Michelin has renewed a five-year tyre contract with Preston-based Huntapac Produce – one of the largest vegetable and salad producers in the UK.

Under the agreement, Michelin will continue to specify X Multi regional tyres across the firm’s fleet of more than 190 commercial vehicle assets, which includes 64 trucks, 62 refrigerated trailers, 55 bulk tipping trailers, three curtainsiders and two low loaders.

Huntapac Produce is also benefiting from the roll-out of Michelin’s Effitrailer telematics system on all trailers within its fleet, as part of increased efforts to maximise vehicle uptime. Effitrailer includes a sophisticated tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) which alerts the transport office if the pressure in any trailer tyre drops below a pre-defined threshold, meaning the customer can take action before it results in downtime.

Commenting, Colin Postlethwaite, Cost Saving Manager at Huntapac Produce, says: “Our fleet makes timed deliveries to major retailers across the UK on a daily basis, and a puncture can have a massive impact on the business.

“Ensuring our tyres are maintained at the optimum pressure is critical; we know that under-inflation has a negative impact on fuel efficiency and can make a tyre more susceptible to damage or sudden failure. We want to avoid downtime at all costs, and Effitrailer offers us an additional level of protection.”

The nature of Michelin’s Effitires contract means Huntapac Produce benefits from a predictable tyre budget linked to fleet activity, all of which work together to ensure its fleet stays on the road and hits targets for safety, reliability, tyre longevity and regulatory compliance.

Huntapac Produce has also committed to specifying Michelin X Multi tyres as original equipment on all new assets joining its fleet.

For further information on the Michelin commercial vehicle tyre range visit http://trucks.michelin.co.uk/

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About the Author: John Loughran