Continental covers all city cleaning service’s tyre management needs with Bandvulc Wastemaster speciality tyres and tyre services from Vergölst.
A Successful Partnership
Continental and Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH) have enjoyed a successful partnership for more than 12 years now. SRH provides cleaning services for the northern German city and its almost 2 million inhabitants. The company has put the task of tyre management with repair and service for its 1,100 vehicles – based at seven different sites around Hamburg – entirely in the hands of Continental.
Its modern fleet is fitted with a tyre that has been specially geared to the requirements of waste disposal companies: the Wastemaster from Bandvulc, a Continental brand. “Our innovative, state-of-the-art fleet needs an innovative, state-of-the-art tyre to match, and that is, without doubt, the new Wastemaster 5,” says Oliver Braune for the fleet of SRH. The robust tyre with reinforced sidewalls now comes equipped with the pioneering Armorband technology that visualises the amount of sidewall tyre wear.
SRH has also entrusted the task of tyre management with repair and service to the experts, with Continental subsidiary Vergölst providing a 24/7 tyre service comprising both roadside assistance and regular maintenance. “The prime objective is to ensure our fleet’s operational reliability,” emphasises Braune.
The ContiLifeCycle Concept
The Bandvulc Wastemaster 5 is a robust, retreaded premium tyre designed for urban use. It boasts durability and reliable operation all year round, even when dealing with tight turning radii, sharp curbs and adverse weather conditions. “With the Bandvulc Wastemaster and comprehensive tyre service as part of our ContiLifeCycle concept, we are helping waste disposal companies to cut costs and lower their emissions – and thereby work towards company goals, such as circular economy, high recycling rates, conservation of resources and maximised sustainability,” explains Jan-Ole van Lengen, Head of ContiLifeCycle Germany at Continental.
Every year, 797,684 metric tons (Mg p.a.) of residential waste and 629,575 metric tons (Mg p.a) of commercial municipal waste are produced here (Hamburg Authority for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture, 2023). SRH is responsible for collecting and disposing of a large part of these tons of waste. It is a real challenge for workers and machinery alike. “Our 280 vehicles drive down the narrowest of streets, where tyres have to work really hard,” says Braune. “They must be able to get anywhere all year round, make extremely tight turns and withstand contact with curbs.”
Continental Bandvulc Wastemaster
Each Wastemaster tyre is fitted to SRH’s vehicles for an average of four years. That equates to countless sharp curbs, shards of glass and miles of cobblestones to negotiate along the way. “The Wastemaster 5 is a major boon for us here,” noted Braune. “It is a top tyre. With its Armorband on the side and reinforced sidewalls, it’s become an indispensable part of our day-to-day operations.”
The Bandvulc Wastemaster 5 is made to take the knocks: the robust sidewall technology with solid shoulders protects the tyre against damage as well as curb wear. “The pioneering Armorband on the sidewall provides a visual stability check,” adds Peter Neumann, Key Account Manager at Vergölst GmbH in Hamburg. “It shows when the tyre needs to be changed. This is an effective way of preventing tyre failure and casing damage.” The Wastemaster 5 also has good stone ejection properties and bears the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol as a mark of its reliable traction, good grip and sure handling, particularly in wintry weather conditions.
Green Fleet Management
Continental is playing its part in helping SRH meet its corporate strategy goals with Wastemaster 5 retreaded tyres and the ContiLifeCycle concept. “Retreading is very important to us because we want to operate in a resource-efficient way, and it is something we are really committed to,” remarks Braune. “By fitting retreads, we are able to reuse up to 70% of the material from our own casings.”
Sustainability is firmly established as an integral part of SRH’s core business. “Our work is underpinned by not just economic, but also social and, above all, ecological principles,” explains Anne-Maria Jeske from the disposal company’s press office. “As per the waste hierarchy, our top priority is to prevent waste in the first place and preserve raw materials. We are therefore focusing on sustainability in many contexts. Our major goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2035. Our vehicle fleet is a key lever for achieving this, which is why we are continuously switching to alternative drive systems. By 2025, every newly purchased vehicle at SRH will have an alternative, low-energy drive.” The key messages of the company’s strategy – such as circular economy, sustainable procurement, climate action and conservation of resources – match the objectives of Continental’s Vision 2050. Solutions like ContiLifeCycle and the Wastemaster speciality tyre help achieve these goals.
