ATS-E implements breakdown halving Pirelli policy for Yorkshire firm

West Yorkshire’s Bedfords Transport says it has been able to halve tyre-related breakdowns since adopting a new tyre policy with ATS Euromaster in December 2011. The company signed a new deal with its existing tyre service provider to fit Pirelli new and remould tyres across its fleet of 84 trucks and 135 trailers. During the first seven months of the contract, Bedfords Transport has recorded an average of 3.4 roadside tyre failures per month, compared to 6.4 per month during the previous year. The company credits a “closer working relationship” with ATS-E for the significant impact on operational uptime the new deal has made.

Lee Nichols, purchasing consultant at Bedfords Transport, says: “We’ve always been good at managing our tyres, but these results show what can be achieved by closer partnership working with suppliers. We’re recording tangible improvements in tyre performance every month, which is cutting our running costs and directly enhancing the service we deliver for customers.”

Prior to appointing a new supplier, Bedfords Transport tendered the contract and evaluated options from a number of different tyre manufacturers and service providers. It elected to re-appoint ATS-E, building on a relationship between the two companies established more than a decade ago, while moving to Pirelli brand new and remould tyres. Another key change in the new policy is monitoring every aspect of tyre expenditure and performance, with detailed reporting provided by ATS-E. This includes analysis of all tyre failures, or patterns of failure, allowing any issues which arise to be addressed promptly.

ATS-E has also introduced regular account review meetings; plus its full-time on-site technician is carrying out more frequent fleet-wide tyre inspections. These support each driver’s daily vehicle checks, and help to spot and rectify issues before they result in unnecessary downtime at the roadside.

Highlighting another change, Nichols explains: “We’re still buying tyres on a transactional basis, but now measure value in terms of ‘pence-per-kilometre’. This is possible because ATS Euromaster is recording tyre usage in such detail, enabling us to use the data to make accurate comparisons in tyre performance between different fleet assets.”

The revised contract sees all elements of tyre servicing conducted by ATS-E, including routine tyre fitting, pressure monitoring, twinning and turning tyres on the rim. Since the new contract began, brand policy adherence has tracked at 98 per cent. ATS-E also provides 24/7 nationwide roadside rapid response, measured against a KPI of two hours. Since the new contract began, it has averaged one hour and 53 minutes, measured from the minute a tyre failure is reported until the truck is back on the road.

Vehicles in the Bedfords Transport fleet operate nationwide, with some tractor units double-shifted and covering more than 140,000km a year. Established in 1927, the company offers a full spectrum of services from contract distribution to pallet delivery; fulfilment to warehousing. Bedfords Transport is also a member of Palletforce and LinQ Alliance.