ATS EUROMASTER The Little Gold Book

ATS EUROMASTER
The Little Gold Book
50 years of fleet management expertise
2015
2000
1984
First PPK (Pence
per Kilometre)
contract established
Central Birminghambased Customer Service
Centre opens, offering a
one-call national line for
customers
ATS Euromaster celebrates
its 50th anniversary
1991
1965
The Euromaster
name is trademarked
and ATS joins the
Euromaster Group
ATS Euromaster
becomes the only
national tyre specialist
to be awarded RoSPA
Gold accreditation
Michelin forms
Associated Tyre
Specialists after
buying a number of
small independent
businesses
2002
ATS is rebranded
as ATS Euromaster
1986
The first computers are
introduced into ATS centres
1974
ATS buys 70
UK tyre centres
from Uniroyal
2014
2009
ATS Euromaster becomes the
first national tyre specialist
to be accredited by both
SAFEcontractor and CHAS
Since we began trading in 1965, ATS Euromaster has dedicated itself to providing expert advice for
fleets of all sizes. Now in 2015, our 50th birthday year and golden anniversary, we are delighted
to bring together some of those snippets of expertise into a handy, bite-sized format to support
commercial vehicle fleet managers in optimising of the use of their assets and delivering efficiencies..
ATS Euromaster is committed to helping drive down the cost of fleet management, improve
productivity and keep you on the road for longer – with the focus on doing those things as
conveniently as possible for you. It’s how we’ve worked for half a century and in that time we’ve
earned the trust of thousands of fleet managers who rely on us to get the very most from their fleet.
We want to make sure you get outstanding customer care with the greatest of ease.
This guide has been designed as a quick reference, to support your fleet management, whether you
have responsibility for vans, trucks – or a mixed fleet that perhaps has a policy for one type of vehicle
but not another. It’s a handy reminder to keep of what’s really important for your fleet, and with more
than 340 ATS Euromaster centres nationwide and more than 820 mobile service vans, there’s always
an honest expert nearby who can give you instant access to five decades of experience.
Peter Allen
Managing Director
ATS Euromaster
COST
CONTROL
Establish a tyre policy
and keep to it
Having a formal tyre policy for your fleet is essential,
otherwise you could be paying over the odds for
your rubber. A well-chosen tyre policy, managed by a
professional service provider and reviewed regularly, could save you a fortune
in running costs. Standardising on one brand of tyres may also enable a better
purchase price to be negotiated, plus expert tyre maintenance will help ensure
the maximum life from every single asset.
Your service provider should be able to adhere to your agreed policy regardless
of whether it’s a routine replacement, or a roadside call-out at 2am on a
weekend. And if they can’t meet your KPIs for brand policy adherence, ensure
you find one which can. ATS Euromaster customers have an average policy
fitment adherence rate ranging from 86% to 91% on premium brands.
Work out your lifetime costs
When you’ve been in business for 50 years, you learn to appreciate the long
view. Don’t just look at the upfront costs of your fleet. ‘Save now, pay later’
particularly applies to trucks and we can help with the decision between
investing in the total cost of ownership benefits of premium tyres or fitting
cheaper alternatives. How your team drives, the type of tyres you use, and
whether you choose to regroove and retread can also have a significant impact
on your long-term costs.
Work out how these add up with our Service Value Calculator – quick calculations
are available at www.atseuromaster.co.uk/business/trucks/calculators. If you
then want to dig deeper, an ATS Euromaster account manager can give you a
complete personalised breakdown of your future costs.
Reduce tyre spend through
proactive servicing
Many truck tyres have multiple lives for those who want to make the very
most out of their rubber without compromising on performance or safety.
Regrooving can extend the life of a tyre by as much as 25%, and because a
regrooved tyre extends the tyre’s life in its most fuel-efficient state, it saves
fuel too.
In addition, twinning and turning on the rim means your tyres wear more evenly,
be it premium or budget tyres, increasing mileage by as much as 20%. All
those savings will add up across a fleet and deliver a notable difference to your
bottom line.
Don’t put yourself
under pressure
Under-inflated tyres cost more than you might
realise. A 4x2 artic with tyres between 10% and
20% underinflated on long-haul work, for example,
uses approximately 1.25% more fuel. This may not
sound a lot but over a year, across a whole fleet,
quickly adds up. Plus, it’s not just fuel you’ll be
wasting. Underinflated tyres suffer from increased
abrasion, meaning they wear out more quickly
– and will need replacing more often. Driving on
tyres at the correct pressure also reduces the risk
of an accident.
