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COMPANY NEWS
ATS Euromaster Eyes the Van Segment as Key Growth Area
ATS Euromaster has identified the van sector as the part of the tyre market that is currently offering the most scope for growth, and is launching a drive to benefit from this trend, backed up with a significant van tyre presence at the forthcoming CV Show in April. This was revealed by Simon Tattersall, Head of National Fleets at ATS Euromaster, during an exclusive interview with Commercial Tyre Business at the company’s Birmingham
at regional business and want to develop business with smaller fleets,” he says. “However, a vital area for growth at the moment is the van sector, because we see the van market developing ver y quickly. Truck is about managing assets and that approach is gradually being transferred into the van market. Van tyres are not a low cost investment and the operational cost structure of a van fleet is no longer far removed from
local delivery environment, car leasing companies are also looking to move into the sector. It is not surprising, therefore, that ATS Euromaster has chosen to amalgamate their national truck and car departments to form a single National Fleets Department. Says Tattersall; “The growth in van fleets offers a big opportunity for ATS Euromaster. As van fleets get larger, the complexity of the business increases and the
and monitored.”
So what’s unique about ATS Euromaster and what makes the company ideally placed to take advantage of this market trend?
Simon Tattersall explains; “ATS Euromaster’s DNA is all about B2B and delivering to customers’ requirements. We have a very sophisticated network of approximately 350 centres so if a customer wants a certain brand in certain centres, we can do it
Simon Tattersall
process of managing the fleet becomes more akin to managing a truck fleet. There is a need for a duty of care approach, inspections etc. Van fleets are also operating under pressure with the need to make timed deliveries, and so tyre maintenance becomes important. As a result van fleets are looking more closely at tyre policy, who fits the tyres, how they are recorded
–similarly, if a customer wants a high policy fitment percentage then we can deliver that too.
“ATS is also a wholly owned company,” he adds. “Everyone is employed by ATS Euromaster so there is a consistent and standard level of service across the UK. This is a very important and powerful tool for us.” According to Tattersall, the van
headquarters recently. According to Tattersall, who took on his current role last year after four years at ATS Euromaster and nearly thirty years with Michelin, ATS Euromaster, as a dynamic organisation with 2,500 employees, wants to grow in all areas.
“The big national fleets are very important to us, and we are always looking to grow that market, but we are also looking
that of a truck fleet.”
A key driver in this development, says Tattersall, is the rapid growth in internet shopping and the need for deliveries to be made quickly to individual addresses. This has resulted in a move towards vans from both ends of the market. Not only are truck fleets looking to amend the make-up of their fleets to include more vans, which are easier to operate in a home and
12 Commercial Tyre Business