Conti ready to roll with labelling on commercial vehicle tyres

Continental states that it tested around 500 truck and bus tyres in preparation for releasing its European label results on 1 July. The German tyre maker says it has now integrated all measured tyre data into the company’s existing internal and external SAP-supported computer systems and made it available to retailers. Unlike passenger car and van tyres, no physical label will be affixed to individual truck and bus tyres, however. Instead, Continental and its sales partners will list the data in the technical documents for the products, at points of sale, on the internet and on invoices.

As is the case with other leading manufacturers, Continental emphasises that the label is not a comprehensive measure of a tyre’s performance; rather, it is described as an “initial reference point” that should be supplemented with advice from a specialist retailer. “A large amount of studying lies ahead for the tyre manufacturers and tyre retailers,” commented Herbert Mensching, Continental’s managing director Marketing & Sales Truck Tires EMEA. “Properties like mileage, handling and life are not covered by the tyre label, but are important when choosing tyres and above all when working out the lowest total costs in the fleet.”