Fisher: Inspecting your shop to improve quality, performance

In my last column, I talked about the tools you need to improve quality and efficiency in your tire shop.

In addition to the right tools, you also need your technicians to perform the various processes in your shop correctly. The only way to ensure they are is to watch your technicians work with a critical eye so that you can determine if additional training is needed and/or identify where shortcuts are being taken and need correcting.

As J.R. Tata, founder of India's largest industrial enterprise, said: "Productivity and efficiency can be achieved only step by step with sustained hard work, relentless attention to details and insistence on the highest standards of quality and performance."

- This article appears in the Nov. 30 edition of Tire Business.

While he created India's first airline and oversaw the dramatic expansion of Tata Group, the same principles apply to you industry stalwarts whose business empires service commercial truck and bus tires here in North America.

To start, all of your commercial technicians servicing tire/wheel assemblies must be trained as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has the most comprehensive Commercial Tire Service Technician Certification Program in North America and all of your technicians should be certified. This is a critical requirement for reaching the highest standards of quality and performance in addition to keeping them safe on the job.

There are several things to look for when evaluating technicians while they service tires. The work they perform is not rocket science, but attention to details is critical.

There are numerous details you should look for in order to reach the highest quality work performance, including:

1. The valve core is removed and a wire is run down the valve stem to make certain it is not plugged.

2. Tire demounting tools are used as designed and the beads are not damaged.

3. A hammer is never used to strike the tire beads or sidewalls to unseat the beads.

4. The beads are thoroughly lubricated prior to demounting the tire from the wheel.

5. Tire mounting/demounting is performed so that tire-pressure- monitoring system sensors are not damaged if present.

1. All metal surfaces of the wheels, especially the tire side of the rim, the rim flanges and the mounting area of the disc, are inspected for out-of-service conditions and evidence that the wheel was damaged by heat.

2. Wheels suspected of heat damage are inspected for undersized bead seats using either a framing square or by rolling the wheel on a smooth flat floor for at least 10 feet.

3. Rust, dirt and other foreign materials are completely removed from all surfaces, especially the mounting face and the bead seating area on the rim.

4. Burrs at the bolt hole chamfers and/or excessive paint buildup on the disc face are removed and the face is kept flat.

5. Bare metal surfaces are painted with a fast-drying metal primer and are free of paint runs.

6. Valves and grommets are replaced as necessary.

7. The valve stem rim hole is inspected for nicks, burrs or corrosion and addressed as needed.

8. Valve stems are torqued properly using a valve stem torque wrench.

1. Tires are inspected for possible zipper ruptures prior to mounting.

2. Lubricant is applied to the entire bead surface as well as both bead seats and the drop center of the rim before mounting the tire.

3. Lubricant is not applied excessively and allowed to accumulate in the tire.

4. Lubricant is not allowed to dry before mounting.

5. Tire mounting is performed properly with the tools used.

6. Beads are seated with a compressed air device.

7. Tires are checked for concentric bead seating.

8. Once the beads are seated, the tire/wheel assembly is placed in a safety cage for inflation.

9. The safety cage pressure regulator is set for the customer's specified inflation pressure.

10. All personnel remain outside the trajectory of the sidewalls when inflating tires.

11. Tires are checked at around 20 to 25 psi for evidence of a zipper rupture (sidewall bulge).

12. Valve cores and valve caps are installed.

13. Tire diameter is measured and marked on the tread.

1. All tires requiring puncture repair are demounted and inspected.

2. All foreign material and moisture is removed from the tire.

3. All tire repair steps are followed properly and the correct tools are used.

4. A blue triangle is applied to identify a sidewall bulge is repair related.

If you have commercial truck service bays and perform maintenance work for your fleet customers there, stroll over to them and observe the tire service work being performed. Look for the following things:

1. Inflation pressure and tread depth are checked with a gauge; tire condition is also closely inspected.

2. Wheels are inspected for issues and valve caps are installed if missing.

3. Automatic tire inflation systems are checked for leaks and repaired as required.

4. Automatic tire inflation systems are turned back on if turned off for maintenance.

5. Appropriate action is taken when a tire or wheel problem is found.

6. Tires with 80% or less of the target pressure are completed deflated by removing the valve core before they are removed from the vehicle and inspected.

7. Removal pressure and reason for removal are written on the tire sidewall.

1. Jacks, jack stands and wheel chocks are used to raise and support vehicles properly.

2. After the wheel nuts have been removed, tire/wheel assemblies are removed carefully to prevent damage to the stud threads.

1. Tires are matched by size (duals within ¼-inch) and tread pattern.

2. Studs are replaced and removed with a press rather than a hammer.

3. Dual assemblies are installed so valve stems are 180° apart and accessible through hand holes.

4. Wheels are installed correctly and correct fasteners are used.

5. A torque control tool is used to tighten all the wheel nuts to the recommended torque.

6. Tire/wheel assemblies are turned to ensure the wheels are still seated on the pilots and are flat against the drum.

1. Corrections are made to vehicles that are misaligned.

2. Inflation gauges in this work area are accurate and are checked weekly.

Now that you have observed the technicians in your tire shop and service bays, what about your techs who make your service calls?

When was the last time you rode along with them to see how they are doing and gauge the quality of their work?

You'll be looking for the same things as you did in both the tire shop and the service bays. Use this as a check list if it helps to remind you of the details in tire service that can't be overlooked in your "insistence on the highest standards of quality and performance."

Peggy can be reached via e-mail at [email protected] Her previous columns are available at www.tirebusiness.com