The final mile fleet has seen Michelin help extend the life cycle of its tyres while saving on costs. FJM Logistics are predicting that the Michelin All-season fitments will prove advantageous during the winter period.
In-house Trials Prove Tyres Reduce Costs, Admin Time and Enhanced Sustainability
Belfast-based FJM Logistics will more than halve the number of tyres it fits across its 37-strong van fleet over the next 12 months following a move to Michelin Agilis CrossClimate tyres. These benefits will ensure tangible financial, operational and environmental savings, as well as the additional element of having the tyres’ all-season traction and grip as the unpredictable winter weather closes in.
FJM Logistics, which delivers up to 5,000 parcels per day, grew frustrated with a predominantly budget tyre policy. FJM Logistics was seeing tread wear of up to 2mm per week recorded on its front axle tyres – leading Managing Director Fraser Orr to seek expert advice from Michelin.
Local Michelin Truck Sales Account Manager Primoz Lakota arranged for the fleet to trial two sets of ultra-durable 225/65 R16 Michelin Agilis CrossClimate all-season tyres on a pair of 3.5-tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, organised through James Thompson, Manager of Charles Hurst Fast Fit.
These tyres averaged 9,705 miles on the front axle, with no punctures or damage recorded. This compared with just 4,104 miles for the firm’s budget tyre of choice and 5,962 miles for a rival brand occasionally fitted.
Orr explains: “We’d reached the point where we were sending at least one of our vehicles to the tyre dealer every single day for new tyres. The admin task alone was huge, and we were conscious of the financial and environmental impact.
“Our vans work intensively on multi-drop deliveries seven days a week. Incidents of kerbing can be high, given the nature of our work, but we knew there had to be a better tyre solution available.”
Within weeks of the Michelin trial beginning, the difference in performance was noticeable.
“Tyre wear dropped dramatically with the Michelin tyres, and the wear we did see was evenly spread across the surface of the tyre and not concentrated on the shoulders,” says Orr. “The kerbing protectors also do a fantastic job of guarding against sidewall damage – we’ve not had any issues at all.”
Commenting on the total cost of ownership, he adds: “We are paying more per tyre with Michelin, but we’re fitting far fewer tyres. We’ve done the calculations, and it has reduced our tyre spend, and that’s before we factor in the improvements in uptime. Plus, there are the environmental savings too, as fitting fewer tyres is reducing both our carbon footprint and consumption of raw materials.”
A Tyre Manufacturer Worth Sharing
As one of several fleets delivering parcels for the same online retailer in Northern Ireland, Orr intends to share his experiences with other local firms, saying, “Any successes we get, we share with the others; that’s how it works. We are confident we’ve found the sweet spot for van tyre performance and in an application that is traditionally very heavy on tyres. We expect there’ll be plenty of interest.”
Orr is also looking forward to seeing how the tyres perform come winter. “With the Agilis CrossClimate tyres being an all-season fitment, we are confident they will help us to keep our deliveries on track when we get snow and ice. Being able to deliver, whatever the weather, will be hugely advantageous – particularly as our workload intensifies in winter.”
Michelin Agilis CrossClimate tyres benefit from a rugged tread pattern manufactured with special rubber compounds that promote flexibility in cold temperatures. Something that FJM Logistics sees as crucial to hitting all targets doing long, tough winters going forward.
