Arla Foods Milks Benefit of Michelin X One Tyres

Those with a hankering for milk products will be pleased to hear that the use of Michelin’s X One MaxiTrailer tyres has enabled Leeds based dairy company Arla Foods UK plc to increase the load capacity of its palletised milk deliveries by 50 per cent. Through the added stability the Michelin tyre provides the company’s first variable deck trailer, Arla Foods can now load 36 pallets on board as opposed to 24. The Gray & Adams variable deck trailer is being used by Arla Foods to support a major contract that requires milk to be delivered in palletised loads to a regional distribution centre, from where the retailer amalgamates it with other products prior to delivery to its stores. This process differs from most milk contracts where products are transported in roll cages that are wheeled directly from the trailer onto the shop floor.

One challenge the new trailer design posed was that of the higher centre of gravity created by loading milk onto a raised floor within each trailer. According to Michelin, this was solved by fitting its low profile 455/45 R 22.5 X One MaxiTrailer tyres in place of the regular 385/65 R 22.5 fitment.  This unique dimension, exclusive to Michelin and already operated by more than 80 UK fleets, provides a lower centre of gravity – and this, the tyre maker reports, has been proven in handling trials to improve trailer stability when cornering.

“The variable deck trailer offers significant environmental and operational advantages for our palletised milk deliveries,” said Gordon Irvine, group fleet director at Arla Foods. “An initial three month trial has proven very successful and we are looking to add up to five identical trailers to the fleet this year. The recommendation to specify the X One MaxiTrailer tyres was made during a quarterly review meeting with Michelin and our service provider, ATS Euromaster. There is no doubt that specifying this new tyre dimension has played a key role in the success of the overall trailer package.”

The Gray & Adams trailer operates from Arla Food’s dairy in Ashby de la Zouch, transporting an assortment of packaged milk.  Its movements contribute to the 2,500 deliveries the company makes each day, which in addition to milk and cream, also include butter and cheese.  Arla processes two billion litres of milk each year and its most popular brands include Lurpak, Anchor, Castello and Cravendale. Arla Foods’ core UK-based fleet includes approximately 400 trucks and 600 trailers.  It has operated a Michelin ‘Four Lives’ fitment policy since March 2007.