Truck fleet switched to Michelin
February 1st 2006

Oldham-based, exotic food importer and exporter, SPL UK, has switched its forklift truck tyre purchasing policy to Michelin following the successful trial of Michelin tyres on its Bosch 2.5t counterbalance truck.

SPL had previously fitted remoulds to its forklift truck fleet, but were suffering tyre failures with such regular occurrence that it was having a serious effect on its materials handling productivity, and leading to spiralling repair bills.

Andy Dean, Transport Manager, at SPL explains: "We used to call ATS out at least once a week, sometimes more, to replace damaged tyres and fix punctures on our forklifts.

On Michelin's recommendation we tested Michelin tyres on one truck and suddenly the tyre failures stopped.

"We now have Michelin tyres on three of our four trucks, and the fourth, a new truck, will follow just as soon as its tyres are due for replacement. In six months we have only had one tyre failure, as opposed to almost one a week before we switched to Michelin," he adds.

The SPL forklifts run on Michelin M1 XZM tyres and are responsible for loading and unloading commercial vehicles, and moving 1.5t pallets around its 10 acre facility, which includes SPL's own rice mills.

More articles from Michelin Tyre Ltd: