New Trailer Tyre From Goodyear
Goodyear is to use its stand at the Commercial Vehicle Show to launch its new LHT or Long Haul Trailer Tyre. The company says the new tyre range will be a valuable addition to its already wide range of CV tyres.
Goodyear is to use its stand at the Commercial Vehicle Show to launch its new LHT or Long Haul Trailer Tyre. The company says the new tyre range will be a valuable addition to its already wide range of CV tyres.
NV Bekaert SA (Kortrijk/Belgium) has announced that it has made an agreement with Penta Investments Limited and Majetkovy Holding a.s. to acquire 100 % of the shares of Drotovna Droty a.s. and Drotovna Kordy a.s. in the Slovak Republic. Both Drotovna Droty a.s. and Drotovna Kordy a.s. were incorporated in 1999 as a result of a restructuring of Drotovna at Hlohovec, 75 km North East of Bratislava. The present owners have been going through a rationalisation process which will give Drotovna Droty a.s. a capacity of approx. 60,000 tonnes of various steel wires for the Central European market and Drotovna Kordy a.s. a capacity of approx. 9,000 tonnes of tire cord and approx. 8,000 tonnes of bead wire. The acquisition of both companies will increase Bekaert’s market share and strengthen its competitive position in the fast growing Central European market. The completion of the purchase is subject to the approval of the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic and the full implementation of the rationalisation programme.
Once again Ford and Firestone have settled a roll-over claim. This case attracted an even higher level of interest as two of the victims of the crash were high profile people. Earl Shinhoster, a veteran NAACP civil rights official in Atlanta, died in the 2000 Ford Explorer crash which also injured Samimah Aziz, a goddaughter of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the driver, Ademah Hackshaw. The Explorer was in a motorcade with the first lady of Liberia and a state patrol escort making this an unusual case. Ruby Shinhoster speaking for herself and two other survivors said “I’m relieved …. but they still haven’t admitted they did anything wrong.” Bridgestone/Firestone spokesman Dan MacDonald said the company was pleased to resolve the case without a trial. “Although the tire line involved in this case has an excellent safety record, protracted litigation is in no one’s best interest,” Firestone has now settled some 700 such cases. Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes said the company believes the Explorer is a safe vehicle and statistics back up the claim. Ford and the tire maker had said the accident happened partly because the tire was 7 years old and the motorcade was travelling at least 80 mph in a 70 mph zone.
AA Tyre Fitting general manager David Goodyear says that using a mobile tyre fitting service can save a 500-vehicle strong fleet up to £20,000 a year. Estimates suggest that the average hourly cost of employment to a company for a fleet driver is £28.50 and that the average fleet car has 1.4 tyres replaced every year. On average, a visit to a fast-fit centre to have a tyre change lasts 90 minutes, it is claimed. For a fleet of 500 vehicles, this would cost employers almost £20,000. “Over a large fleet, that wasted time mounts up and the figures that we have compiled show it to be considerable cost. But it’s a cost that can be saved through mobile fitting. Most tyre replacement can be done by mobile fitters while a driver continues to be productive working in their office, or even relaxing at home during the evening,” he added.
Scottish fast fit McConechy’s Tyre service has taken a giant leap in corporate development by buying 33 outlets from Goodyear and Dunlop.
Panther Tyres Limited, Aintree, admitted three offences covering thousands of waste tyres. And was fined a total of £19,000 and was also ordered to pay £1,125.45 costs to the Environment Agency. Panther Tyres Limited is owned by father and son Ronald and Stephen Callow, and neither have a Waste Management Licence authorising the deposit or storage of waste.The company said it ran a recycling operation for remoulded tyres. The company estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 were stored on the land, and that about one third of them were unusable. Panther Tyres Limited admitted keeping waste tyres without a Waste Management Licence, permitting waste tyres to be deposited on land without a licence, and failing to take reasonable measures to prevent the escape of waste from the site.
Ford’s Excursion 4×2 and Super Duty F-250 and F-350 Models will run on Pirelli Scorpion STRs as OE fit in 2003. Powertrains are at the heart of doing what SUVs and trucks are designed to do. A wide range of engines give these vehicles incredible power and torque, including the all new 6.0-litre, turbocharged, Power Stroke V8 diesel. Pirelli’s Scorpion STR is designed to cope with the torque and towing potential. The LT265/75 R 16 radials will be available with either black sidewalls or raised outline white letters.The Pirelli Scorpion STRs destined for 2003 Ford Excursions and Super Duty pickups will be manufactured in Pirelli’s factory in Brazil. The technical specification of the STR includes the combination of steel belts and nylon wrap for which Pirelli is famous, being the core technology behind Pirelli’s high-speed performance tyres. Tyres will be shipped to Ford assembly plants in Louisville, Kentucky and Cuautitlan, Mexico and vehicles produced will be distributed in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
New cars sales on the U.K. reached a record last year after breaking through the 2.5 million barrier, reported the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Sales increased 4.3 percent over the year to 2,563.631, worth an estimated 33.3 billion GBP. The Ford Focus was Britain’s top selling new car for the fourth year in a row.
