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Fuel Price Rises Hit Fleets

Global vehicle fleets have seen their fuel bills rise by as much as a third in the last year according to research by international leasing company Masterlease, which manages around 210,000 vehicles across Europe. With vehicle manufacturers’ continuous improvements in fuel efficiency now being swamped by escalating fuel prices, global businesses have to face the reality of increasing costs to their fleet management.

While average diesel prices have soared by a third in the last year, the story is not quite as grim for unleaded petrol – although globally it has still increased on average by 18 per cent since 2007.

25th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

HiQ Experiences “High Level” of Franchise Interest

Mark Brickhill, the group managing director of Goodyear Dunlop, has released a statement commenting on the “high level of interest from ambitious businesses wanting to join us in investing in the future growth of HiQ” following the announcement of the company’s plan to sign long-term franchise agreements. The move towards longer franchises comes as a manoeuvre that will prevent a proposed management buyout from taking place, while also extending the scheme that has seen great success in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Brickhill continued, stating that since the announcement of the extension of the franchising system to all parent-owned HiQ sites in England and Wales, many businesses had applied to join the scheme: “On the closing date (May 16th) we had more bidders than the total number of franchise regions. This puts us in a strong position to make choices that ensure we have committed franchisees on board who share our vision in strengthening the network.”

27th August 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

National Fleet is Best Fast-Fit Company 2008

National Tyres and Autocare’s Fleet Division has been awarded the prestigious title of Best Fast-Fit Company 2008 by The Institute of Transport Management. National Tyres and Autocare received the award for its high level of expertise, customer service and safety awareness over and above numerous competitors within the industry.

Patrick Sheedy, ITM’s Media and PR Director, commented: “National Tyres and Autocare has been singled out by the Institute for raising its head above the parapet through its commitment to customer satisfaction and the development of a premium service to the fleet aftermarket. When companies display such excellence within the fleet solutions industry, the Institute of Transport Management is duty bound to acknowledge these companies and their achievements.”

13th August 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Euromaster Invests £4.5 million in Fleet

ATS Euromaster has begun to receive the products of the company’s £4.5 million investment, comprising in the main new Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, Iveco Dailys and Renault Kangoos. A total of 150 new light commercial vehicles will be integrated into the firm’s operations as part of its fleet replacement programme for 2008. The vans are leased on four to five-year rental agreements.

Designed to take on specific roles in the fleet, the delivery includes mobile fitting vans for both cars and commercial vehicles, frontline rapid-response vehicles for providing emergency roadside assistance, flatbeds equipped to transport agricultural tyres and smaller vans for use in the company’s mobile fleet inspection department.

23rd July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ALD Automotive Signs Three Year Kwik-Fit Fleet Contract

ALD Automotive is furthering its relationship with Kwik-Fit Fleet through the signing of a three-year tyre and fast-fit management services contract. The relationship between Kwik-Fit Fleet and the contract hire and leasing company, which operates a fleet of more than 47,000 vehicles, dates back four years, and the new deal extends to the end of 2011. The contract gives ALD Automotive company car and van drivers access to Kwik-Fit’s UK network of 670 centres and more than 200 mobile units.

22nd July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Promotes Two Key Sales Executives

Continental has promoted Phil Scanlan and Tom Whittaker into new roles as European sales director and sales manager – Car Fleets respectively.

Phil Scanlan has moved into the European sales director role responsible for Kwik Fit account after a number of years as fleet sales manager. His key role is managing the Kwik Fit account for Continental across Europe. In the coming months he will be working with Kwik Fit to maximise the new opportunities in supply chain through their new national distribution centre. The European sales director role is based in the UK and reports into the Hanover-based new distribution business unit.

11th July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Wins Thamesdown Bus Fleet Deal

Bridgestone Tyres has gained a contract with Thamesdown Transport, the Swindon-based bus company. Bridgestone will be supplying its range of specialised bus tyres to Thamesdown’s entire fleet. Paul Jenkins, Managing Director of Thamesdown Transport, explained: “We were impressed by Bridgestone’s offering. We chose them over the other bidders due to their cost effective package and their full range of services.” Based in Swindon, Thamesdown Transport runs 110 vehicles and has a modern, purpose built depot with excellent working conditions.

3rd July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Vacu-Lug Launches Fleet Management – VFM

Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres Limited has launched an online fleet tyre management system that introduces the ability to merge third-party tyre inspections into a single web-based reporting format.

“VFM is the outcome of a major research and development project which through its extensive monitoring and reporting capabilities redefines the state-of-the-art,” Vacu-Lug’s Managing Director, Tim Hercock commented: “The system’s focus is fixed on providing our customers with the best possible service while ensuring best practice is adhered to throughout, both within our own organisation and by our third-party service providers.

27th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

HiQ Decides Against Management Buyout

Goodyear Dunlop UK’s management has decided not to sell the HiQ tyre chain to a team of four managers led by retail director Neil Burrows. Instead the company will continue with its plans to sell franchises in 15 regional zones across the UK. HiQ’s management team will be based at Goodyear Dunlop’s TyreFort in Birmingham. Tyres & Accessories understands that, despite missing out in the bidding process, all four managers involved in the buy-out proposal will be offered roles at Goodyear Dunlop.

