At KSZ's head office in Moerdijk, four people joined the conversation: Richard Valkenburg, Commercial Director of KSZ Transport, Alexander Lang, Commercial Director of DBS, Jos Stolk, account manager at Profile DBS, and Peter de Werker, responsible for service at Profile DBS Moerdijk.

They are no strangers to one another; the partnership with Profile goes back years and has grown along with KSZ. KSZ started out as Koerier Service Zeeland, but has since become a full-fledged transport company working in food, pharma, conditioned transport and retail distribution, among others. On the Moerdijk industrial estate that growth is plain to see. Not far from the current site, a new head office is going up, and the fleet is expanding too.

That fleet now consists of a hundred lorries, and twenty electric vehicles will join them shortly. Good tyre management is becoming more important with every addition. The vehicles cover around 100,000 kilometres a year on average, and some 95 per cent of the transport takes place within the Benelux. 'Retail distribution is a major part of our business,' Richard says. 'And that work goes on seven days a week. Standing still costs money.'

Profile DBS Moerdijk: the day-to-day service
Profile DBS Moerdijk handles a large part of the daily tyre service. For Richard, being close by is a real advantage. 'Profile DBS Moerdijk is just around the corner. The lines to Peter are short: one phone call and it is arranged. Profile DBS is a partner we can always turn to, but above all a partner that understands the field we work in.'

Peter and his team carry out the service wherever the vehicles happen to be. That may be at KSZ itself, but equally at a maintenance partner. With three fully equipped service vans, the team can work at different locations. 'I try to keep as much as possible in my own hands,' Peter says. 'We know the customer and we know what is needed. If something happens outside our own area, we can fall back on the national service network.'

One fleet, two locations
KSZ's lorries are not only based in Moerdijk. For the vehicles around Culemborg, Profile DBS works together with Profile Nout Culemborg. Both work to the same service agreements, while Profile DBS keeps central oversight. 'The service agreements we made with KSZ are carried out by our colleagues in Culemborg as well,' Jos says. 'The information comes together with us and we keep the overview centrally.'

For KSZ, that mainly means convenience. Richard: 'If something is not running properly, the lines are short and it is sorted out just as quickly.'

Checking before a problem arises
Tyre service within this partnership means more than reacting when a lorry is stranded. At least twice a year the fleet is inspected during a fleet check, in which the mechanics look at tread depth, tyre pressure and visible damage, among other things.

Tyre pressure is corrected on the spot where needed. If damage is found that calls for action, arrangements are made immediately to repair or replace the tyre. That way problems are spotted early and work is scheduled before it disrupts the daily operation. 'The lorries need to be driving as much as possible,' Peter says. 'That is why our mechanics have fixed routes. As soon as there are vehicles standing still that need maintenance, we deal with them straight away.'

KSZ's new premises will make that easier still. At weekends, sixty to seventy vehicles are expected to be at the new Moerdijk site and around fifty near Culemborg. That will allow maintenance to be planned even more precisely, at moments when vehicles are not needed for transport.

LingLong: a tyre for intensive use
The choice of tyre is a deliberate one too. Within the current partnership, KSZ uses LingLong truck tyres. Various brands and price levels were compared beforehand.

'Tyres are a considerable cost for us,' Richard explains. 'So you want to know which tyre suits the work, but also what makes financial sense. Together with Profile we have now chosen LingLong, and so far we are very satisfied.'

In retail distribution, tyres take a beating. Vehicles manoeuvre constantly, reverse, and turn regularly in narrow streets and at cramped loading points. Richard: 'There is a great deal of steering and turning. The tyres take quite a load, but so far they are simply doing fine.' The workshop's experience with LingLong is positive as well. Peter: 'Drivers are not coming back with complaints about vibration, steering or handling. For us that is an important first signal.'

It is still too early for firm conclusions about mileage and cost per kilometre; the tyres have not been in use long enough for that. Which is precisely why Profile and KSZ will keep following their performance over the period ahead.

Growing with the fleet
The next development is already on the doorstep. KSZ is adding twenty electric lorries to the fleet and fitting out the new site with charging infrastructure. Because of their weight and drivetrain, among other things, electric vehicles need different tyres from non-electric ones.

Profile wants to keep following that development together with KSZ. New monitoring systems, TPMS and further digitalisation of tyre measurements can yield more and more information about the condition and performance of the fleet. 'KSZ is open to innovation,' Jos says. 'If there are new products or techniques, we can discuss them and test them together if we want. That makes it interesting to look to the future together as well.'

For Alexander, the value lies above all in the way the two companies work together. Not waiting until a problem arises, but being available, thinking along and acting quickly when needed. 'That is what partnership really means.'