Eugenio Busatto, San Benedetto (licensed by Pepsi Cola und Schweppes) in Scorzé (Venice), head of forklift service.

"When it comes to tyres, I listen to my forklift drivers. They don't want anything but Continental."

The fame of San Benedetto's lightly carbonated mineral water has long since spread beyond the borders of Italy. The company, headquartered in Scorzé near Venice, started bottling the precious liquid - initially by hand - in 1956.

Since then San Benedetto has conquered the international market, sometimes going it alone, sometimes in cooperation with other firms - like Pepsi Cola, Schweppes or Danone.

Today the Italians have one of the world's largest bottling facilities, with a production capacity of 600,000 bottles an hour.

"With other tyres our new forklifts seldom run as smoothly. They vibrate so much, in fact, that the drivers are forced to take frequent breaks."

As head of the San Benedetto's forklift service, Eugenio Busatto is responsible for overseeing a fleet of 130 vehicles. Regardless of where the large number of industrial trucks come from - whether from manufacturers like OM Pimespo, Still or Toyota - they're all fitted out with Continental tyres. And since, for the Italians as well, standing still means losing ground, the tyres are used in three-shift, round-the-clock operation.

"Continental tyres provide exceptionally long service. They're failure-proof and have very low rolling resistance."

Not only Busatto but also the electricians appreciate the especially good mileage that Continental radial tyres offer. Because of the low rolling resistance, the forklifts get by with lower energy input, fewer battery changes and thus less frequent work interruptions - all money in the pocket of San Benedetto.

What Eugenio Busatto would additionally like to have from Continental are tyres that survive forklift collisions. With the sturdy flanks on the CSE Robust SC 15, Continental's well on the way to offering him just that.