Regular checks will ensure your tyres remain at
optimum pressure. For further peace of mind with
van tyres, consider using nitrogen rather than air.
Nitrogen molecules pass through the sidewalls
more slowly, ensuring the correct tyre pressure
is maintained for longer; and it’s readily available
across our network.
Consider an alternative
to franchised dealers
Having all the service and repair work on your vans
carried out by a franchised independent dealer
may not be the most sensible bet. Look for local
and alternative options and you could reduce your
maintenance bill significantly, whilst still enjoying
outstanding customer care and technical expertise.
With ATS Euromaster, unlike most franchised
dealers, you don’t need an appointment. Just pull
onto the forecourt and we’ll do our best to fit you
in straightaway. We even carry a comprehensive
range of stock at each location, and can usually
have non-stocked items delivered on the same
day. We’re far more than tyre experts too;
our skills for light commercials extend to allmakes servicing at the majority of our centres
nationwide. We also offer both Class 4 and Class
7 MOT testing in centres across the network.
Plus, we can recharge air conditioning, replace
exhausts, shock absorbers and batteries, drain
and replace the oil – or simply service the brakes if
that’s all that is required.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Over the
last five years
we’ve invested
£50 million upgrading
and improving our
centres
We hold a Royal Warrant
as tyre specialists to Her
Majesty The Queen. This
was recently reviewed by the
Royal Household Warrants
Committee and extended
until 2018
ATS Euromaster
research revealed
truck tyres which are up
to 20% underinflated could
cost up to £555 extra in
fuel per vehicle per year
and reduce overall
tyre life
IMPROVED
UPTIME
Routine fleet inspections
Regular inspections allow you to keep tabs on your tyres
and anticipate any problems or maintenance requirements
in advance, supporting duty-of-care and ensuring legal
compliance. They allow you to schedule tyre maintenance
and replacement when it is convenient to take a vehicle
off the road, and let you make effective contingency plans to minimise vehicle
downtime. With regular electronic fleet inspections from ATS Euromaster, you get
an email breakdown of the required work from experts you can trust, plus regular
reminders of when it’s time to check your fleet again.
Such inspections are increasingly important now for light commercial vehicle
operators. Van tyres are not a low cost investment and the operational cost
structure of a van fleet can be similar to running trucks. Plus, vans must often
make timed deliveries, so regular inspections are crucial to maximise productivity
and uptime.
Have back-up you can trust, 24/7
When there’s a tyre failure at the roadside, that vehicle needs to get back on the road
as quickly as possible. You also need to be able to trust that whoever is providing the
assistance is an expert who will arrive at the scene with the precise tyre you require,
and then work quickly and safely to get your vehicle moving again quickly.
ATS Euromaster offers 24/7 roadside rapid response tyre-related breakdown cover,
wherever you are in the country. One call to a Freephone number answered in our
Birmingham customer service centre is all it takes to get a highly trained technician
on their way to you – usually in less than an hour.
Expertise based on 50 years
of successful trading
50 years of working on cars, vans, trucks and items of plant means our engineers
have a wealth of experience across every vehicle type. Euromaster has fitted more
than 80 million tyres across Europe the last decade alone! No matter how complex
your challenge or unusual your vehicle, ATS Euromaster will have almost certainly
seen it all before.
That expertise means you can be sure any work we undertake will be carried out to
the highest standard and you can be sure that your vehicle will be back out on the
road as quickly as possible.
We’re always happy to give advice; it is a free service, and we’ll gladly work with
you to find the best solution.
Take advantage
of seasonal
health checks
Fleets told us they wanted the added
reassurance of an experienced technician
inspecting their vehicles more regularly, given
today’s increasingly lengthier service intervals.
That’s why we launched our £20 vehicle health
check offer, available nationwide, which includes
a levels check for oil, clutch fluid, brake fluid,
power-steering fluid and screen wash, with free
top-ups (as appropriate). Technicians also inspect
the dashboard for warning lights, operation of the
air-conditioning system, horn, lights, drive belts,
wiper blades, washer jets and cooling system.
They also remove all wheels for a thorough
brake inspection, plus clean and lubricate battery
connections where required.
