Michelin rolling out light maintenance suite for trailers

Sunday at the Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Michelin announced the debut of its Mechanical Care program.

Michelin said its Mechanical Care program “is a consistent and simplified solution to outsource scheduled light mechanical maintenance for trailers.”Michelin said its Mechanical Care program “is a consistent and simplified solution to outsource scheduled light mechanical maintenance for trailers.”

Part of the company’s Digital Services Platform, Michelin Mechanical Care facilitates the outsourcing of scheduled light trailer maintenance to Michelin’s Commercial Service Network through Decisiv’s Service Relationship Management (SRM) technology.

Ralph Dimenna, global director of Michelin Services and Solutions said the program has been piloted for more than a year, noting the platform gives the fleet visibility into the work needed, when the repair work should start, how long it should take and how much it will cost.

Michelin Mechanical Care includes DOT annual inspections and preventive management and brake, wheel end, tire, lights, electrical, mud flap and body repair but larger scope work could be performed depending on the shop’s capacity.

Technicians can inspect a trailer and input any faults or repairs needed into a tablet. Fleets have the ability to monitor the repair process in real-time, and decline repairs via the platform, digitizing a process that previously took place on paper and over the phone while also leaving a trail of information.

Currently about 30 facilities offer the service, but Dimenna said rollout, dictated by demand, would continue throughout the year.