Capital Equipment News March 2020

TYRES

consideration for the customer as trouble- free fitment and maintenance service minimise running costs.” He says Apollo Tyres takes the “voice of the customer” seriously and continuously monitors its performance via market analyses, among others, to convert customers’ needs into “technical specifications”. “We never compromise on safety: we ensure that each product we launch meets all international and in-house standards for consistency in performance and supply, and for minimising cost per hour to reduce the customer’s inventory cost.” To provide safe, durable and well- performing off-the-road product with minimal environmental and social impact, Bridgestone subscribes to the “absolute leader” (“Dan-totsu”) philosophy, says executive manager OTR, Julio Fava. In line with this philosophy,

of productivity: “Customers have the option to choose from more load, more speed, longer life, or a mixture of these elements, and we are prepared to meet their value expectations.” Miller says AMS offers customers turnkey solutions with on-site surveys and fleet inspections to identify the best tyre suited to the application. “Our engineers inspect customers' sites to ensure the right product is provided to improve their CPH and overall performance.” The company also runs a programme to test its brands against the brand used by the customer fleet and provides a guaranteed no-cost risk during the testing phase. She says the focus is on educating the customer on the value of having good tyre maintenance programmes in place. “These programmes must analyse the tyre pressure, health and rate of wear which, in turn, enables the customer to predict their tyres’ lifespan and plan for any downtime.” Sulphur curing While sulphur curing provides a means to strengthen tyres and extend product life, it too has its disadvantages. “In the tyre industry, sulphur curing results in a harder compound that resists deformation in the presence of pressure or load,” says AMS’s Miller, “but the additives used in vulcanisation can also have an adverse effect on the environment and impact human and animal health.” She says another disadvantage of sulphur curing lies in the large amount of sulphur and heat required to vulcanise the rubber. When the time comes to recycle the tyre, “it becomes difficult to break down the rubber into usable material where more heat and additives are required.” To Gindra, the advantage of sulphur curing lies in the fact that it provides “various options” to adjust tyre properties such as heat and cut resistance, so catering for all service conditions. Sulphur curing, he says, remains “very cost effective”. Green chemical additives Apollo Tyres uses green chemical additives in the production of all its passenger car (PCR) and truck tyres while, at AMS, investigations are currently underway into the green manufacturing practices of all its suppliers. But there is a down-side to going green: “There is an estimated 4 to 5% cost increase in achieving 100% green chemical production,” says Gindra.

the company has brought to market its Tyres & Diversified Products as a Solution (T&DpaaS) strategy, which entails a business platform linking products and services for the customer or business operator via a digital platform. When asked about emerging integrated value-add trends in the South African OTR market, Apollo’s Gindra says “more customers are expecting a total service concept that includes fitment, maintenance and a total service offering with compensation on a certified pre- conditioned for health (CPH) basis.” He says new entrants to the market are expected to supply product at no cost or receive compensation on a pro-rata performance schedule. Bridgestone’s aim in terms of value- adds, says Fava, is not only tyre life improvement, but also looking at contributions to the customer in terms

“Digital solutions have become ever more important in monitoring and analysing the data from these systems. This is where the value for the customer lies – these technologies will allow them to make better decisions in order to improve performance, productivity and safety.”

Julio Fava, executive manager OTR, Bridgestone

"Apollo Tyres takes the 'voice of the customer' seriously and continuously monitors its performance via market analyses, among others, to convert customers’ needs into technical specifications.”

Mario Gindra, Apollo Tyres group manager: export sales

“Investments in OTR equipment must be considered carefully as these tyres make up a large portion of the running costs.”

Sharon Miller, marketing executive at AMS Tyres

TALKING POINTS

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