Bridgestone Partner: Long distance relationships do work!
In an attempt to underline Bridgestone’s status as an industry leader in tyre support, the benefits of the Bridgestone Partner service network are being communicated at the CV Show, which promise greater support to dealers, increased reductions in fleet operating costs and vastly improved branding.
Bridgestone Partner is comprised of hundreds of respected tyre dealers who will guarantee the highest level of service to fleets.
Not only does the network name reinforce Bridgestone’s position as a true premium player, but it underlines just how the bespoke requirements of fleets have changed over the years.
Bridgestone believes that tyres only account for around 2 per-cent of the total budget of a typical fleet, but can influence a huge number of other cost factors such as fuel, repair and downtime, which is where the Bridgestone Partner offering kicks into gear.
The proof of the pudding can already be seen in one of Bridgestone’s largest and longest-standing fleet relationships with Ryder.
More than one year since Bridgestone and Ryder implemented their strategic partnership and tyre-related breakdowns for Ryder customers have fallen by 28% following the introduction of a range of initiatives aimed at maximising fleet uptime and lowering running costs.
Ryder is Bridgestone’s largest UK commercial fleet customer and the two organisations have been working together for nearly 20 years. The relationship evolved into a strategic partnership in 2013 with the implementation of a joint framework that aims to reduce tyre wastage through closer collaboration and improved working practices.
Strategies include a major focus on tyre husbandry, an increased emphasis on setting correct tyre pressure and a detailed review of removed tyres, to avoid premature removal and to ensure that all parties are properly managing the use of tyres throughout their life.
The strength of the Bridgestone Partner network – featuring some of the most knowledgeable and experienced dealers – underpins the overall offering, in what Bridgestone believes is one of the most impressive ‘cradle to grave’ services in the industry.
The fleet management programme has been jointly developed by Ryder and Bridgestone and underpins the very premise of Bridgestone Partner. Under the programme Ryder employees receive specialist training from Bridgestone to enable them to take a more hands-on role in the maintenance and management of tyres.
Ryder’s maintenance teams are supported by Bridgestone’s fleet managers who offer specialist advice and consultation.
To maximise efficiencies and fleet uptime for customers, Ryder and Bridgestone are committed to a process of continuous improvement. This includes on-site coaching and monthly performance reviews to identify and implement service improvements.
Ryder’s Head of Maintenance Strategy, Philip Martin, said: “We are delighted that this partnership is proving so beneficial for our customers. Ryder is committed to a process of continuous improvement in all areas of the business. We will continue to monitor and measure tyre performance to ensure that we are providing the best, most reliable and cost effective service possible.
The Bridgestone Partner network will consist of over 350 Truck Tyre specialists across the UK and Ireland who embrace Bridgestone’s Total Tyre Care approach.
Total Tyre Care allows businesses to keep tight control over their tyre-related costs courtesy of a hat-trick of services.
It has been tailored to meet the needs of every commercial fleet operator and is quite unlike anything else on the market.
The three tyre management pillars: Total Tyre Life, Total Tyre Services and Total Tyre Systems underpin the overall proposition, which continues to define Bridgestone as a market leader
The Bridgestone Partner network provides a service oriented and experienced, qualified technicians with industry leading response times.
Bridgestone’s commercial sales director Greg Ward said: “Customer demands are constantly changing as they continually look to reduce total cost of ownership, so we are meeting this demand head-on by aligning our service network to our Total Tyre Care strategy.
“We have spent a great deal of time in developing a more consultative, partnership-based relationship with its fleet customers and this is where we can see the biggest change in commercial tyre support over the past 10 years.
“We expect this new way of working to underpin our offering in the future, with our Total Tyre Care package remaining as relevant tomorrow as it is today.”