Insurance for all in the tyre industry is fast becoming a major problem. Legislation and an increasingly litigious society make it advisable to have the best cover you can, but it’s not always that easy. Premiums have shot through the roof as insurance companies are affected by the downturn in the stock market – it seems that the tyre industry is one sector whose business the insurance companies don’t want. Insurance was one of the topics debated at last year’s NTDA conference, but if retailers think it’s difficult to get cover, spare a thought for the poor retreader.
The motorcyclist has long been regarded as being knowledgeable about his tyres, much more so than the car driver. The motorcyclist is also more likely to be fussy over which brand of tyre he puts his trust in. We take a look at what’s on offer.
Tread rubber and compounds are continually changing, in order to meet changing needs. The motorcyclist wants superb grip, the truck haulier wants long mileage and the ordinary motorist wants both. Developments such as silica compounds and precure treads that are axle-specific help to achieve these objectives. What’s next on the horizon – using reclaimed rubber perhaps?
Does your depot offer a brakes and clutch service, or do you regard yourself as a tyre supplier pure and simple? If you don’t offer such a service, you could be missing out on profits.
Agriculture in the UK has suffered over the past few years, with the foot and mouth crisis and farm incomes falling. Farms have grown larger as people have left the business and farms have been amalgamated. Machinery has become more powerful and harder-working and the tyre manufacturers’ products have changed to accommodate this. The scope of agriculture has widened as new machines appear on farms – backhoe loaders, ATVs, forklifts etc. We look at some of the tyres available and at the industry’s premier showcase, the Smithfield Show.
India’s largest four wheeler tyre manufacturer celebrates its silver jubilee. J. K. Tyre is a division of J. K. Industries, which is itself a flagship company of the J. K. organisation; one of the largest industrial groups in India. As well as tyres, the group’s manufacturing activities include paper, cement, textiles, hybrid seeds, cosmetics, power transmission – the list is as varied as it is extensive. J. K. Tyre was established in 1977 and has established itself as India’s number one manufacturer of tyres for four wheel vehicles under the JK Tyre and Vikrant brands. In this sector, J. K. Tyre claims a domestic market share of 20.8%. In the truck and bus tyre market, which accounts for around 80% of the Indian tyre market by value, J. K. Tyre claims a market-leading 25.8% share.In 1997, J. K. Industries took a major strategic decision to acquire Vikrant Tyres Ltd., an ailing tyre manufacturer. With the input of J. K. Tyre’s expertise, systems, marketing and work practices, Vikrant achieved a remarkable turnaround, returning to profit after only ten months. Today, J. K. Tyre has four Indian production facilities, with a capacity of 5.5 million tyres. This growth is set to continue, with production over the next two or three years rising to some eight million tyres. The company also boasts India’s first, and only, all-steel truck and bus radial plant. Being a pioneer of radial technology involved J. K. Tyres in a great deal of hard work and effort to spread the word about the benefits of radials, but this has been rewarded as the J. K. Tyre brand is strongly associated with radial tyres. The company’s marketing strategy was focused on offering high performance radials with service being the brand differentiator.One aspect of this was the establishment of a chain of retail outlets, offering a one-stop sales and service centre. Going under the name “Steel Wheels”, there are more than 100 such outlets in India and J. K. Tyre claims that they have revolutionised tyre retailing in India – offering services such as wheel balancing and alignment and advice on tyre care by well-trained technical staff. Another marketing initiative is the “Dial-a-Tyre” service, which allows customers to have tyres delivered and fitted in the comfort of their own homes. This is the latest in a line of innovations, which includes India’s first T-rated tyre, the first H-rated tyre and the country’s first Dual Contact tyre, the “Aquasonic”. The company manufactures a range of tyres to suit all four-wheel applications, from cars to trucks and buses, agricultural vehicles and tractors, plus there is also a range of tyres for animal-drawn vehicles. Both radial and bias ply tyres are produced.
Anyone in the tyre business who has spent holiday time in the South of Spain will probably have noticed the branding of Confort Auto – the red, yellow and black logo emblazoned across the frontage of the white and black tyre depots along with the eagle logo and the Grupo Soledad inscription. They may not have realised that, with 57 workshops, Confort Auto is the largest independent fast fit operator in Spain. They may not have made the connection with the retread industry either, for the parent company of the Confort Auto brand is Grupo Soledad, which is also the owner and manufacturer of the Insa Turbo retread brand of truck and car tyres. Given the poor reputation of retread tyres in the UK market it may be difficult for some to reconcile a retread operation with the modern and professional approach of Confort Auto. However, the history of the company runs deeper still.The retreading division is based at Aspe outside Alicante, and the operation has grown on this site gradually expanding to take in more and more of the available space here. There is a great deal of development in the area and further expansion is planned in the near future, with a new warehouse at an industrial site a few kilometres away. This will create space at the Aspe plant for further developments.
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