The Brawler tyres offer us the operational reliability we need

At Bruco Containers in Wijnegem

The waste processing company Bruco Containers from Wijnegem outside of Antwerp has been specialising in waste collection and recycling for years. This is an exciting business because waste management is becoming increasingly important, but also because the processes are never truly up-to-date, so there’s still room for adjustments and improvements. Bruco has always been quick to seize opportunities and has given top priority to service, a choice that’s grown the company. Martin Ooms has been in the business for more than 40 years and has been the General Manager of Bruco since 2007. We met with him in early July.

Today Bruco employs about 50 people and its activities are divided into four branches: glass recycling, processing of hard plastics, processing of wood and the company has also invested in a construction and demolition line. Martin Ooms explains: "All these waste streams are recycled. Every day, a lot of vehicles come here to unload waste, from small independent outfits to larger companies. In addition, we also manage our own fleet of 18 lorries and have some 1,000 containers in circulation in the vicinity of Antwerp. Our machinery fleet consists of 6 cranes and 5 wheel loaders to sort the different waste streams, feed the crushing installations, load lorries etc. – in short, to keep our business running."

Minimising Downtime

Martin Ooms: "The wheel loaders in particular take a lot of punishment. A few years ago, flat tyres were a big problem for our machines. So we began to actively look for possible solutions, first by filling ordinary pneumatic tyres with a leak-proof product and then with polyurethane. These solutions seemed promising at first, but in the end, they weren’t sufficient for our working conditions. Then we experimented with solid tyres. That solved the flat tyre problem, but the driving comfort wasn’t optimal. Our wheel loaders drive back and forth a lot on our site, so driving comfort actually plays an important role. Ultimately we ended up with these Brawler HPS Soft Rides. I’m particularly impressed with the lifespan of these tyres. Our wheel loader is still driving on its first set of Brawler tyres. Since putting them into operation, they’ve logged more than 6,000 service hours and these tyres are only showing 25% wear. Of course, a lot depends on the waste streams. They would wear out more quickly driving in glass, but still, I can only recommend these tyres. I would also like to emphasise the excellent service we’ve received from our tyre supplier. The people at CL Tyres follow our machines closely and keep an eye on everything. I find such a relation of trust very important."

The Brawler HPS Soft Ride

The Brawler HPS tyres (High Performance Solid) are designed for use in labour-intensive sectors such as scrap metal recycling, waste handling and mining. The rubber lining is up to 3 times more wear-resistant than that of pneumatic tyres. The oval openings ensure better suspension during work, while the Soft Ride helps reduce vibrations. As a result, machine and driver are better protected. Furthermore, the load-bearing capacity is tailored to the specific industrial vehicles used in these sectors, such as wheel loaders. The good working relationship between Bruco and tyre supplier CL Tyres means that several wheel loaders have now been equipped with Brawler tyres.

A few key figures

Bruco Containers is located in the industrial zone of Wijnegem. The company specialises in waste processing and is invested in some 1,000 containers, which are rented out. Their machinery fleet includes 18 lorries, 6 cranes and 5 wheel loaders. Two of them are equipped with Brawler tyres.

Martin Ooms: "I was pleasantly surprised by the Brawler tyres. We can’t seem to wear them out."

Since we got them, these tyres have run for more than 6,000 hours and have only shown about 25% wear.