Wheels
Wheelwright launches AEZ Phoenix wheel
Wheel distributor, Wheelwright has launched the AEZ Phoenix. The wheel includes a split five-spoke design, aping the current crop of styles being released by many top-end manufacturers. Its Y-shaped spoke profile runs to the edge of the rim, enhancing and exaggerating wheel’s size.
Starco introduces nano-coating to steel wheel range
A world first has been claimed by Denmark’s Starco. The company reports it has begun coating the steel wheels it produces, both pressed and spun, with the ‘e-coat’ nanotechnology treatment. The application of e-coat during the steel wheel production process began at Starco’s Beli Manastir, Croatia wheel plant at the start of this year, following the installation and commissioning of equipment there in the final quarter of 2011. Starco says...
Europe’s oldest fleet runs on Alcoa wheels
HMK, purportedly Europe´s oldest transportation company, relies on Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels. H.M. Kristiansens Automobilbyra AS, more commonly known as HMK, is said to be Europe´s oldest transportation company and is also the largest privately owned coach company in Norway. The firm has been operating from Oslo since 1873.
Animal transport firm switches to Alcoa wheels
Venneker based in Nordkirchen, Germany has opted to switch all its new trailers to Alcoa wheels. Venneker has over 35 years of experience in cattle trade and transport. The firm operates 48 trucks and more than 40 ultra-modern trailers and semitrailers to transport the animals, observing the latest EU regulations.
HGV wheel safety debated at Westminster again
In a Private Members’ Debate on Tuesday 29 November, Paul Goggins MP continued to raise the issue of commercial vehicle wheel safety with Parliamentary under-secretary of State for Transport Mike Penning, asserting “I am not going away on this issue.” The outcome of the debate was that the MPs will meet again soon, to discuss the outcome of Goggins’ meetings with industry representatives and trade associations. The MP, in conjunction with...
Projex launches new Storm van alloy fitments
Projex Design UK Ltd recently launched the latest addition to its Italian-made commercial van alloy range. The Storm wheel is now available for the Toyota Hi-Ace
and Hyundai I-Load. The company has been producing this wheel for more than 18 months and it now reportedly caters for every model of commercial van in Europe.
New debate on commercial wheel safety
Motor Wheel Service boss John Ellis is continuing to campaign for safety checks on second hand and take-off wheels entering the UK commercial vehicle market; the company estimates that over 10,000 such wheels enter the UK aftermarket every year, of which it says the large majority are sold by companies who do not possess the technical abilities or examination procedures to ascertain the history and fatigue of a wheel. His local MP Paul Goggins,...
Alcoa launches new 22.5 x 11.75 wheel
Alcoa Wheel Products Europe is introducing a new 22.5 x 11.75 wheel with 120 mm offset and a 5000 kilogram load index for truck front steer axles and trailer axles. According to the company, the new wheel weighs only 23.6 kilos and is available with Ø 26mm mounting holes in four finishes: brushed, mirror polished, Dura-Bright and Dura-Flange. Alco reports that its wheels’ rim flanges are engineered to a unified rim flange design, allowing to...
US to implement anti-dumping tariffs against Chinese steel wheels
The US Department of Commerce has announced that it has preliminarily decided to implement a range of anti-dumping (AD) measures against Chinese steel wheel producers/exporters ranging from 110.58 to 193.54 per cent ad valorem. According the department, for the purposes of AD investigations, dumping means “a foreign company sell[ing] a product in the United States at less than fair value.” Official reports show that the petitioners for this...
Calibre to launch Askari wheel
Calibre has announced the next in its collection of niche wheel designs, which will launch in 2012. The Askari is “a new take on the ever-popular ‘Y Spoke’ genre,” according to the manufacturer. It is designed with motorsport aesthetics in mind; a gloss black centre sits within a polished and deep-set lip, reflecting what Calibre says are current trends.
