Haulage company Eggers Spedition GmbH have already recouped the investment in the second year of use after relying on digital tyre management system ContiConnect. They’re seeing high cost savings thanks to fewer punctures, longer mileage and impressive fuel savings.
Eggers Spedition GmbH Chooses ContiConnect
It’s a simple calculation: 120 trailers, each with six tyres, equals 720 tyres whose pressures need to be checked every day. “We used to have semitrailer tractors with factory-fitted tyre pressure monitoring systems,” reports Peter Eggers, Managing Director of haulage company Eggers Spedition GmbH based in Hildesheim, Germany. However, with these it is easy for the driver to switch off error messages. “We had vehicles coming in with trailers on which the front left tyre had been running on five bar of pressure and the right rear on seven bar, which was certainly an interesting experience!” explains Eggers. “I wanted to change all that. Given the tyre pressure situation as it was, plus the high fuel consumption we were seeing and the relatively low mileage of the tyres, I set out to find a system that was easy to operate and check, and which helped me to keep my fleet of vehicles on the move.”
Early in 2019, Eggers invested around 60,000 euros in fitting out their trailers with ContiConnect in early 2019. As a result, the number of on-the-road punctures they record each year has been cut by two thirds and the service they provide to customers has therefore improved significantly. The lifespan of the tyres has been extended by 20 percent and maintaining the correct tyre pressures has brought down fuel consumption by an average of 0.5 litres per 100 kilometres. “I save roughly 500 litres of fuel per vehicle over the course of the year,” says Eggers. “When I add it all together, the savings on our 120 trailers amount to some 84,000 euros annually.” His verdict after a good two years of using ContiConnect? “We are very happy with the system. The promised levels of performance have been achieved and we have been able to reduce our fleet costs substantially.”
Eggers Spedition GmbH is a family-run company founded over 60 years ago and employing 120 people. The company uses silo trucks and tankers to carry goods to their destination safely and quickly. The fleet now comprises 80 vehicles and around 120 trailers. “As a registered food business, we transport food and animal feed across Germany and Europe as a whole,” says Eggers.
“The largest volume is sugar for the drinks, chocolate and long-life baked goods industry.” These customers are absolutely dependent on a continuous supply of raw materials; they cannot accept delays. “The ability to reduce tyre damage rates was therefore a fundamental consideration in my decision to invest in ContiConnect.” Now in the third year of using the tyre monitoring system, the impact it has had is clear. The company already recouped its investment in the second year of using the system. “On-the-road punctures and therefore repairs by third parties have reduced significantly,” adds Eggers. “This has allowed us to further improve our delivery reliability, plus we have also saved fuel and can keep the tyres on the vehicles for longer. So for me, this investment has been a win-win.”
Using ContiConnect allows Eggers to keep an eye on the tyre pressures of their vehicles. It means that if a tyre deviates from its target values, as is often the case with puncture damage, gradual pressure loss or sticking tyres, the fleet manager can react quickly. Many of Eggers’ trucks are often on the road for several weeks at a time before returning to the yard in Hildesheim and being checked at the ContiConnect reader station. “That’s why the network idea was an important factor in my decision to purchase,” says Eggers. His plan is to install a Germany-wide network of ContiConnect reader stations to increase the frequency of checks and the level of monitoring. There are currently 13 reader stations in Germany, each installed at Vergölst locations. “The network enables us to also monitor the tyre pressures on our vehicles while they’re on the move,” reports fleet manager Markus Struss. “If pressure loss is registered at a reader station, we automatically receive an SMS and an email to alert us.” Struss can then contact the driver and arrange a workshop visit. In this way, all 720 trailer tyres for the Eggers fleet are kept well monitored and can help bring the cargo on board the vehicles to its destination safely and on schedule.
