The Michelin Services and Solutions Division is moving beyond tire service to also offer light mechanical maintenance services for trailers, including brakes, hoses, lights, and even Department of Transportation annual certifications.

The new suite of services, dubbed Michelin Mechanical Care, was announced at a Feb. 23 press conference at the annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council in Atlanta.

Per Michelin, the new services present “a consistent and simplified solution to outsource scheduled light mechanical maintenance for trailers."

The services are powered by Decisiv’s Service Relationship Management technology. By leveraging the Michelin Commercial Service Network, the company said the solutions provide:

• Consistent quality. Standardized procedures and recommended practices

• Standardized pricing. Network-wide labor pricing based on accepted industry standard repair times using VMRS codes

• Asset visibility and consolidated invoicing. Real-time tracking and streamlined billing for both fleets and service providers

"Fleets want to focus on what makes their businesses profitable,” said Ralph Dimenna, global director of Michelin Services and Solutions. Solving the pain points and providing solutions for fleets contributes to their success. Mechanical Care is a tool to help them achieve that goal.”

He said fleets will be well served by this single-source solution as technicians handling tire services can identify needed repairs or maintenance on trailers, which often escape regular inspections.

"Technicians will inspect a trailer and report any defects they find and could recommend a repair or service," Dimenna said. “Fleets can pick and choose which work is performed on the spot or deferred to a later date. The repair ticket remains open until service is performed or the recommendation is cancelled. Michelin Mechanical Care provides a complete digital trail of everything that occurs within our network."

Michelin Mechanical Care is currently available at about 30 locations with 10-12 fleets participating, Dimenna said. "We will be expanding into additional markets throughout 2020. As demand increases, we can easily ramp up the number of service providers in our network."