Bridgestone says it will present a selection of its premium and innovative range of tyres, industrial products and targeted solutions developed specially for the mining and construction industries at the upcoming Bauma fair in Munich, Germany.

The company is renowned for producing premium quality tyres for everything from bicycles to aircraft, including the world’s largest mining trucks. One of these 4-m-tall tyres, the largest in the world, will be on display at the Bridgestone stand on April 8-14. It will be joined by a number of other tyres, including brand-new products:

• VSDL Loader tyre 33/65R29 – the first wheeled-loader tyre to combine the benefits of the super-wide-base 65 series with the deep Bridgestone VSDL tread pattern. “It delivers a new level of dynamic stability and low ground pressure, while retaining the resistance to cuts and damage,” Bridgestone said, and;
• VLTS ADT tyre – Only recently launched, this tyre was specifically developed for the 60 t ADT from Volvo Construction Equipment. “The tread is even deeper than the VLT E3 tyre, delivering truly incredible traction as well as the strength and reliability Bridgestone is famous for,” the company said.

Other tyres to be displayed will represent the highly varied range of tyres Bridgestone provides for construction machinery and construction vehicles, building-material machines, mining machines, and other construction equipment, Bridgestone said.

Bridgestone’s stand will present rubber tracks, pads, hydraulic hose, cabin and engine mounts, in addition to having technology on show that falls under the Firestone brand.

This included:

• Firestone Airmount – This air spring is adjustable. This allows users to meet the demands of loads that range in weight by hundreds or thousands of kilos, and to maintain a level surface even as loads shift. They offer excellent vibration isolation;
• Firestone Marsh Mellow – Marsh Mellow fabric-reinforced rubber cylinders are virtually indestructible, according to the company, do not need to be inflated with air and still protect systems from the effects of structurally transmitted vibrations. They are perfectly suited for use on equipment such as vibrating screens, acting as passive isolators at a standard beyond that of steel springs.

Bridgestone has also developed digital solutions that maximise the potential of these products, making the most of the digital technology that is being increasingly integrated into vehicles and machinery to increase productivity, decrease downtime, maximise operational potential and minimise the risks to personal safety. Part of the Total Tyre Care approach, two specific solutions will be presented at BAUMA:

• Tirematics TPMS – The first tyre pressure monitoring system to focus primarily on fleet pressure measurements for individual machines. It stops vehicles from running on under-inflated tyres, a trend that almost all fleets are guilty of. Automated pressure checks identify what work is needed without the interruptions and downtime that result from physical checks or damage to under-inflated tyres;
• FleetPulse – A mobile and web application designed to help fleet customers maximise the health and performance of vehicles, while improving uptime and reducing total cost of ownership and digitising operations. At the same time, FleetPulse helps in reaching the high compliance and safety standards required in the industrial world.

FleetPulse consists of vehicle checklists that the driver performs, tyre-pressure measurements performed by Tirematics technology and scheduling to resolve defects, as arranged by the Fleet or Maintenance Manager.

The data FleetPulse gathers is consolidated to offer insights into the operation of a fleet, ranging from validation of maintenance/repairs to data extraction to ensure compliance.