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Stapleton’s: “More 4x4 [tyres] by far”
There was a time when four-wheel drive vehicles were direct descendants of hard-nosed ‘working’ and agricultural vehicles - so the choice of suitable tyres was pretty straightforward. These days, though, drivers are faced with what can be a... -
Grouptyre’s 4x4 ‘margin and massive stock’
If you want a company that offers both margins and “massive stocks,” Grouptyre believes its Evergreen, Federal and Goodride lines are the way to. According to the company, Grouptyre offers all the premium brand 4x4 products the market knows of as... -
Conti introduces alignment indicators to European commercial range
Excessive negative or positive camber and incorrectly set toe cause tyres to wear out prematurely, and for more than a decade Continental has included a straightforward method of detecting this on its US market commercial vehicle tyres. Truck tyres... -
Haweka UK offers free CV alignment checks
Haweka UK has announced that it will offer one free alignment check to dealers and CV/PSV operators with over 20 vehicles. The promotion is to encourage those fleets considering bringing wheel alignment in-house, and will feature Haweka’s new... -
General releases new Grabber All-Terrain size
Southam/Micheldever Tyres has added a new size to the General Grabber All-Terrain range. The 255/50R19 107H XL is suitable for Range Rover Sport, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg to name just a few fitments. -
Not just off-road: Toyo's performance 4x4 tyre range
During the last year Toyo Tires held onto the title of fastest ‘SUV in the world’ using the Proxes S/T’s on SPORTEC’s modified Porsche Cayenne Turbo at Germany’s high speed Oval course, the ATP. The Proxes S/T range was specifically selected... -
Fraikin chooses Bandvulc for retread policy
Fraikin UK, a leading vehicle contract hire firm, has started a supply arrangement for its retread tyres and casing management with the Bandvulc Group. The agreement, which sees Bandvulc’s product being used extensively within its operations, is... -
New Discoverer S/T MAXX and A/T3 tyres boost KRT’s Cooper 4x4 options
Cooper Tires has added to its line-up with the recent introduction of two new options in its popular Discoverer range; the Discoverer S/T MAXX and Discoverer A/T3. Cooper has worked closely with Kings Road Tyres, its appointed distribution partner,... -
Pro-Align launches Liftlign range
Pro-Align has introduced a new range of scissor and four-post alignment lifts. The new Liftlign range has been designed to fit a variety of space configurations, allowing compact workshops the chance to offer a high-quality four wheel alignment... -
Yokohama extends BluEarth concept to 4x4 tyres
Europe is to become the first international market for Yokohama’s new Geolander SUV range. The 4x4 tyre went on sale in Japan this month and when it arrives here in March the Geolander SUV will be available in 27 sizes from 245/50R20 102V to...
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Bridgestone conducts more Driver CPC training with Roadside course
More bus and coach workshop technicians have taken part in the Bridgestone Roadside course; a two-day initiative that trains technicians in health and safety, customer care and assessing the roadside situation. Three member companies of the Guild of... -
Bridgestone inaugurates Taiwan Bandag plant
Bridgestone Taiwan has announced the establishment of its first Bandag retreading facility in the country. The new truck and bus radial retreading plant in the city of Taichung was officially opened on 15 February. According to an article published by... -
Sibur, Reliance JV to meet India’s synthetic rubber needs
The biggest petrochemical company in Russia and Eastern Europe has entered into a joint venture with India’s largest private company to produce butyl rubber. On 21 February Sibur and Reliance Industries Limited jointly announced their intention to... -
Retread, recycle, repair – Kal Tire discusses the ‘three Rs’
It’s now more than two years since the Kal Tire Mining Tire Group acquired a majority shareholding in Derbyshire-based OTR Tyres, and the company says retreading at its Alfreton facility shows that despite increasing raw material costs and a major... -
Goodyear Dunlop releases truck fleet carbon calculator
Goodyear Dunlop has launched a new web-based Fuel Efficiency Calculator, modelling the conditions under which Europe’s road haulers operate to predict the effect tyre choice, investments in driver training, and various aerodynamic retrofit solutions... -
