Page 10 - CTB N7 - 2014-03

NEWS
Vacu-Lug Keeps a Firm Grip after 30 Years Tyre Support for Viridor
appropriate service provider who will in turn complete the requisite task and record the details on the system.
Commenting on the 30 year relationship between the two companies, Viridor Asset Maintenance Engineer, Dave Rogerson says, “Waste handling is a
continual process which requires uninterrupted mobility of all support vehicles and wheeled equipment. To this end, the Vacu- Lug team works closely with Viridor - often calling on their extensive practical knowledge and experience - to ensure minimum down time and maximum efficiency.”
Working with Viridor, one of the UK’s leading recycling, renewable energy and waste management companies, Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres, is entering its 30th Year of tyre supply and service support to the Viridor’s long term waste and recycling contract with the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
With over 200 vehicles in the fleet, including 110 lorries, 55 front end loaders, 14 fork lift container handlers and 22 wheeled excavators, Viridor manages over 30 locations. These include household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) across the Greater Manchester area, as well as advanced recycling and recovery facilities, some with attached rail head terminals. The waste and recycling of over 1 million households from the nine Greater Manchester districts (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Trafford and Tameside) is processed within these facilities.
The front end loaders are predominantly JCB- Type 436 &
456- type machines, with the balance being case 821- Type, Case 621-Type and Cat 950 - type machines using a combination of 20.5R25 & 23.5R25 Vacu-Lug Process- type (Mortrak) Mtk 5 104s, which are puncture – proof Tyrfil
At the railhead at Viridor’s Longley Lane facility, where four of its 25 tonne container handling fork lift trucks operate, vehicle down time must be avoided to ensure strict adherence to train time tables and integration with other Viridor facilities.
To ensure this, and the general smooth running of all vehicles in the fleet, Vacu-Lug manage the contract with the supply of new & remould tyres which are inspected on a rolling monthly cycle and rotated through different positions on each vehicle to optimise wear and increase tyre life.
This management process also enables Vacu-Lug to monitor each tyre to the extent were it can be removed from the vehicle early enough to be remoulded for a second and third time, which further reduces costs and contributes to Viridor’s ongoing environmental awareness programme.
As part of the Viridor fully inclusive contract with Vacu-Lug, a significant stock of slave wheels and tyres is held at the main workshop which enables Vacu-Lug to implement a forward tyre replacement programme. This allows tyres to be quickly replaced when needed and avoids costly machine down time. Accordingly, Vacu-Lug provides 24
Heywood Scales Kilimanjaro for Charity
Guy Heywood, Commercial Director of Michelin’s truck and bus tyre division, is back in the UK after a summer adventure climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Heywood took on the gruelling six day climb with his wife Helen and sons Max and Joe in a bid to raise more than £2,500 for international development charity Transaid and the University Hospital of North Staffordshire Charity.
Despite the scale of the challenge, all four successfully reached the summit some 19,341 feet above sea level – atop the highest freestanding mountain in the world.
Not only did the
Heywoods reach the
summit, Joe – at only
11 years and 11
months old – became
one of the youngest
ever Britons to
complete the climb.
Speaking on their
return, Heywood
said: “The enormity
of the challenge was
staring us in the face
soon after we arrived
in Tanzania. Only
about half of those
who attempt to reach
the summit are
successful, so we
knew this was no
ordinary family
holiday.
“To say it was a test
of strength is an
understatement. Our
fitness training and
determination were
tested to the
maximum, and the
altitude sickness
meant we couldn’t sleep on the night before we made our summit attempt.”
Reflecting on the huge achievement, he added: “For the four of us to stand on the summit as a family was a very special moment; made even more so as we
knew we had raised significant sums of money for two charities close to our hearts.”
The Heywood’s trip to Tanzania was entirely self-funded, ensuring 100 per cent of the sponsorship money raised will go to the two beneficiary charities. The family is still collecting donations, via https://www.justgiving.com/Heywo od-KILICLIMB2014/ and https://www.justgiving.com/Heywo od-TRANSAIDKILI2014/. You can also read their expedition blog at http://www.kilimaxandjoe.blogspot. co.uk/.
Guy Heywood will be returning to the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in
June 2015 when he and a team of three colleagues from Michelin will cycle 400km across Tanzania after signing up to compete in Transaid’s most challenging group fundraising event yet.
tyres, specifically designed for the waste industry.
The Type of Tyre used within this operation is specified owing to its unique tread design, which is particularly suitable for waste, glass and metal recycling operations. It achieves a long working life and keeps operating costs to a minimum.
hour, 365 day support by using its own in-house technicians and its numerous tyre service- provision partners.
When each tyre inspection is completed, the date is logged and should any work need carr ying out, the details are forwarded via Vacu- Lug’s online VFM (Vehicle Fleet Management) system to the
10 Commercial Tyre Business