Putting the Customer First
First published in the November 2024 issue of Quarry Management
Kirkby Tyres have more than 60 years’ experience and expertise in off-the-road (OTR) wholesale tyre distribution throughout the UK and Ireland. With quarry/waste-recycling operators under constant pressure to reduce costs and increase productivity, we spoke to Jason Hambley, earthmover, waste, and port tyre specialist at Kirkby Tyres, about the importance of embracing client centricity, building long-term relationships and creating value for their customers
In today’s cost-conscious climate, nothing is more important for mineral extractives operators than maintaining fleet performance and machinery uptime. For any aggregate operation to be carried out effectively, it is imperative that every stage in the process runs with maximum productivity, reliability, and efficiency.
In the load and haul cycle, preventing downtime with a proactive tyre-maintenance strategy is a key prerequisite in most quarries, waste-recycling depots, and open-pit mines. One of the biggest challenges facing quarry operators and fleet managers is being able to deliver the lowest cost-per-tonne production in the most environmentally friendly and safest-possible way.
Optimizing construction/earthmoving equipment availability is the key to success, and a major part of achieving this success depends on whether a rigorous maintenance schedule or asset-management strategy is in place, with particular attention being paid to OTR tyres. Earthmover tyres typically account for up to 30% of haulage operating costs in quarries, so having the right tyre for the right job/application, together with proactive tyre maintenance, is crucial.
Northwest-based Kirkby Tyres are one of the very few tyre wholesalers in the country that help quarry/heavy equipment operators and earthmover tyre dealers get the most out of their OTR tyres. Since its inception in 1958, the family-run business has grown rapidly to become one of the largest stockists and suppliers of off-highway tyres/wheel solutions in the UK and Ireland.
With more than 100,000 tyres in stock (most at their Liverpool headquarters, with additional warehousing facilities in Dublin) across 2,200 different tread patterns and 2,300 tyre sizes, Kirkby Tyres are a well-regarded and trusted distributor of high-quality tyres for a wide range of industry sectors, including construction, quarrying, agriculture, and port handling.
The tyre wholesaler, however, is not just recognized for providing a comprehensive range of OTR/specialist tyres for dumptrucks, wheel loaders, material handlers, agricultural tractors, skid-steers etc., an important and growing part of Kirkby Tyre’s business strategy is to provide an unrivalled total-support offering to their customers.
‘From the beginning, our business ethos has always been to supply top-quality tyre products and offer first-class customer service in the markets that we serve – and today the company still follows that same simple model,’ said Jason Hambley, earthmover, waste, and port tyre specialist at Kirkby Tyres.
‘The continued success of the business is, and has always been, built on working in partnership with our customers, to ensure they not only purchase the right quality of tyre for the job, but are also offered the best-possible tailored service, ranging from pre-planning and tyre sourcing right through to enhanced fleet performance and reduced downtime.
‘As a forward-thinking and sustainability-driven organization, we are always looking at innovative ways of improving fuel efficiency, minimizing overall running costs, increasing vehicle/equipment uptime, and achieving impressive throughputs for our clients. It’s a reputation that we’re very keen to maintain and build on in the OTR tyre market, as we evolve into being a far more customer-centric business.’
Looking at the broader picture, purchasing heavy-duty earthmover tyres is a huge investment and part of Jason Hambley’s role at Kirkby Tyres is to make regular visits to quarries, waste-recycling facilities, and customer dealer sites to evaluate tyre performance and give advice on how to get the best performance out of their mobile plant assets.
‘In today’s earthmoving plant market, where customers have more choices than ever before, being customer-centric is vitally important for our business to stay relevant and build long-term relationships with our clients,’ he explained. ‘For us to compete in the OTR tyre market, we need to be a lot more proactive. Improved customer care, better delivery management of earthmover tyres, and leveraging data analytics and customer insights are all part of our sales offering.’
Indeed, this client-centric approach has allowed Kirkby Tyres to cultivate a loyal customer base, drive repeat business, and create value for their customers – rather than solely focusing on tyre products or sales.
According to Mr Hambley, data-driven analytics and client insights are essential tools for achieving customer centricity, and in the off-highway tyre market this can be as simple as giving advice on the optimum tyre pressure for the application, when tyres need to be changed, or carrying out a visual inspection of the loading/unloading areas and haul roads.
‘What makes Kirkby Tyres different in the earthmover tyre market is the relationship we have with the customer at all points in their business,’ emphasized Mr Hambley. ‘Whether it is helping them to maximize OTR tyre performance, extend tyre life, improve safety, or increase mobile equipment uptime, our cradle-to-grave approach provides customers with an opportunity to operate with greater efficiency and, ultimately, reduce the total cost of ownership.’
Bright future
Kirkby Tyres have recently announced multi-million-pound investment plans to further expand their head offices, warehousing, and storage facilities in Liverpool. The additional 200,000ft2 of warehousing space, bringing the total to 500,000ft2 – across a 20-acre site – will enable the company to store even more tyre products.
This expansion supports an ‘off-the-shelf’ stock service, providing faster turnaround times for new tyre orders for customers and supplier partners across the earthmoving, industrial, agriculture, forestry, HGV, and transport sectors.
‘We are reinvesting in the business to ensure that we continue to offer the best-possible customer service,’ said Mr Hambley. ‘It’s a very exciting time for us – the extended premises will allow us to hold even more stock and better serve our customers in the UK and Ireland market with considerably extended distribution and warehousing capabilities.’
In recognition of their strong commitment to quality, innovation, and customer service in the UK tyre sector, Kirkby Tyres achieved double success at the 2024 National Tyre Distribution Association (NTDA) Tyre Industry Awards, winning both the Tyre Wholesaler of the Year and Truck and Agriculture Tyre Supplier of the Year categories.
Jason Hambley told QM: ‘We are absolutely over the moon and proud with the recent NTDA awards, because these prestigious accolades, once again, demonstrate our proven track record of supplying high-quality tyres and an unwavering commitment to improving performance, driving innovation, and delivering more efficient and effective customer services.’
In keeping with Kirkby Tyres’ ethos of quality – the wholesaler’s construction/quarrying equipment customers can expect the very best brands and latest OTR tyre innovations in the company’s extensive inventory. The business stocks a comprehensive range of heavy-duty earthmover tyres from all the leading tyre manufacturers, including those from BKT, one of the world’s leading off-highway tyre manufacturers.
‘We are exclusive distributors of the BKT EARTHMAX OTR and AIROMAX high-speed crane tyres, and BKT port tyres range which bring significant benefits to our valued customers, granting them immediate access to a huge range of quality BKT tyre products,’ said Mr Hambley. ‘It underscores our commitment to providing class-leading and innovative off-road tyres and unparalleled support to our customers.’
Moving forward, Jason Hambley is clearly optimistic and excited by the future growth potential for Kirkby Tyres and the opportunities in the quarrying, waste-recycling, earthmoving, and port segments.
Subscribe to Quarry Management, the monthly journal for the mineral products industry, to read articles before they appear on Agg-Net.com