We think it’s the best £20 a fleet can invest in a
vehicle, supporting duty of care and helping to
protect against breakdowns.
Encourage better
driver practice
Doubtless your vehicles are well-specified and
looked after, and your drivers are highly skilled
– but in our long experience, we know even the
most focused driver can make mistakes.
With a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles, we work
to encourage good driving practice across our
fleet and have seen the benefits in minimising
damage and maximising fuel efficiency. Hitting
kerbs or running across potholes might seem
fairly minor, but the damage they do to tyres can
be costly and the impact on wheel alignment can
quickly reduce the fuel efficiency of a vehicle.
If that’s common across a fleet of dozens or
even hundreds of trucks or vans, you could be
looking at thousands of pounds wasted on fuel
use, not to mention reduced tyre life. Our wheel
alignment and balancing services can rectify the
damage and reduce the impact of these issues.
DID YOU
KNOW?
25% of
vehicles are
at risk of battery
failure every
winter
50% of vans fail an
MOT at the first attempt,
the vast majority due to
bulbs and brakes, which
could be picked up in a
vehicle health check to
avoid downtime
Winter tyres
provide enhanced
mobility and safety
when temperatures
drop to 7°C and below,
not just when it
snows
Texaco research
found that just 8% of
truck fleets were fitting
low rolling resistance
‘Energy Saving’ tyres as
a measure to improve
fuel efficiency.
Mobile fitting
CONVENIENCE
Half a century ago, if you wanted to buy
something, you would have to make a trip to a
shop specifically to purchase it. Now you can
order whatever you like while sat on your sofa
and it’ll come straight to your door. It’s the same
with tyre fitting – no need struggle to get vehicles to a garage for routine
work to be carried out, when a mobile technician can visit your site?
Our mobile offer means that your tyres are fitted at a time and place
convenient to you. You get the same honest, expert advice you’d expect
at a centre, and remedial work can usually be carried out the same day.
Plus, with more than 820 service vans on the road – the largest fleet of
its kind in the country – you won’t have to wait long for support.
Insist on having dedicated
account managers
Good business is built on good relationships – how can you build
trust and understanding if you’re just a name on a spreadsheet?
Having a dedicated account manager that manages your relationship
throughout the duration of a contract means having someone who truly
understands the unique pressures and challenges facing your fleet.
They can help develop the right expert solution for you, by exploring
all the relevant avenues for reducing your running costs and vehicle
downtime.
Our small fleet customers enjoy a direct relationship with their local
centre manager, while customers with larger fleets are visited regularly
by an area sales manager or key account manager depending on the
size of their operation. Major national fleets are supported by our
national team.
Nationwide centre network
You never know where your fleet may take you, even if you primarily
only operate locally. So having a national support network offering a
consistently high level of service is crucial.
ATS Euromaster has grown from a handful of centres to more than
340 across the country today, with each and every one employing
experienced technicians who all meet our high standards. In addition,
we boast the UK’s largest mobile service fleet of more than 820 vans.
Find your local centre on our website at www.atseuromaster.co.uk
Pre-book
appointments online
Make sure planned maintenance is scheduled, by
taking advantage of our pre-booked appointments.
By pre-booking your vehicle in for new tyres,
servicing or an MOT, you can visit at time that is
most convenient for you and fit it in to your busy
schedule.
Every day, there are more than 2,500 slots
exclusively for online bookings available across our
network and by booking ahead, you can provide
advance notice of tyre size, brand and tread pattern
required, so we will have the right stock in place to
complete the work quickly and efficiently.
Work with firms
that have all safety
expertise / accreditations
you need
Leaving critical work to those who can’t prove
their ability to carry out the job safely is a risk.
All reputable service providers should be able to
prove their ability to carry out the job safely and in
accordance with your safety standards.
Check to ensure that whoever is servicing your
vehicle or working on your site meets nationally
accredited standards such as Safecontractor and
the Contractors Health and Safety Scheme (CHAS),
which indicates work will be carried out in a safe,
competent manner. Also, look out for recognition
from the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents (RoSPA). The RoSPA Gold Award is
awarded only to organisations that prove they can
consistently deliver the highest levels of safety in
the UK. We are very proud to be the only national
tyre specialist in the country to achieve RoSPA’s
highest accolade.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Our Customer
Service Centre in
central Birmingham is
open 24/7/365, to deal
with tyre emergencies
and keep your vehicle
moving
As part of the
Euromaster Group,
we give you access to
more than 2,300 centres
across 17 European
countries
INCREASED
PRODUCTIVITY
Get the experts to
manage your tyres
Tyre management is a specialist discipline
and one where professional expertise really
pays dividends. If you’re a fleet manager, you
want your business to be getting the most out of your fleet – and have the
peace of mind in knowing the tyres across your fleet are well maintained and
in safe condition.
