Conti and Penny Hydraulics celebrate 5 years of industrial partnership

Continental Industrial Network and Penny Hydraulics are celebrating five years of collaboration. The companies worked together to design a bespoke solid tyre press for Continental Specialty Tyres in the UK and Ireland. The press was designed for use with industrial solid tyres, predominantly those fitted to material handling equipment such as fork lift trucks. Today, there are over 20 active Penny Hydraulics mobile presses in use throughout Continental’s Industrial Tyre Fitting Network.

In 2013 Continental set up its Industrial Network, enabling the firm to add further value to customers by offering tyre fitting, maintenance and complete tyre management programmes alongside its products. The Continental Industrial Network now consists of over 30 certified members for solid tyre fitting and over 100+ partners for pneumatic tyre fitting giving the company full national coverage across the UK and Ireland.

The unique 250 tonne mobile solid tyre press was purpose-built for Continental and is powered by an on-board diesel generator which enables the Continental Industrial Network to fit solid tyres up to 15 inch diameter on site at customer premises. Safety is paramount to Continental Specialty Tyres and Penny Hydraulics which is one of many reasons why both companies are working closely together. It was a safety decision which drove both parties to agree that a diesel generator was the superior option. Regulations stipulate that equipment powered by generators with petrol engines cannot be used in some chemical plants and other areas where there’s a risk of explosion. Another one of many safety points is that the press is mounted on a compact dual axle trailer that can be towed behind a conventional tyre support vehicle; this provides stability and low point loadings for additional safety when driving or stationary.

Penny Hydraulics also offers static models with comparable performance. All the presses are designed and manufactured by Penny Hydraulics to offer the best possible combination of performance and safety in use. The hold-to-run push button controls ensure the operator is standing in a safe position well away from moving parts. The milled steel press plate, activated by a downward stroking ram, allows precise removal and application of solid tyres.

Key to the Continental business partnership is that Penny Hydraulics provides technical support to them and their network partners. The company also provide long-term service contracts to include routine maintenance, call-out cover and regular statutory inspections through its nationwide network of in-house service engineers.

With over 20 Penny Hydraulics mobile tyre presses already in use throughout the network, this number is set to increase to 50 presses within the next 5 years. “Penny Hydraulics is a press manufacturer that leads the industry,” says Rebecca Shedden, general sales manager – Specialty Tyres at Continental. “They have listened to us, discussed our needs and worked closely with our network to offer a product that meets our requirements.”