Today it’s a delivery of cement, tomorrow a trailer with dry bulk products and the next day a mega-trailer carrying automotive parts to their destination: Haulage and customized logistics services specialists like Vos Logistics offer a wide array of options. When it comes to tire management, the company puts its trust in Conti360° Solutions because this allows it to focus one-hundred percent on its customers’ requirements and operate reliably across Europe. For its distribution and bulk fleet, the haulage company has selected the professional tire management and Europe-wide 24/7 tire breakdown service options from the all-round tire service portfolio that Continental has repackaged for its fleet business. The two companies have been working together successfully since 2016. And Vos Logistics has now decided to extend its partnership with Continental for another three years.
The Conti360° Solutions service portfolio has presented Vos Logistics with a convincing proposition. With a network of 30 locations across Europe, the Dutch haulage firm employs 3,000 people, runs a modern fleet of 1,300 vehicles, and has 4,000 loading units and 310,000 square meters of storage space at its disposal. “It’s important for us to be able to take care of our own business without having to worry about tires,” says Pieter Derksen, Vos Logistics Purchase Manager. “As a logistics services provider, it is crucial for us to be able to depend on the operational reliability of our fleet. The predictive maintenance approach of Conti360° Solutions means that we keep our vehicles’ tires in top condition. The Continental tires themselves play a key role here.” Continental is using increasingly data-driven services as part of its transition to preventive maintenance. A Conti360° mileage-based contract and the use of fuel-saving tires give Vos Logistics a high level of cost transparency, allowing the company to keep a handle on its tire management from a cost-effectiveness angle.
This way, the haulage firm minimizes effective fleet costs, maximizes planning security and is fully aligned with the environmental goals it has set itself. “When it comes to new developments, we always opt for green logistics services and technologies which reduce both our CO2 emissions and energy consumption,” adds Derksen. The company also benefits from the Europe-wide Conti360° partner network across 25 countries, which offers a drive-on-time guarantee, ensuring a maximum downtime of three or four hours (depending on the region), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
With its Conti360° Solutions service portfolio, Continental offers its fleet customers security in terms of cost planning and service, and customers can tailor the various modules to their individual needs. It all starts with tire selection and fitting, courtesy of the ContiFitmentService – at a Conti360° Partner or with the help of a mobile service unit which can fit new tires wherever the vehicle happens to be. ContiBreakdownService, meanwhile, offers rapid assistance in the event of a tire breakdown, with Continental’s drive-on-time guarantee ensuring that the vehicle gets back on the road as quickly as possible. And thanks to a network of over 7,000 partners, this service is available anywhere in Europe. The Conti360° business area has more than 40 years of experience in Europe-wide tire breakdown services. ContiFleetCheck employs digital solutions to provide regular tires checks, while comprehensive tires reports are available through ContiFleetReporting. These two services help ensure tires work safely and enjoy a long lifespan. Rounding off the Conti360° Solutions portfolio are the seamless ContiCasingManagement service and sustainable retreading products offered as part of ContiLifeCycle.
Working with selected fleet customers, Continental has already highlighted the added value generated for customers by connectivity between tires, sensors, telematics data, algorithms and the cloud: “This leads to smart, digital solutions which help ensure that tire maintenance and replacement can in the future can be carried out exactly when necessary,” explains Ralf Benack, head of Fleet Business EMEA. “This allows customers to significantly increase the safety and productivity of their fleets, while at the same time cutting costs.” All of which makes the Conti360° Solutions service portfolio a key component of Logistics 4.0.