Our experience in tyre management means you can be sure that your tyres always
deliver the maximum efficiency with the minimum of fuss. That means you can
get on with your business, safe in the knowledge your tyres are in good hands.
Guarantee mobility year-round
Snow and ice can cause regular disruption and unexpected cost for fleets
during the winter months. That’s why we advise van fleets fit cold weather
tyres between October and March. These specialist fitments use a higher
concentration of silica than summer tyres to prevent the rubber hardening when
the temperature drops below 7°C, together with a specially designed tread pattern
which ensures they provide better grip, handling and reduced braking distances in
the cold – as well as on wet, snow and ice covered roads.
For car-derived vans, we recommend the all-new Michelin CrossClimate tyres, the
only summer tyres certified for winter use. They offer impressive braking in dry
conditions combined with the top ‘A’ rating for wet braking under European tyre
labelling legislation, keeping your fleet safe year-round. Michelin Cross Climate
tyres will be available for larger van sizes in the future.
For trucks, there’s little requirement to fit dedicated ‘snow’ tyres unless you are
venturing into countries which require them. However, look for tyres featuring the
Three Peaks Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol on the sidewall. Fitments like
the X Multi range from Michelin guarantee to have reached a minimum level of
performance in winter conditions, proven by a standardised test on snow.
Make the most of your time
We’ve spent millions of pounds upgrading our centre network over the last few
years to deliver a great customer experience. Clean, bright waiting areas with
comfy seating and free Wi-Fi make for a perfect working environment – so
bring your laptop, tablet or smartphone with you, and stay connected throughout
your visit.
On occasions when you do need to visit one of our centres, make sure your time –
or the time of your staff member visiting – is put to best use.
Use the right
tyre for the job
/ fuel efficient tyres
The tyres your new van or truck is delivered
on are not necessarily going to be best-suited
to your particular operation.
Today, customers have never had access to
such a wide choice of different tread patterns
on the market. With trucks in particular, most
manufacturers offer a choice of tyres when
you place your order. Sometimes there might
be a small specification charge, but you’ll
more than recoup this money if your tyres
last longer and are better suited to the work
you carry out.
If your vehicles regularly operate at high
average speeds on major trunk roads, fitting
the latest generation of long-distance fuelsaving tyres will enable you to save money
at the pumps. Tyre labelling ratings will help
you compare different tyres but they don’t
tell the full story. Our experts can recommend
the tyres most suited to your needs taking
tyre labelling and other factors into account.
Embrace new
technology in
the fleet sector
In 1965, Britain’s most popular van was the
Ford Transit. It’s still the most popular van
today – but the pace of technology means
the only thing the two vehicles really have
in common is four wheels and a name.
New technologies such as alternative-fuel
vehicles, lane departure warning alarms
and tyre pressure monitoring systems
have arrived over the past 50 years and
transformed safety and efficiency. Don’t be
frightened of adopting these, but make sure
you work carefully with honest suppliers to
provide you with the support you need to
make the most of them.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Air-con
systems can lose
up to 15% of their
refrigerant gas
every year
You can
follow us on
Twitter on
@ATS_business
for the latest fleet
management offers,
news and tips
HONESTY AND
EXPERTISE
YOU CAN
COUNT ON.
ALWAYS.
Maximising fleet uptime is essential to productivity and
profitability. At ATS Euromaster we use all of our experience
and the very latest technology to keep our customers’ fleets
rolling. Every single day.
We offer:
• Unrivalled accessibility – 98% of our centres accommodate
large panel vans
• 24/7 roadside rapid response for tyre-related breakdowns
(72 minutes average response time in 2014)
• The UK’s largest mobile tyre fitting service
• Full accreditation by SAFEcontractor and CHAS
• Regular fleet inspections to maximise your safety and duty of care
• A dedicated cold weather tyre offering
Call 0870 066 3624 today to see how we can help your
business and put us to the test.