, so managing them well can make a real difference."
What Richardson wants is for hauliers to see tyres "as a real asset rather than a necessary evil" and he says he will use the CV Show to get that message across.
VBG
At next year's CV Show, VBG will celebrate 60 years of trading. VBG started manufacturing its famous 57mm drawbar couplings in Vanersborg, Sweden, in March 1951 and continues to manufacture at the same site.
Since that time the VBG 57mm coupling has established market leader status in many countries around the world, thanks to its reputation for long life and robust construction.
Penny Hydraulics
"The CV Show is the ideal place to showcase our latest load handling equipment because it attracts so many visitors who want to know what's new in the marketplace," says Richard Short, Penny Hydraulics' Sales Director. "All of our cranes and platform lifts can be fitted on a wide range of vehicles so it's important that the major manufacturers are at the Show."
Short thinks that one of the benefits of exhibiting at the CV Show is that visitors can see how the combination of their new vehicle and Penny Hydraulics' products can help them do their work more easily, efficiently and safely. Penny can show the right product for the vehicle and explain how the equipment can be installed.
"We have been going to the CV Show for many years and it's helped us grow our business and build awareness in the market," he continued.
World's First Hydrogen Hybrid Electric Truck
Smith Electric Vehicles will be exhibiting its established vehicle range and some new product developments at the CV Show from 12-14 April 2011 at the NEC, Birmingham.
Smith Electric is a regular exhibitor at the CV Show and is developing the world's first hybrid electric truck to incorporate a hydrogen fuel cell. Smith is working with fuel cell experts Proton Power Systems plc to integrate a Proton cell into its Smith Newton electric truck. The fuel cell will act as an onboard generator, topping up the truck's lithium-ion battery pack, with the potential greatly to increase the vehicle's range on a single charge.
Bridgestone
Bridgestone is using the CV Show to launch its new Ecopia environmental tyre for the commercial vehicle sector.
The company will explain the benefits of working with its Total Tyre Management package, which offers cradle-to-grave solutions to the management of tyres coupled with the best tyre technology through its new and retread tyre products.
Greg Ward, Bridgestone's Commercial Sales Director says, "The CV Show is the ideal showcase for the UK transport industry in general, and this makes it the perfect platform for Bridgestone to introduce our new Ecopia environmental tyre to fleets based in the UK."
Strongs Plastic Products
The specialist companies exhibiting at next April's CV Show cover a wide range of products, including the developing sector for truck bodies made of plastic.
Strongs Plastic Products, the Tamworth-based firm set up 32 years ago by Barry Strong, started off by making large battery boxes for forklifts, milk floats and rail networks. Now it manufactures a whole range of vehicle bodies, including those for fire engines, refuse trucks and the utilities generally.
Barry Strong argues that plastic bodies have many advantages, including being lighter, more impact resistant and completely recyclable. This makes them a particularly apt choice for recycling vehicles, which are then not only able to collect recyclable material, but also recycle themselves at the end of their working lives.
Strong says, "The CV Show enables us to show people our latest products and to explain the advantages we can bring to their companies."
Strong's products also include sideskirts for trucks which can both reduce drag and stop the wind getting inside, so are invaluable for hauliers.
Allen Developments
Allen Developments will launch its new Ground Access Rail for semi-trailers at the 2011 CV Show. The product enables drivers to connect and disconnect truck and trailer from ground level, eliminating the need to climb on and off the catwalk, resulting in a safer and cleaner working environment.
Carl Reynolds, Operations Manager, says, "Our system has already been adopted by several major supermarket fleets. We will also have our range of A-Frames and Euroboom at the CV Show."
Bevan Group gives 'top billing' to its aftercare service at CV Show
Leading dry freight bodybuilder Bevan Group will be using its first appearance at the CV Show as a platform to promote its market-leading aftercare service.
The West Midlands-based company is best-known as a builder of dry freight box and curtainside bodies to some of the biggest names on Britain's roads. Its Aftercare and On-site Repairs division has also forged a reputation for excellence and the Bevan team will be focusing on this at CV Show 2011.
Bevan's mobile technicians provide 24-hour nationwide cover and customers are now benefiting from the company's latest investments in a new 'call2field' computer system that ensures rapid response times.
The system relies on hand-held personal digital assistants (PDAs) carried by each engineer, linked to a central control room. These allow the location of every service van to be tracked at all times, enabling the engineers to communicate quickly and easily with base.
Aftercare Manager Roy Shelton explains, "Our response times were already good but since introducing the new system we've been able to reduce them still further, because the operator in our control room can see where all our engineers are, and allocate the job to the one who is closest to the customer's location.
Shelton adds, "We can also see if there are any other scheduled calls the engineer can make while he's in a particular area, so he spends less time driving between jobs, and more time helping our customers to keep their vehicles on the road. It reduces the cost to the customer too."
As well as Bevan's own bodies, the company's team of mobile engineers maintain s and repairs units built by rival manufacturers, as well as ancillary equipment such as tail-lifts.
"That level of service really sets us apart in this industry," continues Shelton. "It explains why operators who buy their bodies from our competitors often come to us to have them looked after. But we're constantly looking for ways to improve our service still further, and the introduction of the call2field system represents a significant step forward."
Zenloc at the CV Show
Zenloc says it will exhibit its "groundbreaking" Zenloc Portable Alarm at the CV Show next spring. Launched earlier this year it won an innovation award and is now successfully winning orders with owner drivers and hauliers alike.
"Already we've supplied several blue-chip transport companies," says the firm's Steve Tickner. "Now we've several far-reaching deals in the pipeline."
The alarm is easily portable and can be quickly attached to a vehicle that needs protection. Once attached, it is self-arming and if moved, will emit a 120DB tone and a strobe light, sending a message to a small remote receiver kept by the driver. A unique coded electronic key built into the receiver can deactivate the system.
"Zenloc can protect a driver and load for less than £3.50 a week," says Tickner.
Michelin
Michelin, one of the world's largest tyre manufacturers, has reconfirmed its commitment to next year's CV Show and will use the event to debut its latest Michelin X® Energy™ Savergreen range - a single line-up providing hauliers with safe, fuel-efficient, long-lasting tyres for steer, drive and trailer axles.
Martin Covington, Head of Truck and Earthmover Marketing at Michelin, says, "The X Energy Savergreen represents the most fuel-efficient truck tyre range we have ever manufactured. With any new tyre the challenge is always simultaneously to improve performance in several areas, such as grip, tread life, durability, damage resistance and fuel efficiency. Our strength resides in an ability to enhance each of these performance areas without sacrificing another. With the X Energy Savergreen we have once again achieved exactly that."