Michelin adds 'Halo' to truck service options

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 4, 2016) — Michelin Americas Truck Tires has initiated a service, called Michelin Auto Inflate, that will oversee the installation and maintenance of the wheel-mounted “Halo” automatic tire inflation device for fleet customers.

The launch of the Michelin Auto Inflate program is being undertaken in association with Aperia Technologies Inc., the developer and supplier of the Halo device, which uses a self-contained pump that generates pressure when rotated, providing a virtual maintenance-free source of air pressure that's used to keep tires inflated to the optimal pressure.

Michelin and Aperia claim fleets that install Halo devices can save an estimated $2,400 annually per tractor-trailer by reducing tire-related downtime events, extending tire life, improving fuel economy and increasing safety.

Separately, Aperia disclosed that more than 100 fleets have deployed Halo on “thousands” of vehicles since it launched the device in 2014.

Both Michelin and Aperia presented at the recent Technology & Maintenance Council meeting in Nashville.

“Halo is increasingly preferred by all types and sizes of fleets because it's the easiest tire inflation system to add to new vehicles or to retrofit on existing equipment,” Aperia CEO Josh Carter said. “In the past year we've seen many fleets move from pilot tests, to putting Halos on all new trucks and trailers, to full fleet full retrofits.

"These customers are adding thousands of Halo systems after seeing results of over 50 individual fleet tests that confirm the value of the Halo tire-inflation system on tractors and trailers.”

To help fleets adopt Halo with confidence, Aperia has added a wireless data acquisition system, which allows customers to monitor the benefits of the inflation device in real world driving conditions.

Aperia and Michelin will market the system independently of each other, Mr. Carter said. Michelin's program is a lease-based system.

"Michelin and Aperia chose to collaborate on Michelin Auto Inflate because of our mutual commitment to bring innovative products and service solutions to fleets with the goal of maximizing uptime,” Mr. Carter said.

Adam Murphy, vice president of marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires, said Michelin Auto Inflate is “simple, reliable and good for business.

“Due to a number of complicated factors that cause tire pressures to change day-to-day and hour-to-hour, maintaining optimal tire pressure is nearly impossible to achieve manually,” Mr. Murphy said. “Auto Inflate…provides an immediate payback for one of fleets' biggest assets by eliminating complexity and automatically managing air pressure in the tires that keep their trucks rolling.”

The Halo device can be retrofit on existing vehicles or spec'd on new equipment, Michelin said, for use on both duals and wide-base single tires. The compact, self-powered pump can be mounted to the hub in 10 minutes using standard tools, no axle drilling required. With each wheel rotation, the device monitors and adjusts for low air pressure.