Features

Why MBI prefers Trelleborg tyres

Vincent Westerdijk, Vehicle Technician at MBI says when it comes to tough work, it’s worth investing in premium tyres. 

Quality is paramount at MBI. The business makes use of the highest-quality materials and production techniques to make the difference. The production processes are carefully executed by experienced specialists. The unmistakable link connecting it all is logistics. This is why the company’s forklifts are increasingly equipped with Trelleborg Elite XP tyres. Vincent Westerdijk, who is responsible for service and maintenance work on the forklifts, explains why.

In 1945 A.J. van der Meijden founded the company MBI De Steenmeesters. After the war, the need for stone and building materials was especially great. The range of products mainly consisted of concrete panels and slabs, but also of concrete blocks and masonry stones. More than seventy years later, the company has grown considerably and currently counts four production- and sales locations in Aalst, Kampen, Nieuw-Lekkerland and Veghel and two sales offices abroad in Wuppertal (Germany) and Kortrijk (Belgium). MBI is still owned by the van der Meijden family.

“We first contacted Trelleborg in 2011 because we wanted to equip our forklifts with tyres of this kind. We had just purchased four new forklifts with tyres of another brand of tyres and the drivers were really not happy with them,” Vincent says.

According to the drivers at MBI, the forklifts ‘danced’ too much in combination with the brick clamp. There were also problems in terms of wear and tear.

MBI decided, in consultation with their tyre supplier, Profile Tyrecenter Heuver, in order to equip two identical forklifts with different tyres: the one with conventional tyres and the other with Trelleborg Elite XP.

“We then tested them for two years with and without loads, with and without brick clamps, in short, in all possible circumstances, so that we could really judge the difference. In 2013 it was finally clear, the Trelleborg Elite XPs were better,” Vincent says.

Since then MBI has been gradually replacing the other brands. The machine pool includes 35 forklifts. The diesel models are making way for electrically powered models, in which Van Dijk Forklifts from Genemuiden have played an important role for years.

The important advantages of the Trelleborg Elite XP

According to Vincent, the forklifts have tough work to do. “In our business, these machines run in two or three shifts and that means 16 to 24 hours a day. For us it is especially important that the driver feel at ease. Since the Trelleborg Elite XP tyres absorb most of the vibrations, our drivers are no longer plagued with back pain.”

Furthermore, Vincent says he definitely noticed the difference in the workplace. “Before, we had to replace the bearings in the lifting frame regularly. Now this hardly ever happens, which pays in the form of savings that are anything but negligible. Over the years I have also learned that buying on the cheap is not always an advantage in the long run.”

On the diesel forklifts the front tyres have an operational life of around 4,000 hours, while the rear tyres, which also steer, have to be replaced after about 2,000 hours. A longer operational life is in part possible because of the perfect contact surface, which means that that tyres wear down more evenly, but also thanks to the CDM technology, thanks to which the tyres directly “repair” themselves after a deformation and resume their original form.

“Finally, I want to add that the we are very satisfied with the Pitstop Line wear-indicator. Before tyres were often replaced too quickly because they looked worn out. But thanks to the Pit Stop Line we can visually check when the tyres are really worn. When the colour strip becomes visible, you can continue working with the forklift for about another 100 hours. This is handy for the driver and organising work in the workplace but it also adds value to the purchase price for each running hour. So, it’s a real win-win situation,” Vincent says.

The Trelleborg Elite XP in a nutshell

  • Premium tyre for internal transport in difficult conditions
  • Pit Stop Line wear-indicator for better planning
  • Four-point contact surface to guarantee a longer operational life
  • Numerous sizes available
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