With a multimedia event featuring videos, demonstrations and battle-plan descriptions from company officials, Continental is charging ahead with its “Continental Revolution,” a debut endeavor designed to improve the product, service and training offerings for the commercial tire segment.
At the Mid-America Trucking Show, the company declared “a new commitment to its partnership with fleet customers” by introducing five new tires, programs designed to reduce overall driving costs and a state-of-the-art mobile classroom.
“Continental has an amazing opportunity to move to another level and to better serve our customers, moving beyond the public perception that we are the ‘best kept secret’ in the industry,” says Paul Williams, executive vice president of the commercial tire division. “We are ready to deliver the lowest overall driving cost to our fleet customers, and are taking our message of product performance, service and people to the market.”
The firm’s “Untamed Innovation Tour” represents “an unprecedented opportunity to take advantage of the need for fleet customers to lower their costs in today’s economic conditions,” he notes.
An expanded sales force in its commercial division, increased by 50 percent this year, will deliver expanded customer service, says Shaun Uys, director of replacement sales.
As part of a commitment to demonstrably lower fuel cost, Uys also announced a new “Beat the Best” fuel saving contest for commercial vehicles. Until May 15, select fleets will register their comparative fuel consumption rates between a truck using Continental tires and an identical rig using tires from any other national brand on a dedicated Internet site in order to win prize packages and media exposure for the lowest fuel consumption in gallons-per-100 miles.
“The fuel savings capability of our tires is evident, not just in our engineering technologies of reduced rolling resistance and improved compounding, but also in practice,” Uys explains. “We’re giving our customers the chance to demonstrate how our tires help fleets reduce their operating costs through one of the most important functions a tire can achieve.”
Enhancements to Continental’s fuel savings calculator have resulted in a new name along with increased value to fleet customers, according to Tom Fanning, director of original equipment sales. This ContiCostCalculator will be launched next month in both desktop and Internet-based formats.
“It takes into account the tire’s purchase price, mileage and rolling resistance to give truck fleets a true comparison of total tire cost. When fuel savings are compared with overall tire mileage, fleets that increase total miles per gallon will save on cost of ownership compared to additional running miles,” Fanning says.
“Also critical to lowering overall driving cost is an efficient tire maintenance program, and Continental is launching the ContiTireManagement program to address this need,” reports Clif Armstrong, director of commercial vehicle tire marketing. The effort is based on “industry best practices” for the tire manufacturer, the fleet and the tire dealer, he asserts.
ContiTireManagement uses an online portal for the company’s field sales teams and select Continental tire dealers to create individual tire maintenance programs tailored to the fleet to help lower overall driving expenses.
Fleets will also benefit from the new ContiFleet program, providing access to nationwide emergency road service for owner-operators and small fleet owners, according to Armstrong. “Truckers who join ContiFleet can access 24-hour emergency road services via the Continental TrukFix hotline, and also receive guaranteed emergency service pricing, access to towing and mechanical work and information on tire maintenance best practices.”
The “Continental Revolution” continued at the trucking show with the release of five new commercial tires: A redesign to its regional steer tire, the HSR2; a new over-the-highway long haul drive tire called the HDL2 DL; a more fuel-efficient HTL Eco Plus trailer tire; a new heavy steer urban tire, the HSU2; and a new wide-based super single trailer tire named the HTL1.
Armstrong explains that these five new tires are based on designs from customer feedback aimed at helping fleet managers achieve their lowest overall driving costs.
The Untamed Innovation Tour consists of a new 83-foot mobile tire information center featuring product samples, rolling resistance demonstrations, a movie theater, driving games and touch-screen explanations of Continental’s tire technologies.
Now ready to roll, this mobile classroom “is taking the Continental message on the road to customers, fleets and dealers across the country,” says Armstrong. The vehicle, a fully-loaded truck with an attached tractor trailer and outdoor display area, features award-winning graphics and custom detailing by the Chrome Shop Mafia.
“All of these programs represent a revolution in the way that Continental customers will experience our technologies and commitment to customer service,” Armstrong observes. “We recognize that in today’s economy, it is time for revolutionary thinking and strategies to continue to increase fuel efficiency and lower overall driving costs. We think Continental’s customers will be excited to learn about the ‘Continental Revolution’ and how it will impact their bottom line.”
For more information, visit www.conti-na.com.
