Michelin PPK contract a “sound business decision”

Stephen Blakely, managing director of Wigan-based Blakeley’s Waste Management Ltd, has referred to his company’s decision to renew its three-year pence per kilometre (PPK) contract with Michelin as a “sound business decision.” Explaining this in greater detail, Blakely said the waste management firm “previously suffered from frequent tyre-related downtime, but this began to drop noticeably with the Michelins. The peace of mind we get from Michelin rubber has been one of the driving forces behind our decision to renew this contract.”

The company’s 40-strong refuse collection and recycling fleet operates on surfaces where tyre-damaging waste material can often be encountered, typically at collection points or in recycling centres. Thus, commented Blakey, “tyre choice is critical for a fleet operating in the waste sector. The very nature of our industry means we are operating in environments with an increased risk of tyre damage.”

Following a time when the company purchased a mixture of tyre brands from different local suppliers, Blakeley’s Waste Management first moved to a Michelin contract in 2008 in an attempt to bolster tyre performance and reliability.  This agreement saw tyres fitted and serviced by ATS Euromaster. Should a tyre-related breakdown occur, the Michelin contract ensures Blakeley’s has swift access to ATS Euromaster’s 24/7 roadside rapid response service.

“Another tangible benefit with our current tyre policy is environmental sustainability,” Blakeley added.  “This is naturally a hot topic for a company like ours, so fitting tyres which can be regrooved, remoulded and then regrooved again directly parallels our own attitude to recycling.  It ensures we are extracting the maximum performance from every single tyre casing.”

The Blakeley’s Waste Management fleet operates from an eight-acre site in Abram, where the company’s in-house recycling facility is used to process commercial waste. The fleet, which primarily consists of Scania and Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles, collects waste from customers throughout the North West, which can then be processed within the recycling centre to remove recyclable materials.