Lafarge Tarmac has scooped the British Precast Concrete Association's "Sustainability Champions 2013" award for the company's Automatic Tyre Inflation System (ATIS).

Lafarge Tarmac invested in the ATIS, which continually monitors and adjusts the air pressure in tyres, across its fleet of bulk cement tankers and many benefits can already be seen. Crucially, the introduction of the ATIS is advantageous for Lafarge Tarmac’s customers, as it enables drivers to travel longer distances without refuelling, making the delivery service faster and more flexible.

The judges recognised that the system addresses a challenge in environmental resource efficiency in transport and felt that the overall environmental and financial savings are substantial. Lafarge Tarmac's entry was considered to offer the “best practice sustainability initiative”.

Since introducing the system, the business has increased its miles to the gallon by 1% and reduced fuel consumption by 3% to 4% across the fleets. Using ATIS has also extended the lifecycle of the business’ fleets by 20% and saved down-time and maintenance associated with blow out damage.

From a safety perspective, ATIS delivers significant benefits as it removes the need for roadside repairs and allows vehicles to return safely to depot for necessary tyre changes.

Commenting on the win, Lafarge Tarmac's transport manager Andrew Brodley said: "The ATIS system has many strong sustainability benefits and can easily be retrofitted to most vehicle types. It also provides our drivers with valuable peace of mind while they are on long journeys, when punctures could seriously impact their work."

Commenting for the judges, Martin Clarke, chief executive of the British Precast Concrete Federation, said: “We were pleased to award Lafarge Tarmac with the 2013 associate member Sustainability Champion award. The award is an important one which reminds all parts of our supply chain upstream and downstream that they have a valuable contribution to make in reducing environmental impact. The Lafarge Tarmac ATIS entry was a very strong one. The judges were impressed by the potential for transferability across the industry and by the win-win of lower fuel costs and reduced capital cost. We were doubly delighted to this year present a further award to Lafarge Tarmac as a reward for its consistent and effective support for our sustainability programme and this award in particular.”