These two pieces of equipment have certainly gone a long way to improve the quality and value of the service we provide to our customers.

Cement transporter saves on tyres and time with AES workshop solutions

Cris Services Group, the Purfleet-based concrete haulier and commercial repairs specialist, has reduced workshop costs, extended tyre life and cut vehicle downtime since acquiring a Josam wheel alignment system and portable heat inductor from AES UK.

With 40 vehicles carrying wet cement for Hanson UK and a mixed fleet of concrete mixer trucks for hire, Cris Services were keen to improve workshop efficiency and to drive down operation costs such as tyre replacement and fuel.

“The equipment we invested in from AES,” says Transport Manager Alin Gabor, “provided the solution for two key challenges: preventing tyre wear caused by mis-aligned wheels and dealing with lengthy workshop procedures when coping with seized nuts and bolts etc.”

The Cam-aligner is a compact digital wheel alignment system which according to Alin, enables Cris Services to carry out on-the-spot checks and rectifications without the need to book into a third party.

“The equipment is fully portable and uses advanced camera technology to establish the true chassis centre line of the vehicle. With only a half turn of the wheel, it determines any toe, camber and out- of-square measurements.”

Wireless technology then transmits the data from the calibration equipment to the computer and a clear diagram on screen shows exactly where the issues lie and what corrective action needs to be taken.

“All done in a fraction of the time taken by less advanced systems” continues Alin Gabor, “and more thorough too. It saves a great deal of time for our HGV, PSV and LCV customers during servicing, maintenance and repairs, and also within our own fleet when preparing vehicles for MOT. Plus, our customers can expect a full report and analysis, which is printed out after each job.  It’s a good piece of kit and perfect for preventing potential handling problems and tyre wear before it occurs.”

According to Cris Services, the Josam Cam-aligner is saving so much in terms of tyre wear, labour and fuel, that it is likely to pay for itself within the first year – an assessment which, the company says, is also likely to be the case with the AES HI 3.5 heat inductor, supplied at the same time under a year ago.

“The heat inductor is quite simply a Godsend.” Says Alin. “This little piece of equipment scores high in terms of safety, while enabling us to speed up routine maintenance and repair work such as seized up ball joints, chassis screws, casings and wheel nuts. Using gas, we would often have to cut away the seized component, which meant first removing any flammable materials or electrics that could be affected by the heat.”

The AES HI 3.5 however, uses electrically generated heat, which means the operator and workplace are not exposed to open flame, hot gases and the risk of fire or explosion. Furthermore, the system is lightweight and water-cooled.

“These two pieces of equipment have certainly gone a long way to improve the quality and value of the service we provide to our customers,” concludes Alin Gabor. “At at the same time, they have proved to be a major commercial benefit for our own haulage operation.”

With its main offices and operation based in London, Cris Services Group also covers areas such as Kent, Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire and Berkshire. The company is FORS-accredited, an FTA member and is an authorised service agent for Stetter.