German tyre company Continental has introduced a new compound, Port Plus, for less abrasion, heat generation and longer service life for its new V.ply radial tyres for use in ports. This, Continental says, will expand its port tyre portfolio from mid-2019.
Bigger, faster, safer, greener, smarter: that is what the technology company is offering based on the five major trends for the future of ports.
“In ports, we distinguish different central tasks – pick and stack applications on the one hand and load and carry applications on the other hand – which all require different vehicles, each with specific demands: In pick & stack applications, vehicles are used to load and unload containers, there is a lot of short distance driving with a high number of turning on the spot – the focus of the tire development therefore needs to be the reduction of abrasion and the subsequent tyre wear it causes,” explains Julian Alexander, Product Line Manager Material Handling. Continental is therefore now offering the V.ply tyre portfolio with a new Port Plus compound, a compound that reduces heat generation and abrasion, the two primary causes of tire wear, to significantly extend tire life.
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. “With our new radial tyres with a very low heat build-up produced with state of the art technology, we are once again reinforcing our position as a full solutions provider for port operations,” says Alexander. The radial tyre portfolio will be available with integrated tyre sensor ready for the digital solutions ContiPressureCheck and ContiConnect shipped from the factory. The tyres will be available from next summer.
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 so-called 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.