What is your role in the industry? What does your organisation do?
Michelin prides itself on being at the forefront of responsible and sustainable mobility, thanks to its capacity for innovation, technological prowess, and an ambitious plan for an all-sustainable future.
As a major supplier of tyres to the commercial vehicle industry, Michelin manufactures an extensive range of truck and trailer fitments to suit every possible application, from demanding multi-drop urban distribution to on/off-road transportation, as well as regional and long-distance haulage.
Why are you and / or your organisation getting involved in National Lorry Week 2024?
Supporting National Lorry Week allows us to help raise the profile of one of the great industries in the UK. Trucks play a vital role in transporting goods across the country, and naturally they rely on their tyres to operate safely, efficiently, and sustainably. By putting our weight behind National Lorry Week, we are supporting our customers in this key sector – and more widely, supporting an industry that is the backbone of the UK economy, building strong relationships with both hauliers and own-account operators.
As a key tyre supplier to logistics fleets, we are very proud of the role we play in helping some of the country’s biggest transport companies to enhance their performance, reduce downtime, and lower their operating costs. National Lorry Week also provides a platform for us to highlight some of the many innovative solutions, such as new generations of fuel-efficient tyres, that we are bringing to the market to help reduce environmental impact and support the drive to achieve net zero emissions.
Why is it important to celebrate the road transport industry?
As the saying goes, ‘if you bought it, a truck brought it’. And whilst logistics in the UK is now increasingly likely to involve rail freight over longer distances, and even light commercial vehicles for final mile delivery, trucks and lorries still play a huge role in goods transport.
In the UK we have some of the finest logistics companies in the world, demonstrating incredible fleet efficiency and asset utilisation, with their choice of tyres often an essential ingredient to their overall business success.
What issues must we raise awareness about in road transport and why are they important?
The road transport industry is taking huge strides to reduce its carbon impact. We’re now supplying our full range of commercial vehicle tyres to fleets running everything from the latest generations of ultra fuel-efficient diesel trucks to everything from HVO and battery electric power. The transition to new generations of fuels brings exciting challenges for manufacturers, operators, suppliers and drivers alike.
Take our new MICHELIN X Line Energy 3 and X Multi Energy 2 ranges as an example. These have provided the opportunity to once again demonstrate our technological lead in terms of manufacturing tyres with an ultra-low rolling resistance, and a reduced environmental footprint. Both of these products can also be regrooved and retreaded, ensuring fleets can extract the maximum performance from each new Michelin casing. This helps our customers reduce their operating costs in a highly competitive market and contributes to more sustainable mobility.
Indeed, the retreading process forms an integral part of Michelin’s offering for haulage companies, with our facility at Stoke-on-Trent retreading tyres since 1968.
With sustainability very much at the forefront of the issues facing the transport sector, the value of tyre retreading has increased in recent years. Up to 75 per cent fewer raw materials are used when manufacturing a retread tyre, compared to producing a new tyre, while costs can also be significantly reduced when managing tyres through Michelin’s multi-life policy.
This process sees the tyres regrooved when the tread depth has worn to around 3-4mm, offering a second life in service. When the regrooved tyre finally reaches the legal wear limit of 1mm, it can be sent back to the factory in Stoke and retreaded as a MICHELIN Remix product, which can also be regrooved to offer the same mileage performance as the new tyre. Once the Remix tyres are worn, customers can send that casing back to us again to be retreaded as an Encore product.
The whole philosophy is central to our circular economy solution, reducing raw material usage and ensuring we extract the maximum performance out of every tyre we produce.
On the 10th anniversary of National Lorry Week, what excites you about the future of road transport?
Across Michelin, we believe there is a tremendous amount to be excited about within the road transport sector currently.
With the push toward increased sustainability, the adoption of battery electric and other alternative fuel-powered trucks is accelerating, creating a demand for advanced, fuel-efficient tyres designed to support these vehicles and drive VECTO scores even lower.
Tyres that can reduce rolling resistance, improve range efficiency, plus extend mileage potential will play a critical role in helping fleets meet stricter emissions standards.
Additionally, the industry is seeing major advancements in smart tyre technology, such as tyre pressure monitoring systems and predictive maintenance tools, which are playing their part to transform fleet management. These innovations offer improved safety, reduced downtime, and lower operating costs – making them essential for the future of logistics.
As UK road transport shifts towards cleaner, smarter, and more efficient operations, tyre manufacturers like Michelin are at the forefront of developing cutting-edge solutions that will support this evolution and keep the road transport industry moving forward.