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NEWS
European Fleets Pessimistic About Fuel Efficiency
Bridgestone Ups Prices Again
Bridgestone Europe will roll out a new round of price increases for retread materials across Europe during the first quarter of 2012. Starting from March 1st and varying from country to country, price increases will average 10 per cent for Bridgestone and Bandag Pre Cured Tread products and 8 per cent for Bandag cushion gum products. Commenting on the announcement, Yves Kerstens, Managing Director of Commercial Products business unit at Bridgestone Europe, said: “Prices in this product group have still a significant gap to recover the raw materials cost increases we have suffered in the last two years.
“We are continuously making every effort to absorb cost increases through productivity, efficiencies and flexibility. We appreciate the continued support and understanding of our customers as we remain committed to providing the highest quality products and deliver a premium package of value.” This announcement follows an increase in OTR products in North America in January when the company increased base prices on Bridgestone, Firestone and Continuum off-road tyre products and Continuum pre-cure tread rubber and related retreading materials by 15 per cent in the United States and 10 per cent in Canada.
“We are committed to providing our customers with products of the highest possible quality and value,” said Kurt Danielson, president, BACS. “While we make every effort to absorb rising costs, increases related to market conditions, supply pressures, global competition and manufacturing expenses have made these adjustments necessary at this time
A new report released by Goodyear Dunlop reveals that despite efforts to improve fuel efficiency, 1 in 7 European road hauliers predict they will be out of business within eight years unless drastic developments are made to improve fleet fuel efficiency. At a dedicated fleet symposium that took place in Brussels today, Goodyear Dunlop presented several recommendations to help commercial road transport sector to improve their fuel efficiency.
The fuel consumption of a vehicle has a direct impact on its CO2 emissions. Goodyear Dunlop’s Road to 2020 report shows that a third (30 per cent) of European fleets currently has no plans in place to respond to expected Europe-wide CO2 regulation. In its most recent Transportation White Paper, the European Commission gave fleets clear indications that further regulation and taxation on fuel and CO2 emissions will be introduced in the coming decade.
At the same time, fleets are looking at industry and
policy-makers to help them achieve greater efficiency:
- 1 in 3 want the EU to invest in fuel efficient technology and development programs;
- 1 in 4 want a modelling tool that predicts the cost and CO2 savings of investments in green equipment and training;
- 1 in 4 want more information on the factors affecting fuel efficiency;
- 1 in 5 want European legislation that incentivises efficient fleets.
“The road freight sector is facing enormous pressure to help meet Europe’s ambitious climate change targets, but despite their commitment to fuel economy, we found many fleets could be better prepared to handle the cost and operational impacts of a potential carbon regulation,” said Michel Rzonzef, Vice President, Goodyear Dunlop commercial tyre business EMEA. “The research confirmed that the overwhelming majority of fleets already have robust fuel efficiency measures in place, and therefore struggle to see what else they can do to improve efficiency and lower carbon emissions to achieve even stronger goals. Low rolling resistance tyres are one option to improve a fleet’s fuel efficiency amongst others, such as eco-driving training for truck drivers, improved logistics, route
planning and aerodynamics on vehicles.“
Fuel efficiency, priority number 1
With prices at the pump rising and 2 in 5 fleets reporting they are under
- 1 in 5 fleets are unsure as to whether any further savings can be made.
Interestingly, fleets from countries with lower fuel prices are more optimistic. In both Poland and Spain, where fuel costs are below
customer pressure to green their operations, it is unsurprising that over 9 in 10 fleets are already working to improve their fuel economy:
- 7 in 10 have invested in eco- driving training;
- 6 in 10 have procured more efficient vehicles;
- 2 in 5 have improved logistics and route planning;
- 2 in 5 have switched to more fuel efficient tyres.
Target 2020
With only 8 per cent of fleets having taken no action to reduce their fuel use, Europe’s road hauliers are sceptical about how much more they can do to increase efficiency and drive down emissions.
7 in 10 European fleets currently work toward a self-imposed target for either fuel savings or CO2 savings. With substantial efforts already underway, fleets are conservative in estimating possible further efficiency savings:
- 52 per cent of fleets do not think they can achieve further efficiency savings of more than 10 per cent;
- Only 1 in 10 believes the sector can achieve the 20 per cent efficiency savings target outlined in the EU’s 20-20-20 low-carbon commitments;
the EU average, a fifth of fleets are confident they can achieve a further 20 per cent efficiency savings by 2020. In the UK, however, where fuel prices are higher than the European average, a third of fleets says that they have done all they can to improve fuel efficiency, and no more savings can be made.
Recommendations
Based on the findings, Goodyear Dunlop calls on policy-makers to consider the following recommendations to help the commercial road transport sector reduce emissions and improve efficiency:
- Making tyre pressure monitoring systems mandatory on all new Heavy Duty Vehicles;
- Investing in improved tyre pressure monitoring technology for Heavy Duty Vehicles;
- Offering incentives to those fleet operators who invest in aerodynamic improvements or purchase tyres that achieve A, B, C grades on the new EU tyre label, in both rolling resistance and wet grip; - Adjusting EU restrictions on weight and height for Heavy Duty Vehicles to improve efficiency.
To learn more about the symposium or the report, please contact:
carola_cotronei@goodyear.com. The complete report can be downloaded at: www.fleet-fuel-efficiency.eu
Recauchadora Gigante Claims Most Modern Title
Costa Rican retreader Recauchadoras Gigante has laid claim to being the most modern retreader in the country. It justifies this claim with its acquisition of a Hawkinson NDT-II nail hole detector, a Cincinnati rasper and a York-Shipley Global Autoclave. Gigante retreads truck, construction and agricultural and 4x4 tyres at its factory in San Jose, Costa Rica.
12 Retreading Business