Textar marks 110 years of braking business
TMD Friction’s Textar braking brand celebrated its 110th anniversary in July, marking more than a century’s supply of high-end braking products.
TMD Friction’s Textar braking brand celebrated its 110th anniversary in July, marking more than a century’s supply of high-end braking products.
It was at a gas station in 1960 that Vicencio Paludo found the opportunity that would make him start the company that is now 50 years old, Vipal Rubber. The only one in the world with a complete line of products for retreading and repairs for passenger, commercial, agricultural and off-the-road (OTR) tyres, the company was born from a latent need: to offer lorry drives a solution to their tyre problems. From the first patches, going through the production of camelbacks, treads, and tyre retreading machines, to the manufacture of new tyres for motorcycles, one of the largest rubber manufacturers in the world emerges.
The Falken tyre brand celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and Falken Tyre Europe has marked the milestone at an event not far from its headquarters in Offenbach am Main, Germany. For the company, the anniversary is also an opportunity to look back on the past four decades.
Those wishing to gain a better understanding of Bridgestone Corporation’s initiatives for enhancing corporate value over the medium to long term can find the needed information in the new Bridgestone 3.0 Journey 2023 Integrated Report. This document outlines changes made since 2020 and provides an update on transformational progress in the run-up to the company’s 100th anniversary in 2031.
Motorcycle tyre brand Metzeler will be an official event partner at the European Harley-Davidson 120 Anniversary celebration in Budapest on 22-25 June. Metzeler will have a booth in the Harley-Davidson Village dedicated to its Cruisetec and ME888 Marathon Ultra tyres for the latest generation of cruisers. The brand will also offer free tyre pressure check-ups, as well as tyre sales and fitments at the event. Metzeler will also promote other initiatives, such as its sponsorship of the official Custom Bike Show on Friday 23 June – a competition for the most beautiful bikes in different categories. Metzeler will be the promoter of three special awards: Best in Show; the Metzeler People’s Choice Award for the most beautiful motorcycle chosen by a popular jury; and the Metzeler Judges’ Choice, rewarding a specialist jury’s favourite customisation.
Harley-Davidson receives a lot of stick about the average age of its bikes’ owners, but even the most senior hog rider is a spring chicken in comparison to the brand itself. This year Harley-Davidson marks its 120th anniversary and will celebrate next month with the HD120 event at the Puskás Aréna. Dunlop will join the company in Budapest from 22 to 25 June.
On 29 April, Kama Tyres celebrated 50 years of tyre-related production. On that day in 1973, Nizhnekamsk tyre factory produced its first inner tube for 6.15 x 13 tyres destined for fitment on Zhiguli (Lada) cars.
February 2023 marked a significant milestone in the history of original equipment (OE) component manufacturer and system supplier Denso, as it is 50 years since the company opened its first regional headquarters in continental Europe and Denso Europe was established. “The European business began in the Netherlands in 1973, with a workforce of just five,” explains Denso Europe, pan European strategic marketing manager, Fatiha Laauich, “but by 1987, it had grown substantially with the addition of a new facility to remanufacture starters and alternators for Toyota.”
ADAC has published the results of a golden anniversary tyre test in which it evaluates one product for each year since entering the tyre testing game. It looked at 205/55 R16 V – currently the most popular dimension. In readiness for the next 50 years and as a nod to the increasing significance of environmental & sustainability issues, the motoring organisation also overhauled its system of scoring.
The 47th edition of Rétromobile, a leading international consumer event for vintage cars, bringing together more than 600 exhibitors, will kick off the festivities celebrating the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This unprecedented display dedicated to French craftsman and manufacturers who have shone at Le Mans will be held in Pavilion 1 of Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from 1 to 5 February 2023.
Liverpool-based Kirkby Tyres has played a leading role in the UK tyre business for much of its post-war history. Much has changed during that time, so with Kirkby Tyres’s parent company celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, Tyres & Accessories spoke to chairman Gordon Rosenthal in order to find out more about the past, present and future of the well-known tyre wholesaler.
Continental Tyre South Africa is marking its 75th anniversary in South Africa with its sponsorship of Cars.co.za’s four-part ‘Continental Icons’ video series. Available on the Cars.co.za YouTube channel, one of the largest branded channels in South Africa with more than 320 000 subscribers, the videos highlight the tyre manufacturer’s original equipment heritage. The General Tire and Rubber Company South Africa was founded in January 1947 and acquired by Continental AG in 1998, after which it was renamed Continental Tyre South Africa. The company said the acquisition helped cement it as one of the country’s leading tyre manufacturers.
This summer sees Kwik Fit Fleet celebrating the 35th anniversary of opening its first fleet account. Following that first agreement in 1987, the Kwik Fit Fleet operation has grown year on year and now comprises a team of more than 200 people supporting over 4,000 fleet customers and 1.5 million drivers.
Kerr’s Tyres Group has celebrated its 20th anniversary with its very first customer. Originally opening as Kerr’s Tyres in 2002 with a staff of three, the company has expanded both its scale and the range of services it offers over the last two decades.
TerraClean has driven £35 million of revenue into the UK automotive garage trade, according to the brand, which is celebrating 10 years in the UK in 2022. The network of DPF cleaning and engine decarbonizing specialists has seen its numbers grow to more than 500 locations throughout UK and Ireland and looks set to grow further with an active marketing campaign this year.
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