Port of Tilbury & Continental: A Partnership For Efficiency
The Port of Tilbury, the principal port for London, has partnered with Continental, a multinational manufacturing company, in order to boost operational performance.
This strategic decision also enhances safety and sustainability across all of the port’s logistics operations.
In making Continental its partner for tyre performance and digital innovation, the Port of Tilbury has streamlined its supply chain operations, making for a smoother execution.
Supply chain requirements
The Port of Tilbury is the largest within the Forth Ports Group, which is the third largest port group in the UK.
The port covers more than 1,000 acres with 56 operational berths and 31 working terminals. It takes up 10.2km of quay and five million square feet of warehouse space.
It is the largest port on the Thames, with an output of 16 million tonnes every year.
Due to its high demand and intense throughput, the port itself requires a steady supplier of automotive parts.
The port has an extensive fleet of Kalmar, Hyster and Liebherr GB cranes, reachstackers, forklifts and straddle caries. As a result, there are more than 500 tyres in use across the port.
In order to meet demand and streamline its supply chain, The Port of Tilbury has chosen Continental as the solution.
This partnership means Continental will supply all of the port's tyres and will help with digital innovation across the trade gateway.
Andy Darlington, Senior Procurement & Facilities Manager at the Port of Tilbury, says: “We have partnered with Continental for our tyre requirements for a number of reasons.
“The exceptional performance of their tyres, combined with their advanced digital solutions, gives us reliability and endurance in our day-to-day operations.”
Streamlining productivity
The partnership has already shown positive results throughout the port’s efficiency–the Continental StraddleMaster tyres have proven to be durable and efficient.
Moreover, by implementing ContiConnect and ContiPressureCheck–Contintental’s digital tyre management systems–the port experiences real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance.
As a result, the port can detect issues in advance and provide preemptive maintenance before the fault becomes an issue to production.
“The real-time data from Continental’s tyre sensors is accessible both on-site and remotely,” adds Andy.
“It gives our team full visibility and helps us plan more effectively.”
The port has also installed three of Continental’s YardReader stations, which read sensors up to a 65-foot radius.
This has helped drive decision making and predictive maintenance, reducing downtime by 20%.
As well as its partnership with Continental, the port has a service partnership with Halford Commercial Fleet Services (CFS).
This partnership oversees tyre inspections, stock and replacements in order to ensure the port can operate at full efficiency.
David Housden, Head of Engineering & Procurement at the Port of Tilbury comments: “Halfords CFS expertly manages our tyre husbandry.
“This, combined with Continental’s innovation, supports us to keep our fleet moving.”
Sustainable commitments
As the StraddleMaster tyres are helping deliver fuel efficiency, due to their low rolling resistance, fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 30%.
Mike Leedham, OTR Sales Manager at Continental adds: “This partnership is about more than tyres.
“It’s about powering the future of ports through innovation and sustainability.”
The Port of Tilbury is the UK’s greenest port, as the majority of its electricity comes from its four wind turbines.
It has taken steps to reduce its energy footprint, consistently investing in fuel, power and water saving solutions.
The port’s partnership with Continental is consistent with its commitment to responsible operations.
Continental now has the capacity to produce its tyres CO₂ neutrally due to its ISCC PLUS-certified Lousado plant in Portugal, which is powered by renewable energy.
In strengthening its supply chain through Continental, the port is experiencing enhanced performance across its logistics operations and sustainability goals.
It is clear that this partnership will allow the Port of Tilbury to reach its full efficiency potential without sacrificing its sustainable goals.
