Kool-Ex has a fleet of 300+ reefer trucks and undoubtedly tyres have a very critical role to play in the company’s quest for efficiency, reliability and safety, particularly in the current times where cold chain transporters are on the move all the time. It is here that its association with Bridgestone has been of utmost benefit, writes Rajesh Rajgor
Kool-Ex is one of the largest pharmaceutical cold chain logistic service providers in the country. The logistic veteran with over 25 years in the industry has been at the forefront to deliver corona virus vaccines and anti-viral drugs from manufacturers to pan-India locations. “Our workforce has been active round-the-clock since the beginning of the pandemic, first for essential medicines and since the turn of 2021 to move vaccines across India & neighbouring countries followed by Remdesevir and Tocimilazub. Kool-Ex remains a leader in carrying vaccines from the manufacturers to pan-India government depots and private hospitals,” shares Rahul Agarwal, Managing Director, Kool-Ex Cold Chain Ltd.
In the process, Kool-Ex has managed to deliver 11 crore doses across India to important locations assigned by the Government of India. “After trucks were inspected and cleared by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and MSME, Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray, we were extremely pumped up and confident of our manpower and assets. It boosted us for the massive task ahead as we ventured on this mission for end-to-end distribution of ‘Made in India’ vaccines. What further humbled us and amplified our efforts towards our work was the gesture from common citizens showering our trucks with flowers & prayers. The trucks carrying vaccines and flaunting our tricolour made every journey and man hours on the truck worthwhile for our drivers and managing staff,” Agarwal says.
Bridgestone – A Reliable Tyre Solutions Partner
Kool-Ex has a fleet of 300+ reefer trucks and undoubtedly tyres have a very critical role to play in the company’s quest for efficiency, reliability and safety, particularly in the current times where cold chain transporters are on the move all the time. “In our need for speed and timely movement of medicines, especially the vaccines, it is essential that we look at a tyre manufacturer who can ensure safety and reliability. We expect our tyre partner to take care of all our tyre requirements, which would not only just include supply of the right tyres for our various loads and applications, but also the maintenance and the overall performance of the tyres. This is the main reason we have chosen to partner with Bridgestone as our tyre partner. We feel that Bridgestone has the team that can deliver and we are happy to be associated with them,” states Agarwal while explaining the company’s association with Bridgestone.
Kool-Ex has been associated with Bridgestone over the last three years and were extremely delighted when the company came out with the PPK (pay per kilometre) model. “The Bridgestone team had approached us somewhere in April 2020 with this unique PPK offering for our tyres. We thought it was an interesting offer and over a period of four months it evolved into an association that saw over 100 trucks handled by them in a phased manner. Apart from the best-in-class all-position tyres, the unique features of this PPK model include a dedicated in-house team member from Bridgestone who handles and monitors all the tyre-management related activities including km performance, tyre pressure checks and tyre rotation”, Agarwal informs.
What has also played a part in cementing Kool-Ex’s relationship with Bridgestone is the latter’s proactive approach to understand Kool-Ex’s operations, routes they cover and the weight their vehicles carry. Says Agarwal: “Following an enriching discussion with Bridgestone, Kool-Ex has successfully adopted Bridgestone’s G611 all-position for front tyres, M751 for 10 wheelers’ drive axle on LPT 25.18 and M851 all-position for six wheelers’ LPT 16.13 in our fleet. This has translated in a manner in which even our front tyres are giving us extended life, thus helping us in reducing operational costs.”
Kool-Ex’s in-house bandwidth that got freed up because of Bridgestone’s management has delighted the company’s drivers. At Kool-Ex the drivers are reimbursed on a per km basis, based on the average vehicle consumption study. The fuel saved is the driver’s benefit from operations. The cost per km saving is not being calculated as of now. However, if there is a dip in fuel mileage – the driver lodges a complaint. The fleet remains covered under AMCs with OEMs and rectification takes place likewise. Elaborates Agarwal: “One of the reasons for the drivers’ happiness is that the all-position Bridgestone radials enable them to drive without worry of tyre breakdown. The overall quality of the tyre gives them some additional saving on their fuel cost, which is why we are able to retain the drivers better.”
Ground Service Efficiency
The partnership with Bridgestone has been symbiotic for Kool-Ex as it not only has a better control and visibility on tyre usage and increase in tyre mileage but also has freed up its resources and manpower to focus on reviewing the exhaustive data provided by Bridgestone and jointly implementing corrective measures across the fleet. “Bridgestone has brought a comprehensive information system for tyre management. The reports and data are vital for cost control and optimisation of tyre life. For us, the Bridgestone ground team conducts tyre inspections of PPK adopted vehicles and data collection and recording of each tyre and wear study, alignment and rotation records and implementation of the tyres. Maintenance of tyres and tyre-related management including leaf spring or king pin, etc. is conducted at installation and after every subsequent 20,000 km. Meanwhile, Bridgestone service providers across India take care of enroute services for punctures, alignment, rotation, etc.”
With efficiency in service, personalised attention to customers and a fleet maintained in good condition, Kool-Ex has experienced a faster turnaround time for its vehicles. The lockdown has been a very challenging period for everyone. Despite all the challenges and hurdles faced, Kool-Ex found that the Bridgestone team was very productive to meet their requirements. “We needed a lot of tyres, around 55 tyres per month in the PPK model. Since we were in the healthcare sector, trucks were continuously moving on the road, and we were classified as Class I essential. The Bridgestone team has gone out of its way to open the shutters and provide us tyres, even in the most difficult periods, despite facing all the hardships,” Agarwal informs.
Such has been the collaboration with the Kool-Ex team that it turned out to be a great experience for Bridgestone in referrals and word-of-mouth. “We always appreciate good initiatives taken by our industry partners and the whole structure of this PPK model that Bridgestone came out with is very different from what is being offered today. This surely is a game-changer in the transportation segment. We have been very happy to recommend Bridgestone to several logistics companies and I am also happy to hear that a few of them have started working with Bridgestone. From our side, we are in the process of adding another 50 LCVs from our fleet under contract by Bridgestone. Having experienced their communication and service to be in sync with our brand ideology – ‘to offer solutions for journey’ – we will always be happy to work with them and keep recommending them for the good work that they are doing,” concludes Agarwal.
—
“With Bridgestone’s unique Pay-Per-Kilometre (PPK) solution, along with its end-to-end tyre management services which includes supply, tracking, monitoring and overall maintenance of tyres, we have chosen brand Bridgestone as our strategic partner.
– Rahul Agarwal, MD, Kool-Ex Cold Chain
—
How Bridgestone won Kool-Ex’ confidence
• Pay per kilometre (PPK) model
• Better fuel mileage and significant cost savings
• End-to-end tyre management and overall support as strategic partner