Continental Tire North America (CTNA) launched a new program, “Continental Revolution,” designed to improve the product, service, and training offerings to the company's commercial vehicle tire customers. At the same time, Continental executives announced a new commitment to the company's partnership with fleet customers by introducing new programs designed to reduce overall driving cost, five new tires, and a new state-of-the-art mobile classroom.
Paul Williams, executive vice-president of CTNA's commercial vehicle tire group, said Continental is ready to reveal the “Untamed Innovation Tour,” an unprecedented opportunity to take advantage of the need for fleet customers to lower their costs in today's economic conditions.
“Continental has an amazing opportunity to move to another level and to better serve our customers, moving beyond the public perception that we are the ‘best-kept secret’ in the industry,” he said. “We are ready to deliver the lowest overall driving cost to our fleet customers, and are taking our message of product performance, service, and people to the market.”
An expanded sales force in its commercial division, increased by 50% this year, will deliver expanded customer service, said Shaun Uys, CTNA director of replacement sales.
Enhancements to Continental's fuel savings calculator have resulted in a new name for the calculator, and increased value to fleet customers, said Tom Fanning, CTNA's director of original equipment sales for The Americas. The new ContiCostCalculator product, launched in April, is offered in both desktop and Web-based formats.
“It takes into account the tire's purchase price, mileage, and rolling resistance to give truck fleets a true comparison of total tire cost,” Fanning said. “When fuel savings are compared with overall tire mileage, fleets that increase total miles per gallon will save on cost of ownership compared to additional running miles.”
Clif Armstrong, director of commercial vehicle tire marketing for Continental Tire for The Americas, added: “Also critical to lowering overall driving cost is an efficient tire maintenance program, and Continental is launching the ContiTireManagement program to address this need. The program is based on industry best practices for the tire manufacturer, the fleet, and the tire dealer.
ContiTireManagement uses an online portal for Continental field sales teams and select Continental Tire dealers to create individual tire maintenance programs tailored to the fleet to help lower the overall driving costs.
Benefits of the new ContiFleet program include access to nationwide emergency road service for owner-operators and small fleet owners.
“Truckers who join ContiFleet can access 24-hour emergency road services via the Continental TrukFix hotline, and also receive guaranteed emergency service pricing, access to towing and mechanical work and information on tire maintenance best practices,” Armstrong said.
Also introduced were five new Continental commercial vehicle tires: a redesign to its regional steer tire-the HSR2; an over-the-highway longhaul drive tire, the HDL2 DL; a more fuel-efficient trailer tire, the HTL Eco Plus; a heavy-steer urban tire, the HSU2; and a wide-base super single trailer tire, the HTL1.
