Henderson Group has switched to Continental Tyres’ Conti360 fleet management programme for three years.

Operated through local specialist tyre dealer, Modern Tyres, the comprehensive package will serve a fleet of around 200 trucks and trailers, clocking up around six million kilometres a year.

The new arrangement has been set up as a fixed-price contract based on a pence-per-kilometre basis for three years.

Henderson Group’s logistics director Pat McGarry said: “We have more than 1,500 food retailers and food service outlets that rely on our fleet for regular deliveries, many of them daily. Our job is to manage the logistics of these deliveries, not the logistics of tyres.

“Our modern fleet is one of the biggest in Northern Ireland and includes rigids, tractors and trailers, all of which are serviced and maintained by manufacturers and their networks for us. We take the same approach to tyres.

“Our sole objectives are to offer outstanding service quality to our customers and to operate a safe, compliant fleet, so we delegate the day-to-day aspects of the latter to specialists in the field.”

The new contract continues a previous three year-relationship with Modern Tyres, with a different tyre manufacturer.

The renewal package was put out to a detailed tender process, with three tyre manufacturers and an alternative dealer all involved.

The continuing relationship with Modern Tyres has other benefits for the company, as Henderson Group’s fleet manager David McCracken said: “Modern Tyres has probably the best coverage in Northern Ireland with around 40 outlets so, if we do get an unexpected tyre problem, they will have local support to get our vehicle on the move again.

“Even though we have only recently signed the new contract, we have already established good relationships at all levels with the dealer. We have regular updates about performance and cost with both Continental and the dealer, as well as our own set of tough KPIs that we monitor.”

The Conti360° fleet programme gives the Henderson Group tyre choice and fitment services, as well as regular inspections.

A tyre breakdown service helps to get operators back on the road with minimum downtime, while a complete used casing service deals with the collection, inspection, purchasing, retreading and/or proper disposal of tyres.

Finally, a regular analysis of tyre-related data shows potential for tyre-related cost savings.