Reaching new sustainability heights by saving tyres
Fonterra’s reaching new sustainability and safety heights by the way it’s saving tanker tyres. By changing the way it monitors tyre tread wear, for greater optimisation, 2,900 tyres have been saved over the course of one year.
When stacked one on top of the other, the number of saved tyres surpasses the highest point of the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
Fonterra’s done this by partnering with its tyre supplier Carters Tyre Service in 2020, launching the National Transport Sustained Tyre Reduction project.
Tyre Management System TMS tablet
It’s been a huge success. Through the partnership, the new Days to Pull Point (DTPP) process was developed - a collaboration between Fonterra and tyre technicians to capture data using Carters exclusive Tyre Management System (TMS) technology.
At least every 30 days, tyre technicians undertake a tread depth check using an electronic probe paired to the TMS tablet that captures data for every wheel position. This is analysed against known fleet specific odometer readings and the report is then sent to each depot providing a plan in 30-day blocks as to when tyres in each of those wheel positions need to be changed.
It’s great to see an initiative that can reduce tyre usage, which is not only better for the environment through recycling and saving tyres, but also good for economic reasons.
Tyres that have been identified through use of the TMS tablet driven system as no longer fit for purpose are then sent to the Wiri Tyre Waste Management plant to be recycled. The new process is great for sustainability but has also had a positive impact on safety too because it means fewer of the tyres, weighing approximately 60kg each, fail in service on-route, due to such things as a “blow out”.
Tyre technician, Connor Adams has personally contributed to a reduction of 111 tyres. “It’s great to see an initiative that can reduce tyre usage, which is not only better for the environment through recycling and saving tyres, but also good for economic reasons”, says Connor.
Saving 2,900 tyres hasn’t been the only achievement through our tyre journey - out of the 20,000 tyres purchased in FY2021, 13,000 were re-treads, meaning the Co-op only purchased 7,000 new tyres.
In terms of sustainability achievements, we’ve been able to reduce 247 tonnes of CO2 emissions, additionally saving 75,000 litres of crude oil used to manufacture tyres.
Tyre technician Connor Adams
What next?
In the coming years, aspirations for the project are focused on strong recycling efforts with used tyres. All tyre waste will be recycled, including an amount which we envisage may re-enter the production cycle in the making of new tyres, completing the recycling process end-to-end.