Mark Brickhill paid tribute to the quality and vision of the Management Buyout Team’s proposal: “The team presented a thoroughly professional bid, concept and business model. An announcement on specific future roles will be made shortly, with announcements on the individual regional franchise partnerships to follow after the due diligence process with each successful applicant.”

13th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Fleet Awards for Michelin and Kwik-Fit

Michelin and Kwik-Fit were among the companies who picked up awards at the 2008 Van Fleet World Honours ceremony, held at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, in mid May. These annual awards are presented to those companies, individuals and organisations that are judged to have achieved “the highest possible level of excellence” in the opinion of the judging panel – a panel made up industry professionals.

Van Fleet World editor John Kendall presented Michelin with the Environment Award for the tyre manufacturer’s latest Agilis van tyre, for light CVs between 2800 and 3500kg. He said that most drivers view their tyres as “round, black and not very interesting, but fitting the right tyre can have a notable impact on a fleet’s carbon footprint.”

5th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Shod Fleets Get 22 per cent More Mileage

Coninental Tyres is claiming that correctly managed fleets running on the German manufacturer’s products gain 22 per cent more mileage in comparison with competing tyres. The claim comes as the main result of a comparative test of Continental tyres carried out in collaboration with an independent coach operator.

The test saw Continental tyres fitted all-round on one of six Scania luxury touring coaches in the 12-vehicle fleet of Worcester operator Commandery Coaches. These were then carefully monitored alongside another premium brand of tyres on an identical coach.

On the coach fitted with Continentals the tyres on the steer axle required changing at 133,000 kilometres and those on the drive axle at 205,000 kilometres, making a total for all six tyres of 1,086,000 kilometres. By comparison, the competitor brand of tyre needed changing at 116,000 kilometres on the front and 165,000 kilometres on the rear, making a total of 892,000 kilometres. Taking into account the lower price of the Continentals, the results showed a significant saving in overall tyre running costs. Other factors were also analysed, including the effect on fuel economy, noise and road-handling, all of which proved either positive or to have a neutral effect.

12th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tructyre Names Bandvulc Fleet Supplier of the Year

Tructyre Fleet Management has named Bandvulc Tyres “Supplier of the Year. Having had a fruitful trading relationship with Tructyre, Bandvulc responded by saying that the company is proud to have received such an accolade particularly bearing in mind how many suppliers Tructyre deals with. Tony Doyle, Sales Channel Manager for Bandvulc Tyres commented: “It’s very nice for a supplier to recognise the hard work that all of the team at Bandvulc put into customer services.”

The criteria for the award are measures of supplier performance, which can be made up of tyre, vehicle or ancillary suppliers. This measurement is required by Tructyre’s ISO 9001:2000 registration which requires ongoing improvements with regards to quality and efficiency both internally and externally. Bandvulc Tyres also hold this same ISO accreditation.

7th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

GITI Tire Show Fleet Offering at CV Show

GITI Tire Europe staff characterised the company’s CV show presence as the UK-debut of the manufacturer’s electronic fleet management system. However, it also forms part of a wider programme of increased market visibility, culminating in investment in another show stand at the key Reifen show in Essen, Germany later this month.

When, towards the end of 2007, GITI Tire booked its stand for this year’s CV show, company representatives told Tyres & Accessories that GITI Europe has invested a “significant amount” in publicising the company’s ever-increasing range of truck and bus tyres at the show. The decision to place the booth right opposite the Michelin and ATS Euromaster stands, and a short walk from the Continental and Bridgestone spaces certainly did not go unnoticed. And while every company T&A spoke to had a handful of reasons why they shouldn’t fear any new competition, it is clear that many were surprised at the range and depth of the programme the Chinese manufacturer had on offer.

6th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kwik-Fit Fleet Encourages Participation in Road Risk Survey

Britain’s largest independent fast-fit operator, Kwik-Fit Fleet, is participating in a major occupational road risk management survey in conjunction with RoadSafe, the organisation responsible for managing the Government’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme. The survey was officially launched at the Fleet Business Show at the Business Design Centre, London on April 29. The survey’s aim is to gain information on what actions senior managers with responsibility for fleet operations and the use of privately-owned cars on business have taken to reduce their organisations’ risk exposure in the light of the implementation of the month’s Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act in early April.

Mike Wise, head of Kwik-Fit Fleet, said: “The importance of companies managing occupational road risk has continued to increase in recent years. As a business we undertake hundreds of thousands of safety checks on vehicles and often find that cars and vans are not in tip-top condition. A failure by companies and their employees to ensure a vehicle’s safety-related equipment is in a first-class condition could be the difference between life and death.

30th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kwik-Fit Fleet Reports 20% More Tyre Safety Checks

Last year, Kwik-Fit Fleet carried out more than 220,000 vehicle inspections – up from 188,000 in 2006 – and this year the company expects its mobile technicians to undertake more than 250,000 tyre safety checks in company car parks or at a driver’s location of choice.

Initial tyre checks result in about 25 per cent of vehicles inspected requiring attention, usually tyres being replaced because they are illegal. Extrapolated across the UK’s three million-strong company car and approximately one million van parc it means that up to 800,000 vehicles could be running on at least one unsafe tyre.

30th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors