Arval and PTIA implement the Tyre Certificate®
Certification of services means better quality of tyre service and improved road safety
Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA) together with Arval Service Lease Polska, the leader of the vehicle rental market, will promote the Tyre Certificate® and implement it in services throughout Poland. The certificate is to support workshops on their way to professionalization of tyre service, and will provide customers with a high degree of technical quality and care for the entrusted vehicles. The Tyre Certificate® is an independent system of evaluation and distinction of reliable services, launched by PTIA based on an audit of equipment and qualifications of technical personnel.
Tyres at highway speeds are the third fastest rotating component of a car – after the engine shaft and turbine. And the only one that transfers engine power and braking power to the road. Although they are made of materials that provide performance and durability while driving, tyres are sensitive to inadequate servicing.
In order to provide its customers with high quality services in this sensitive area, Arval together with PTIA will gradually implement the Tyre Certificate® in the network of cooperating services.
– Our company operates a fleet of nearly 7,000 vehicles and in the case of the vast majority of them we are also responsible for the tyre replacement process carried out by professional partners associated in the networks of tyre manufacturers. Unfortunately, it happens that the level of implementation of this service in servosis still varied. As the leader of the vehicle rental market in Poland, we want to make sure that all our customers receive services related to tyre maintenance at the highest level. Professional and efficient tyre replacement has a huge impact on the safety of users, as well as on the durability of the tyres themselves. Our ambition is to achieve the goal of obtaining by more than half of the services we work with. For us and for our customers, it will be a guarantee that the tyres in these services are serviced with the highest quality and care – says Karolina Gościeta, Administration & Billing Manager at Arval Service Lease Polska.
Professional tyre services must have the right equipment, trained staff and an adequate level of customer service.
“Changing tyres requires knowledge, skills and professional tools. The lack of even one of these elements increases the risk – both for customers and for the website owner. Damage to the rim or tyre threatens safety and generates costs. Our audit related to the issuance of the Tyre Certificate® verifies whether a given workshop has appropriate machines and devices that are in proper technical condition and mechanics’ skills. The confirmation of the functioning of the service is photo and film documentation. After passing the certification, customers will be sure that the tyres in their cars in a given place are properly installed, and the vehicle itself is treated carefully – says Piotr Sarnecki, General Director of the Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA).
Negligent handling leads to damage to the bead or inner layers, which will only become apparent while driving. Remember that at highway speed, the tyre rotates about 1000 times per minute – so there is no margin for service error. This means that the health and life of the driver and passengers depends on the reliable performance of the tyre service.
– The idea of the® PTIA and Arval Tyre Certificate is extremely important. On the quality of services in the service – e.g. the level of preparation of employees or the quality of machines – depends not only the condition of our vehicles, but above all the life and health of car users. We know that the Tyre Certificate® is the only program in Poland that was created in cooperation with all major tyre manufacturers, service networks and industry experts. As a result, it has uniform certification criteria and tyre replacement procedures – the same for everyone, transparent and reasonable. We see that it is worth following the Certificate when choosing a service – adds Karolina Gościeta from Arval.
An important element of the cooperation between Arval and PTIA will also be the distinction of services that are particularly responsible for caring for the environment. Part of the audit is to verify how the service deals with used tyres and whether it systematically uses the existing system of collecting used tyres. Such services will have an additional designation “Socially responsible service”.
Arval is a leading provider of services related to broadly understood mobility. In Poland, Arval has been operating since 1999 and currently manages a fleet of over 6,7,000 cars, which places it in the leading position in the area of long-term car rental and car fleet management (CFM). Thanks to many years of experience and technologically advanced solutions, Arval takes over from customers most of the processes related to mobility services: from financing, through consultancy in the selection of vehicles for the fleet, technical support, to an attractive insurance product. Arval actively participates in the energy transformation of its customers’ fleets by offering a whole range of sustainable mobility drives, including so-called electrified cars, i.e. HEV, PHEV hybrids or fully electric cars. Already 15% of the fleet rented by Arval are electrified cars.
The Tyre Certificate® is a three-stage audit of tyre workshops. It is available to all tyre service providers – network, independent and ASO. The application form is available at: https://certyfikatoponiarski.pl/form.php.
The idea of an independent tyre certificate was born from the need to improve the level of service quality in tyre services and to appreciate the efforts of those services where professional service is a daily practice. It is also a distinguishing feature attracting new customers who will be able to easily find certified services on the map and see how high quality they offer.
The certification criteria apply to both the technical equipment of the service and the training of mechanics and the level of customer service. Due to the large diversity of the quality of services in tyre service stations in Poland, 3 levels of advancement in tyre service are available in the tyre certificate – good, very good and exemplary. In each of them there are main criteria (crucial for the proper performance of service) and conditional criteria (which are important for the overall assessment of a given website). It depends only on the given service whether it will develop and certify for subsequent degrees, or immediately start from the middle or highest level. The list of criteria and procedures for tyre maintenance is available on the website: https://certyfikatoponiarski.pl/certyfikacja/.
PTIA and independent auditors ensure the independence of the certificate and professional audit.
The distinguishing features of the tyre certificate, which will be awarded to all services that successfully complete the audit, are: a large board with the logo of the certificate and an indication of the level of service and segment; entry stickers and a certificate in the form of a diploma.
For more information, please visit pzpo.org.pl, akademiaoponiarska.pl, certyfikatoponiarski.pl, information campaign: www.oponymajamoc.pl
About Arval:
Arval specializes in full-service vehicle rental and new mobility solutions. The total fleet leased by Arval consists of almost 1.6 million vehicles worldwide (end of December 2022). Every day, more than 8,000 Arval employees in 30 countries offer customers – from large multinational corporations to smaller companies and individual retail customers – flexible solutions that will make travel seamless and sustainable. Arval is a founder and member of the Element-Arval Global Alliance, which is a world leader in fleet management, with more than 3 million vehicles in 53 countries. Arval was founded in 1989 and is wholly owned by the BNP Paribas Group. Within the Group, Arval is part of the Commercial, Personal Banking & Services division.
This post is also available in: 
polski (Polish)
