Vredeveld Group sees efficiency, sustainability benefits of Conti’s Digital Tire Monitoring

Netherlands based company Vredeveld Group, a leader in international logistics, uses the ContiConnect digital tyre monitoring system to benefit the family-owned company’s modern fleet in a number of different ways. Continuous tyre monitoring has helped it improve fleet efficiency, with fuel consumption and carbon emissions reduced substantially. Like many logistics companies, the forward-thinking Vredeveld Group is paying particularly close attention to these credentials. “We have very ambitious goals for the future,” says Mischa Vredeveld, the company’s general manager. “Our mission is to cut CO₂ emissions significantly. ContiConnect plays a key role here and gives us the tools we need to achieve these CO₂ reductions.”

The company is based in the village of Hoogersmilde in the north of the Netherlands, operates four sites, has about 200 employees and is still expanding its business. Its certified fleet of highly sophisticated vehicles is made up of 125 trucks and 200 semitrailers. These are used by the logistics company for transporting bulk goods – including foodstuffs, such as flour, potato flakes and salt, and building materials, such as lime and sand-lime bricks – both nationally and worldwide. The company’s internal processes have been digitalised as far as possible. Innovative IT solutions are used to optimise supply chains with the aim of minimizing the total cost of ownership (TCO), which is supported by Conti’s tyre management system.

Mischa Vredeveld, Vredeveld Group general manager (Photo: Continental)

“ContiConnect offers us several forms of savings,” explains Vredeveld. “Firstly, we have fewer breakdowns out on the road meaning less downtime. Secondly, we save fuel. And thirdly, we lower our CO₂ emissions.” He says this fuel saving is of particular importance: “Our vehicles use around 3.5 to 4 million litres of fuel a year. Even if we can save just one, two or three per cent, we are already talking about a lot of money.”

Vredeveld opted for the ContiConnect Live module, which is suited to both the fleet vehicles which are on the road for several days at a time and trucks that return to base every day. “One of the important features of ContiConnect Live is the tracking function that lets the dispatcher at headquarters locate the driver if a tire is losing pressure,” explains Bart Piceu, digital solutions manager at Continental. Vredeveld uses the ContiConnect Live module for 24/7 monitoring of vehicles that are out on trips lasting several days. Continental also offers a solution for fleets where vehicles return to the depot every day with Conti Connect Yard. Here, the tyre data is transmitted as the vehicles pass the fixed reader station and relayed to the fleet manager.

Bart Piceu, digital solutions manager at Continental, and Frans Gerding, fleet manager at the Vredeveld Group (Photo: Continental)

The manager of Vredeveld’s fleet, Frans Gerding, highlights further benefits to be had from the use of ContiConnect: “When it comes to maintenance, the greatest challenge lies in ensuring that the vehicles remain operational at all times. If a vehicle breaks down on the road, that generates considerable costs.” ContiConnect makes sure that the vehicles are always operating with the correct tyre pressures. This alone can prevent many punctures, saving time and money. “The live monitoring function via tablet or smartphone has therefore become an indispensable tool for us,” says the fleet manager.

“With Continental and the ContiConnect system, we’ve found a partner who takes all our tyre worries away,” concludes company boss Mischa Vredeveld.