By integrating JK dealers, JK Treads franchise and JK Truck Wheels infrastructure to provide ‘360 degree solutions’ through a comprehensive Fleet Management program, the company feels tyre management always deserves a personal touch.
For any transporter, tyres are an important input, accounting for around 12 to 15 per cent of the total expenses. And the issues relating to them are hardly generic either, warranting individualistic analysis of truck needs, operating conditions and performance evaluation. With the advent of higher speed ratings, radial tyre technology and multiple retreadability options, the tyre management for any organised fleet today is even more complex. A formal and systematic tyre management program with technical know-how and professional training can help maximise the investment for large fleets by leaving fewer shredded casings by extracting the maximum life out of them. Lower cost per kilometer (CPKM) and better turnaround time, enhanced fuel efficiency and safety, and hazzle-free trucking are the extras you get.
“Providing comprehensive customer service is at the heart of JK Tyre’s Fleet Management (FM) Program, something that we inherit as a legacy of our business strategy since day one,” says Mr. Sanjeev Sharma, General Manager (Fleet Management), Truck Bus Radials, JK Tyre. Since tyres are an active component that determines the efficacy of trucking, our responsibility as a supplier extends far beyond sales, he adds.
The company’s FM Program started in 2004 and since then has been serving numerous top fleets by providing them across-the-board support in all spheres of tyre management. “We have a very large team of professionally-trained engineers across the country supporting our key customers on various aspects, including technical consultancy, performance evaluation, care and maintenance training, data management, single window support and communications”, says Mr. Sharma, pointing out that JK Tyre’s dedication and commitment towards customers is indeed exceptional. For years, JK Tyre is engaging its fleet customers with various interaction programmes and training sessions as well, along with national and international conferences for over a decade now.
The objective of the fleet management program is simple – ensuring right support at the right time, for long-term gains. For instance, the program assists fleets in choosing the right tyres in the first place. There are dozens of truck specs and sizes, so are the tyres. With multiple specs, patterns, load and speed rating, the choices are more complex than they would appear. At times the best choices might vary even across the same piece of equipment. A tandem tag axle, for example, might call for a shallower tread and different compound to offset the scrubbing forces that come with every turn, while drive-axle tippers may require heavier treads to ensure adequate traction.
Opting for the right spec tyres for every truck ensures their optimum performance and reliability, positively impacting CPKM. Who are better equipped to suggest the options that match fleet goals than suppliers, asks Mr. Sanjeev Sharma, adding that their FM program does adequate fleet profiling and gives preference to progressive and professionally-managed fleets that are eager to collaborate towards improving efficiency.
Further, preventive maintenance is another core area of JK Tyre’s FM program. Once new tyres are fitted, the fleet has to ensure that the critical parameters are regularly monitored and properly maintained. For instance, periodic checks of air pressure are likely to enhance the tyre life and fuel economy alike, while higher or lower pressures than the recommended levels can lead to uneven tyre wear, shorter life and high fuel consumption.
Tyre conditions, at times, may also offer insights that can help identify issues related to poor alignment, bent rims, damaged suspensions, or even driving styles involving heavy braking. Lack of awareness and training in tyre monitoring and maintenance takes a heavy toll on the sustainability of the investments made, especially for large fleets. This along with the fact that there is a clear lack of access to proper training and non-availability of professional courses related to tyre, vehicle and road relationship, JK Tyre has taken up an important responsibility of training the fleet community and imparting skills through 500 training programs every year. The ‘Heal the Wheel’ campaign, a complete preventive maintenance initiative, in particular, has garnered huge response among the fleets, says the company.
This comprehensive FMP has, in fact, redefined the evaluation standards for tyre performance by selling a value proposition with multiple advantages. “Running mileage is no more the only criteria for buying tyres, but things like fuel efficiency, multiple retreadability, less punctures and ruptures, higher speed and load capabilities, and enhanced stability and safety are gaining importance with regard to their impacts on CPKM. JK Tyre’s techno-commercial teams help fleets achieve lower CPKM on all those parameters, says Mr. Sharma.
360 degree solutions
In a bid to provide more sophisticated services all round, JK Tyre is integrating the three existing channels of service together, reinforced with other initiatives on total tyre management. The three core channels include JK Tyre’s dealer network ensuring easy availability of right spec tyres to fleets across the country, ‘Truck Wheels’ centre for allied services, and offering certified and original treads through JK Tread Franchise. While it already has the highest number of Truck Wheels centres among all tyre makers in the country, the company is aggressively expanding its Truck Wheels network along with strengthening of its dealerships.
There are modern JK Treads franchises all over India, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and machinery, for resoling of tyres with genuine quality retreads to extend the life span of tyres, a “cradle to grave” support, claims JK Tyre.
Mr. Sanjeev Sharma says: “Trucks move around the length and breadth of the country, we are uniting all our services into a single platform for wholesome support, anywhere anytime”. These service centres cater even to unorganised and small fleets that constitute a big chunk in the country.
Moreover, JK Tyre is exploring various innovative initiatives to provide complete mobility solutions for its fleet customers along with professional tyre management support, to suit the changing requirements of the logistics industry. Moving forward, JK Tyre’s Truck Wheels centres will also act as pit stops along the highways to cater to the express trucking industry.
“Our ultimate vision is to churn out a value proposition for our customers in terms of CPKM by offering them a wide range of integrated services and training with regard to tyre management”, observes Mr. Sharma. This helps the fleets to grow and the industry to upgrade to best practices, while offering JK Tyre the status of a pioneer in product superiority and customer satisfaction in the domestic tyre industry.
In a nutshell, the rubber that hits the road is more than just a component. It is more like a ‘danger mitigator’ on roads, while at the parking lot, it acts as a ground-level indicator of how well the vehicle is maintained and efficiently used. Perhaps it is a key component for operational efficiency and lower CPKM. JK Tyre wants all fleet operators to realise that there lies the sustainability of the tyre industry and trucking.