AKRON — Connected doesn't have to be technological. Sometimes, connected is know-how.
And know-how is the spirit behind Michelin GreenerFleets for trucking. Think of it as the connection between greater sustainability and business opportunity. And it wraps into the tire maker's holistic service approach.
"What we try to do (with GreenerFleets) is help our customers understand funding options that could allow them to become greener," Pierluigi Cumo, Michelin North America Inc.'s vice president of business-to-business products, told Rubber News at the recent International Tire Exhibition & Conference in Akron.
"That could be through more fuel-efficient tires, aerodynamic kits for their vehicles or other things. We help them access those funds."
To do that, Michelin works to ensure the fleets understand the regulatory ins and outs — the eligibility requirements for funding and the processes to go through to access the available monies.
So far, the company says it has seen success with the program that is targeted at small and midsize trucking fleets. Now the program, piloted with success in Canada, is poised to come to the U.S.