till the morning.”

Kuske takes up the story: “We then undertook the work ourselves using forklifts and chains, which was too dangerous, but our customer insisted that we continue or lose the business. Eventually my fitter decided it was too dangerous and refused to do anymore work. We then contacted an outside company, with a request to fit four 1800R33 of our own tyres on-site, it was agreed that we would pay them a labour rate for this. After four hours, all they had done was to fit one tyre and managed to get the second tyre half off the rim, at this point they pulled off-site. A second company was called in by the customer to complete the job – they were going to press the tyre off. Needless to say that also failed. Eventually, my truck fitter went up and knocked the tyre off by hand, at this point, I decided that enough was enough, and decided to attempt to bring the truck tyre mentality to the heavy industrial, earthmover market.”

With over 30 years experience in the tyre industry, PK Commercial Tyres Ltd managing director Paul Kuske is proud to be making this latest venture. Friends in the industry have said the lengths he has gone to are “a bit of overkill,” however those who know Kuske will understand this is the way he does things.