HIGH PROFILE significant impact on the environmental performance of the tyre. In fact, 70-90 % of the environmental impact of tyres occurs during use. Concrete results like this help our customers to better understand how smart tyre management contributes to lower operational costs and emissions.
Q How does Kal Tire see the mining tyre market evolving as fleets change- more autonomy and newer powertrains for example- and how will this influence the value that Kal Tire can bring for customers?
MR Autonomous systems, hydrogen fuel cells, electric and battery technologies, AI – these are just some of the ways mining trucks are evolving. As mines continue to expand and new operations start up, the demand on haulage fleets to achieve higher productivity, safety, and sustainability, also continues to rise. At Kal Tire, we continually look to adapt our solutions to meet the evolving demands of the industry, ensuring we deliver greater value to our customers. Over a decade ago, we opened an Innovation Centre in Canada to design and develop specialised tools to make tyre technicians’ work safer and more efficient. Building on this, several years ago we introduced KalPRO TireSight, and this year, we just launched KalPRO HaulSight – both leveraging autonomous technology to increase and enhance tyre and haul road inspections, reliability, and safety for mining fleets. Last year, we also integrated AI into our TOMS( Tire & Operations Management System) to further advance predictive tyre maintenance. We remain committed to continue to look for innovative ways to deploy emerging technologies to best support our customers.
Q Is Michelin’ s approach also helping mining tyres to be seen less as an expensive consumable and more as a potential tool to increase efficiency?
AM Tyres can be a strategic asset for a mine. After fuel, tyres are one of the largest operating costs for surface mines and a significant percentage of OTR tyres never reach their intended tyre life.* That means inefficient tyre management may cost the mines more than they realise. Michelin aims to help miners extract as much value as possible from their tyres. It’ s important to look at the total contribution that a tyre brings to the mine’ s operations – not just its cost-per-hour. Tyres impact safety, contribute to minimising vehicle downtime, and can help reduce fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions. Leading mining companies are rethinking their tyre strategies to adopt proactive, predictive tyre management that extends tyre life, lowers operational costs, and reduces carbon emissions.
* Source: Journal of Mining and Environment( JME), Vol. 15, No. 3, 2024; Assessing Operational Damage Impact on Mining Tires( Case Study)
Q Are these insights and capabilities playing a role within Michelin’ s TK Solution for mining as well?
AM Absolutely- for those unfamiliar with Michelin’ s TK( tons-kilometres) solution, it is a breakthrough approach to tyre management. Traditional tyre management can be costly and complex, which can lead to missed opportunities in safety, cost savings, productivity, and sustainability. With Michelin’ s TK solution, Michelin retains ownership of the tyres and the mine’ s tyre management. It eliminates a mine’ s upfront costs and helps align KPIs. Michelin first implemented its TK solution at a mine in Chile. Fast forward 20 years, this mine is now one of the most efficient mining operations in South America, with just 0.85 % of truck downtime attributed to tyre failures. Michelin’ s TK Solution is a powerful example of Michelin Better Mining- where Michelin works side-by-side with miners to help capitalise on insights and capabilities that help them operate safer, smarter and more sustainably.
Q What is the latest news with regard to advanced testing and imminent full launch of Michelin’ s XDR4 SPEED ENERGY tyre?
AM The Michelin XDR 4 SPEED ENERGY TM tyre is the mining industry’ s first-ever energy efficient tyre that is designed to reduce a mining vehicle’ s fuel consumption and lower CO 2 emissions through an optimised, more flexible tread and energysaving rubber compound. We have tested this tyre internally at the Michelin CEMA test centre on a CAT 793 truck in flat conditions. This tyre achieves up to 3.6 % better fuel efficiency compared to the Michelin 50 / 80R57 XDR 250 C tyre, resulting in savings of about 5,300 gallons of fuel or $ 24,000 per truck annually 1. For a fleet of 50 trucks, this would equate to almost $ 1.2 million in annual savings and a reduction of 2,600 tons of CO 2 emissions within a year 2. We continue to test the Michelin XDR 4 SPEED ENERGY TM tyre in collaboration with mining customers and OEMs. Through this ongoing testing, our engineers are gaining deeper insights into fuel consumption patterns during normal operations across different tyres. Preliminary results of the tyre testing are consistent with our internal results and demonstrate a substantial improvement in fuel consumption performance relevant to the reference tyres under identical conditions. This testing is helping to lay the foundation for a Michelin Mining energy-efficiency offer. energy efficiency is a key tenant of our mining sustainability strategy to provide demonstrated leadership in emission reductions for our customers. In addition to gaining real-world insights into the role of tyres on a vehicle’ s energy efficiency, this testing also is helping our customers to better understand the impact of energyefficient tyres on fuel consumption and their overall mining operations.
1. Considering an average cost of diesel of $ 4.45 / gallon based on July 15, 2024( U. S. West Coast), from the U. S. Energy Information Administration website.
2. Emission savings estimated based on 1 litre of diesel being equivalent to 2.66 kg of CO 2.
Q How important is the right tyre choice- such as the right tread and rubber compound being used- when maximising efficiency for a particular site and in Michelin’ s view, how crucial will it be going forward as the industry introduces even more AHS fleets and also more electric trucks?
AM The right tyre choice( tread, compound, load-carrying capacity, speed rating) is critical to mine safety and operational efficiency. The right tyre selection can enable trucks to carry more material – meaning greater payload per truck with less cycles( something that directly impacts the mine’ s revenue and profit); empower trucks to run faster with faster cycle times and greater productivity; and help trucks burn less fuel and emit less CO 2 by decreasing the truck’ s rolling resistance – key factors to operate more sustainably. In addition, Michelin’ s exceptional field support can help our customers with the right tyre selection and optimising tyre performance – utilising their depth of tyre knowledge and expertise, analysing scrap tyres, sharing best practices on tyre management strategies, and exploring potential improvements in cycle times, truck routes and haul road conditions. Services such as MICHELIN BETTER HAUL ROAD and software tools backed with GPS and satellite data, such as VBOX, can assess haul road quality and driver behaviours – highlighting areas where tyre wear and fuel burn increase due to issues, like poor road conditions or aggressive cornering. This enables site managers to target specific areas for improvements, leading to optimal routes, less tyre wear and better fuel usage. Additionally, volumetric scanning technologies measure material loads in real time, ensuring trucks are evenly and optimally loaded. This reduces unnecessary stress on tyres, prevents overloading, and supports consistent performance across haul cycles. As fleets transition to become more autonomous and / or electric, tyre selection is even more important to minimise unnecessary vehicle downtime.
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