Lafarge Tarmac inflated by win
British Precast Sustainability Champion award for company’s Automatic Tyre Inflation System (ATIS)
LAFARGE Tarmac have scooped the British Precast Concrete Association’s ‘Sustainability Champions 2013’ award for their innovative Automatic Tyre Inflation System (ATIS).
The company has invested in ATIS, which continually monitors and adjusts the air pressure in tyres, across their fleet of bulk cement tankers and says many benefits are already being seen.
Crucially, the introduction of ATIS is advantageous for Lafarge Tarmac’s customers, as it allows drivers to travel longer distances without refuelling, making the delivery service faster and more flexible.
The judges recognized that the system addresses a challenge in environmental resource efficiency in transport and felt that the overall environmental and financial savings were substantial.
The award ceremony was attended by more than 400 people and Lafarge Tarmac’s entry was considered to offer the ‘best practice sustainability initiative’.
Since introducing the system the business has increased its miles to the gallon by 1% and reduced fuel consumption by 3–4% across the fleet.
Using ATIS has also extended the lifecycle of the business’ fleet by 20% and saved downtime and maintenance associated with blow-out damage.
From a safety perspective, ATIS delivers significant benefits as it removes the need for roadside repairs and allows vehicles to return safely to the depot for necessary tyre changes.
Commenting on the win, Lafarge Tarmac’s transport manager, Andrew Brodley, said: ‘The ATIS system has many strong sustainability benefits and can easily be retrofitted to most vehicle types. It also provides our drivers with valuable peace of mind while they are on long journeys, when punctures could seriously impact their work.’
On behalf of the judges, Martin Clarke, chief executive of the British Precast Concrete Federation, said: ‘We were pleased to award Lafarge Tarmac with the 2013 associate member ‘Sustainability Champion’ award. The award is an important one which reminds all parts of our supply chain, upstream and downstream, that they have a valuable contribution to make in reducing environmental impact.
‘The Lafarge Tarmac ATIS entry was a very strong one. The judges were impressed by the potential for transferability across the industry and by the win-win of lower fuel costs and reduced capital cost.’
