Continental introduces tyre solution for port application
Bigger, faster, safer, greener, smarter; based on the five major trends for the future of ports, Continental, the leading automotive, tyre and technology company, has announced its latest developments for the port industry, unveiling new Port Plus compound for V.ply tyres. With this advancement, Continental is expanding its port tyre portfolio which already includes innovative solutions – ContiConnect and ContiPressureCheck digital tyre monitoring platforms for commercial fleets. In addition to the V.ply tyres, Continental’s radial tyres for port applications and ContiConnect will be available in the Middle East by 2019.
Continental’s port tyre and solutions portfolio has been specifically engineered to meet the safety standards, weather, road, payload and driving requirements in the Middle East. One of the causes of tyre failure in this region is the build-up of heat in tyres due to lack of maintenance. Ambient temperatures in the region often exceed 45°C in the summer, increasing wear and reducing durability of standard tyres.
Jose Luis de la Fuente, managing director of Continental Middle East commented on the new product offerings which will launch in the region next year: “Continental are always looking at ways to innovate technologies and improve safety standards for our customers. In the Middle East, over half of measured trucks and trailers are under-inflated, resulting in road safety risks and unpredictable costs for fleets. We believe that the new port radial tyres coming to the region next year, combined with our new digital technology, ContiPressureCheck and ContiConnect, will contribute to enhancing tyre safety in the Middle East.”
Pick-and-Stack applications: New Port Plus compound for longer life of the V.ply tyre portfolio
Continental is offering the V.ply tyre portfolio with a new Port Plus compound, a composite that reduces heat generation and abrasion, the two primary causes of tyre wear, to significantly extend tyre life.
In ports, there is a distinction between central tasks – pick and stack applications on the one hand and load-and-carry applications on the other – where all tasks require different vehicles, each with specific demands. In pick-and-stack applications, vehicles are not only used to load and unload containers, but have also to do a lot of short distance driving that require a high frequency of turning on the spot. The focus of the tyre development, therefore, needs to be the reduction of abrasion and the subsequent tyre wear it causes.
Load-and-Carry Applications: Radial tyres will complete the port portfolio from mid-2019
The radial tyre portfolio will be available with integrated tyre sensor in preparation for the digital solutions ContiPressureCheck and ContiConnect, which will be launched in the region mid-2019. Other than picking and stacking containers, vehicles in ports may also operate in applications that involve driving over longer distances and at higher constant speeds. Heat build-up is the biggest challenge and the main reason for high maintenance costs and vehicle downtime.
Digital solutions: ContiPressureCheck and ContiConnect for efficiency and safety in the port industry
Safety and efficiency are the key success factors in the port business. However, tyres with low air pressure are still a common cause of breakdowns. To ensure the correct tyre pressure and temperature, Continental has developed the digital tyre pressure monitoring systems ContiPressureCheck for individual vehicles and ContiConnect for fleets. Continental tyre sensors are at the core of both systems. The intelligent sensors constantly measure temperature and pressure from inside the tyre and provide data which is then displayed on a handheld tool, on a screen in the driver’s cabin or on a web portal overseeing the fleet. The alerts and notifications let the fleet operators know which tyres need immediate attention.
