Snapshot

Kronospan, the UK’s leading manufacturer of high quality wood-based panels, relies on Continental’s solid and radial industrial tyres to keep its mixed forklift fleet in operation round the clock.

Business Issues

Arduous operating conditions put Kronospan’s forklift fleet under constant performance pressure. The previous budget tyres specified were prone to wear and damage.
Resulting vehicle downtime through tyre failure impacted on productivity and operational costs. Kronospan’s rigorous environmental policy also required that tyre disposals be minimised.

The Solution

Dave Hood, Fitter Supervisor, decided to test the premium Continental tyre range to improve service life and performance. He fitted Continental SC 15 damage resistant solid tyres, as well as the IC 80 extra deep and the ConRad HT radial tyres on selected heavy duty forklifts within the fleet.
He quickly realised the benefits of the Continental products, which proved to be longer lasting and more resistant to puncture and wear. Eighteen months later and over three quarters of Kronospan’s fleet are fitted with Continental tyres, and the company is expected to move to 100% fitment throughout 2006.
“Early indications show that Continental tyres perform three times better than our previous brand,” said Dave Hood. “Service life is much longer, our tyre budget has been reduced because we need to buy fewer replacement tyres and fleet productivity has increased. Thanks to its comprehensive range we can fit Continental tyres to our entire fleet.”

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