7.1 per cent fall in EU car registrations
ACEA, the European Automoblie Manufacturers' Association, has published figures showing that, in January, demand for new cars dropped by 7.1 per cent in the EU, compared to the same month a year earlier. In total, 968,769 new registrations were... -
Diesel price hits record high
Bad news for hauliers, as the price of diesel has hit a record high having rocketed by 10 pence per litre (ppl) in just 12 months – an inflation-busting 7 per cent rise – reports RMI Petrol. The increase leaves diesel at 143.05 pence per litre... -
Continental triples share dividend estimates
Continental AG has announced that the company plans to pay a dividend of 1.5 euros per share for the 2011 fiscal year, almost tripling analyst estimates of 0.55 euros. Based on the approximately 200 million shares outstanding, the proposed amount to... -
Linglong, Nexen join ITMA
The Imported Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ITMA) has announced that Shandong Linglong and Nexen Tire have become its newest members, increasing the total number to 15, and effectively more than 30 tyre brands. Five of these have joined within the... -
HiQ to switch to “nearly all” online promotion
HiQ will move “nearly all” of its promotion of the HiQ fast fit network away from traditional newspapers, radio and trade press to more online exposure, the network’s Wolverhampton PR agency Connect has revealed. The move follows the revamp of...
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Bridgestone conducts more Driver CPC training with Roadside course
More bus and coach workshop technicians have taken part in the Bridgestone Roadside course; a two-day initiative that trains technicians in health and safety, customer care and assessing the roadside situation. Three member companies of the Guild of... -
Dunlop India suspends production at Chennai
Dunlop India has announced the suspension of operations at its Ambattur, Chennai facility because of unrest in its workforce. The decision was taken after workers “practically resorted to illegal strike”, and management staff failed to report to... -
Bridgestone sponsors World Series Hockey
Bridgestone is to be the title sponsor of field hockey’s equivalent of cricket’s Indian Premier League, a competition designed to raise the profile of the sport in one of its key markets. The eight-franchise Bridgestone World Series Hockey... -
Stapleton’s: “More 4x4 [tyres] by far”
There was a time when four-wheel drive vehicles were direct descendants of hard-nosed ‘working’ and agricultural vehicles - so the choice of suitable tyres was pretty straightforward. These days, though, drivers are faced with what can be a... -
Grouptyre’s 4x4 ‘margin and massive stock’
If you want a company that offers both margins and “massive stocks,” Grouptyre believes its Evergreen, Federal and Goodride lines are the way to. According to the company, Grouptyre offers all the premium brand 4x4 products the market knows of as... -
New local accounts manager at National Fleet
National Fleet has appointed James Barrington as local account telesales manager. Barrington took on the role late last year which involves him developing relationships with a number of key accounts, promoting products and services to ensure that... -
Tyre explosion at Preston industrial unit kills man
A man has died after being injured when a heavy goods tyre exploded in Lancashire. According to BBC News reports, the incident occurred at just around 10:00am on 21 February on the industrial estate where Red Scar Tyres in Preston is based. -
Bridgestone inaugurates Taiwan Bandag plant
Bridgestone Taiwan has announced the establishment of its first Bandag retreading facility in the country. The new truck and bus radial retreading plant in the city of Taichung was officially opened on 15 February. According to an article published by... -
Conti introduces alignment indicators to European commercial range
Excessive negative or positive camber and incorrectly set toe cause tyres to wear out prematurely, and for more than a decade Continental has included a straightforward method of detecting this on its US market commercial vehicle tyres. Truck tyres... -
Sibur, Reliance JV to meet India’s synthetic rubber needs
The biggest petrochemical company in Russia and Eastern Europe has entered into a joint venture with India’s largest private company to produce butyl rubber. On 21 February Sibur and Reliance Industries Limited jointly announced their intention to...
