Southampton City Council has slashed its annual tyre bill through its new tyre management strategy with Michelin.

Switching to Michelin tyres in April 2013, from its previous mixed-brand policy, saw an immediate 11% cost reduction due to extended replacement intervals, followed by a further 3% the following year as more Michelin tyres joined the fleet.

In total, tyre expenditure has dropped from £127,807.87 in 2012-2013, to just £110,656.43 in 2014-2015, with savings projected to continue into 2016.

The council operates 360 vans, 37 refuse collection vehicles (RCVs), HGVs, 13 minibuses, six road sweepers and four cars – which are each included on the policy and deliver vital services across the city.

Southampton City Council’s fleet services systems administrator, Alfonso Mata, said: “All local authorities are working hard to maximise value from their budgets and fitting Michelin tyres on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework has delivered noticeable savings to our fleet running costs. We’re getting improved longevity and durability from every Michelin tyre we fit; it’s particularly noticeable on the RCV fleet, which is arguably the toughest on tyres.”

He added that although the RCVs don’t do high mileages, they carry out some of the most demanding work and risk coming into frequent contact with the kerb during daily collections. They operate for up to eight hours a day, five days a week, collecting refuse and recycling materials from across the city for delivery to waste transfer stations.

“In our experience the Michelin fitments offer better damage resistance and last longer than the tyres we fitted previously. This not only means extended replacement intervals, it reduces wheel interventions and fleet downtime,” Mata said.

Technicians from ATS Euromaster’s Southampton centre provide an on-site fitment service for the council and also regroove as many tyres as possible, extending tyre life by up to 25% each time.

Michelin is an approved supplier to Southampton City Council under the CCS tyre purchasing framework agreement. The CCS works to provide savings for customers in both central government and the wider public sector by negotiating commercial relationships as a single organisation.

Michelin will be exhibiting at Freight in the City Expo on 27 October at London’s Alexandra Palace and happy to talk to local authorities and private fleet operators about its range of tyres and management services. Book your fleet place at the one-day event today at freightinthecity.com/event

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