Fleet Business
Arnold Clark – Europe's largest independently-owned, family run car company – has become the first car dealer group to join TyreSafe. The organisation’s tyre safety message, including October’s Tyre Safety Month, will be spread through Arnold Clark’s 109 dealerships spread across Scotland and 36 branches in England.
Kwik Fit is showing signs that at least part of the vast independent fast fit network is evolving in the direction of autocentre style garages. According to online news sources this is part of a bid to increasingly target fleet business – an area the business is historically strong in – with the offer of servicing and mechanical work.
Reflecting the growing significance of fleet management and leasing companies, as of 1 July 2013 Goodyear Dunlop has bundled its fleet business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland under its GDHS subsidiary, 4Fleet Group GmbH. According to the company, the aim is to further expand the 4Fleet Group, which currently boasts a network of 1,200 service outlets in the three countries, into the leading tyre management service provider within the region.
Simon Tattersall has been promoted to a new position leading the company’s growing portfolio of national fleet business, encompassing its largest car, van and truck customers. Previously head of national truck, Tattersall is now titled head of national accounts. He will be responsible for a team of 10 national account managers currently managing more than £120 million worth of fleet business annually. ATS-E’s key national accounts range from major leasing, rental and utilities fleets to some of the country’s most recognised logistics operators, including Eddie Stobart, TNT and Hoyer Group.
After a double-dip recession in the UK last year and with widespread financial turmoil across Europe, no-one is denying that these are tough times for garages, autocentres and tyre specialists. And in tough times you need options. So this month we are taking a look at the role that non-tyre services play in the tyre business and asking what they offer garages. For the purposes of this feature we are lumping together everything that is not a tyre and calling it all “ancillary garage services”. Everything that’s not a tyre is probably a clearer definition, but this offers a clear category for all the products that aren’t our beloved round black circles.
ATS Euromaster will continue to service The Queen’s tyres, having been granted an extension to 2018 of its current Royal Warrant. The agreement was recently reviewed by the Royal Household Warrants Committee and the approval was granted again as a result of the quality of ATS-E’s servicing standards and expertise, as well as the company’s social responsibility. Evidencing this, the Birmingham based company says it provided details of the work it has undertaken to reduce its impact on the environment, and its corporate social responsibility efforts.
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Drummond Distribution, a logistic provider for Hankook, has rolled out new liveries featuring the manufacturer’s corporate identity. The family run business, Drummond Distribution has worked with Hankook for over 12 years providing a next day delivery service to customers across Scotland.
Four years after trialling its first Montracon trailer with Michelin X One MaxiTrailer tyres, Nestlé Customer Logistics reports that 25 per cent of its 200-strong tri-axle ‘Cooliner’ fleet is operating on the uniquely sized 455/45 R22.5 tyres. Nestlé Customer Logistics’ fleet operates on trunking routes between its production facility in York – which makes 6 million Kit-Kats a day – and distribution hubs throughout the UK. Moving forward, engineering manager Ralph Defty specifies the Michelin tyre on all new standard length trailers joining the fleet.
Bridgestone Ireland has gained a new fleet to be supported by the company’s Truck Point network. Cappoquin Transport Ltd, based in Cappoquin, Co Waterford, offers nationwide delivery service.
Six months after appointing Andrew Huntly as business development director, Halfords Autocentres is continuing to drive its fleet and affiliate business with the addition of two further BDMs. The new appointments bring Halfords Autocentres’ fleet account handling complement to six, demonstrating the business’ willingness to invest in the sector as part of ambitious growth targets.
ATS Euromaster has reported that it beat its own roadside assistance records for the fourth year running in 2012. 2012 data shows ATS Euromaster’s customer response team and mobile fitting fleet cut the average time from receiving a customer call to arrival on the scene to one hour, five minutes and six seconds. That’s a drop of 17 minutes and 45 seconds from the 2009 times, which ATS technicians have reduced every year since. The data also shows ATS Euromaster is averaging a total time from receiving a customer’s call to completing the job at the roadside of one hour, 51 minutes and 29 seconds. That’s a saving of 14 minutes and 54 seconds on the 2009 times, which again, ATS technicians have slashed every year since.
Burton-based independent fleet management company CBVC Vehicle Management has signed ATS Euromaster to support its tyre management proposition for customers. ATS Euromaster reportedly beat off competition from rival firms to win an initial 25 per cent share of CBVC’s fleet business. The new contract sees ATS Euromaster supplying and fitting tyres to a fleet comprised primarily of cars and vans.
The November edition of Tyres & Accessories is now available for online viewing via our e-paper system. The latest bumper edition contains full coverage of this year's NTDA TAFF Awards and Brityrex 2012 as well as features on Motorsport, Green Tyres and Fleet Business. Subscribers can simply click more to browse the complete edition.
Ellisons Travel is fitting Michelin cold weather tyres to its entire fleet this winter. While the company has fitted winter tyres from a variety of manufacturers for more than 20 years, this is the first time it has selected Michelin cold weather tyres exclusively for its fleet of 42 cars and 25 luxury coaches and people carriers.
Michelin will supply tyres to recycling and resource management company SITA UK across its fleet of 1,400 vehicles after signing Michelin’s largest ever pence-per-vehicle-per-month deal with a “stop loss” policy incorporated. The three-year deal is structured to give both companies a shared financial incentive to reduce tyre damage over the longer term, particularly when it comes to SITA UK’s operations on landfill sites and in waste collections where tyre damage is more likely to occur.
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