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Report: Cheng Shin, Kenda earnings to grow fast in 1Q 2012
Taiwan-based tyre makers including Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co. and Kenda Rubber Industrial Co., are expected to see substantial growth in earnings in the first quarter of 2012 due to declines in raw material prices, particularly natural rubber. Furthermore, according to Taiwan Economic News, the European sovereign debt crisis means tyre manufacturers have slashed inventories to get rid of the risk in the prices of stocked goods. -
Hankook establishes new subsidiary in Poland
Hankook Tire has established an additional subsidiary in Europe. The opening of the company’s Polish branch in Warsaw is in keeping with the growing demand for Hankook tyres in the European markets. “Thanks to our new subsidiary in Poland we are now also able to provide full service to our partners and customers in the 6th largest tyre market in the European Union. This is in-line with Hankook’s strategy of close market and customer... -
New trade deal will aid US doing tyre business with South Korea
TIA says that the renewed free trade deal with South Korea is a good deal for the U.S. tyre market. President Obama signed the renewal of the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which was part of a trade pact originally agreed to between the U.S. and South Korea in 2007 – Korean-United States Free Trade Agreement. -
Tyre hijackers arrested
The Malay Mail reports that four armed intruders forced their way into a used-tyre factory in the township of Bandar Bukit Puchong, Malaysia, overpowering a security guard, who was bound and gagged, before driving off with a trailer loaded with 319 tyres. -
Pakistani tyre maker still under pressure from ‘smuggling’
Years of under-invoicing and rampant cross-border smuggling are still putting pressure on domestic tyre suppliers in Pakistan. So what’s the solution? Raid tyre markets in big cities instead of trying to stop smuggling along the long Pakistan-Afghanistan border, says General Tyre Pakistan chief executive Mohammad Shahid Hussain. -
Michelin extends with Ceva in Thailand
Michelin Thailand has renewed its logistics contract with Ceva for three years, to handle inbound tyres from Michelin’s production plants into warehouse facilities in three main locations across Thailand; Laemchabang, Nongkea and Nongree. -
Bulgarian police target pothole tyre puncturers
Bulgarian traffic police are making renewed efforts to tackle the reckless puncturing of tyres caused by criminals placing spikes in potholes. Police sources said that the recent examples have been deliberated set up to cause rapid deflations or blow-outs. According to the Sofia news agency, which cited private TV channel bTV, the tip-off to this crime was given by a Polish family, who complained to traffic authorities after narrowly escaping a... -
Cooper refuses comment on Trayal investment reports
Cooper has refused to comment on multiple Serbian news reports quoting Serbian finance secretary Miodrag Djidic as saying that Cooper Tire is interested in acquiring Trayal’s automobile tyre plant. When questioned on the subject, a Cooper Tire Europe spokesperson told Tyres & Accessories that’ the company’s “corporate policy is not to comment on rumour or speculation.” -
Pakistan sales champion Panther aiming to improve exports
Under the leadership of Mian Iftikhar Ahmed, the dedicated team Mian Tyre & Rubber Company Limited (MTRCL), which sells the Panther brand of tyres, has won the Pakistan export trophy for the last eight consecutive years. Now, the flagship business of Iftikhar Group of Companies, a leading tyre and tube manufacturing group in Pakistan is aiming to increase exports still further. According to the company, the Panther trade name has developed a... -
Bridgestone to invest in Costa Rica production and services
Two planned investments will increase Bridgestone’s presence in Costa Rica: The local subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO), Bridgestone de Costa Rica, has announced the company’s new Financial Shared Services Center for the Latin American Region is to be located in the Central American country. Bridgestone also confirmed it will invest US$70 million in its La Ribera de Belen tyre factory in Heredia province over the next...
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Is the European tyre market ready for tyre labelling when it is introduced in November 2012?
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