For the Dindigul-based ACLS Logistics with its trucking fleet, Bridgestone’s quintessential commitment to its customers is realised in terms of extended tyre mileage and unconditional warranty for its TBR tyres, which translates into an ‘extended’ partnership that every transporter longs for, writes Dhiyanesh Ravichandran
“Can there be anything more important to our business than fuel and tyres? We have got no choice or control over the standard or value of the fuel we use, but that’s not the case with tyres,” says Shenbaga Swathik, Managing Director of ACLS Logistics operating from Dindigul, about 70 km north of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Constituting a major cost consumable in the trucking business, tyre choices and management warrant a well thought out process and quality product-cum-service, Swathik adds, when MOTORINDIA met him to gain crucial insights on his tyre strategy.
In his mid-twenties, he currently manages the fleet business established by his father Shenbaga Moorthy, for whom trucking logistics was an allied activity to his contracting business in the initial days, but acquired more prominence in due course. Today, ACLS Logistics’ fleet size stands at 210 trucks – predominantly multi-axle haulers and open-body trucks, along with some tippers – plied for public distribution system (PDS) contracts within the state, matchsticks’ haulage to other states and construction activities in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Swathik explains that since his fleet operations usually involve dynamic loads and improbable routes, higher wear and tear of tyres and frequent replacements are a norm.
This also makes any comparative analysis on vehicle and tyre mileage complex owing to constantly changing variables. “We always wanted to extend tyre mileage and keep our running costs at bay; so we tried different brands and technologies like radial and tubeless tyres soon after their market introduction,” he says.
“We usually assess tyre mileage based on the remaining tread depth from its original form at 50,000 km. You can easily guess the remaining mileage of the tyre this way – maybe not so accurately but our previous experiences come in handy,” he says, while adding that the fleet does not go for retreading since the dynamic load scenario is to blame. We just want to avoid any unnecessary risks of pressure losses or punctures in retreaded tyres as the vulnerabilities are much higher in our operations. Our tyre replacement economics works this way: we sell them in the local market when they reach a remaining tread depth of around 5 mm, thus commanding a decent salvage cost, while safety and higher uptime of the fleet is ensured by using new tyres,” he adds. In the past one year, ACLS Logistics has migrated to Bridgestone Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) tyres 100 percent. The most common variant used by the fleet is Bridgestone M751-HL for drive axles, suggested by the local marketing team of the brand for ‘extra load’ and ‘multi-tarmac’ applications.
Bridgestone’s M851 XM tyres are also used in ACLS haulage trucks, while their tippers are donned with L370 tyres mainly for on-road applications. The fleet uses tubeless tyres for twin-front axles, which last longer by over 10,000-15,000 km than tube tyres. Swathik feels great with Bridgestone’s brand promise and product performance. “The first thing that we expect from any brand is quality products. Quality in truck tyres leads to higher performance, longer mileage and reduced tyre-related breakdowns,” he points out. Swathik further notes that Bridgestone’s average tyre mileage is phenomenally higher than any other brand that he has used in the past. “On an average, we were achieving tyre mileage of around 60,000-70,000 km in the past, but with Bridgestone, the mileage has almost doubled to about 1,20,000 km despite dynamic loads. This has resulted in huge savings for us,” he informs. As a result of better initial mileage and performance of Bridgestone tyres, ACLS’ tyre consumption has dropped by nearly 20%, from 100 tyres per month to around 80 per month.
Value-Additions from Bridgestone
One of the value-additions that ACLS Logistics has realised after having switched over to Bridgestone tyres is that road handling and braking efficiency have improved. “Our drivers have said that the trucks handle better with the new tyres, especially at higher speeds and on skid-prone roads, which is an important factor since a majority of our operations involve regional highways,” says Swathik. Other quality differences with Bridgestone brand, according to him, include higher casing strength and side-wall calibre for both tube and tubeless tyres which work in favour of the fleet that often carries heavy loads on poorly-maintained roads. In recent times, cases of side-wall bubbles and injuries, puncture-related damages, loss of air pressure or any other vehicle breakdowns related to tyres are almost nil in the fleet.
“We surely have to thank Bridgestone for such hassle-free operations,” Swathik states. Tyre performance apart, Shenbaga Swathik is also impressed with unconditional and immediate warranty replacement of tyres with genuine damages. “Tyre damages are unavoidable and quite normal. In our experience, Bridgestone is the only brand to acknowledge all genuine customer claims of tyre bursts and side-wall damages with unconditional warranty and immediate replacement, something that none of the other tyre brands in the market would entertain,” he says. Swathik states this out of experience considering they were a local dealer of one such competitor brand. This speaks a lot about the brand’s customer-centric business ideals, he opines.
In addition, Bridgestone’s fleet service teams and dealerships found across the length and breadth of the country make the brand extremely reliable. Swathik also points out another advantage – Bridgestone’s ‘toolbox’ initiative – an innovative digital tyre assessment and asset-tracking platform that is currently getting actualized on his fleet. This can help operators like ACLS Logistics optimise overall tyre usage, select the right tyre models and engage in profitable and efficient maintenance practices by delivering meaningful and actionable insights from periodic tyre inspections. “We are planning to expand our fleet by 30-40 vehicles in the coming months. No doubt, we will go for Bridgestone tyres as there hardly seems any excuse left for us to explore any other brand,” declares Swathik.
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“We were achieving tyre mileage of around 60,000-70,000 km in the past, but with Bridgestone the mileage has almost doubled to about 1,20,000 km despite dynamic loads. This has resulted in huge savings for us.
– Shenbaga Swathik, MD, ACLS Logistics
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How Bridgestone has impacted
ACLS Logistics biz
• 20% drop in tyre consumption
• 42% increase in tyre mileage
• Significant drop in tyre failure and complaints