>4000 EP Tyres recalled in USA
Across the Atlantic, on 3 June 2025, PT Elangperdana Tyre Industry (which trades as EP Tyres) received a letter from the US National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) stating that the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance had tested the Indonesian tyremakers LT265/65R18 Accelera Omikron A/T tyres for compliance with FMVSS 139, the local new, light vehicle, pneumatic radial tyre legislation. According to NHTSA’s letter, testing conducted by Smithers MCE, Inc. identified a sidewall separation near the bead area during the post-test visual inspection, constituting “possible noncompliance”.
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US tyre business loses >$5 million due to ‘widespread financial misconduct’
“Widespread financial misconduct” has been found within a “Latin American subsidiary of a U.S.-based tyre distributor” after a tyre firm called in FTI Consulting to conduct a “forensic investigation to identify and address the root causes of the issues…”. Writing in a case study, FTI Consulting reports that its forensic investigation “uncovered a scheme involving unauthorized vendor payments, kickbacks and inventory manipulation that had been concealed by employees for personal financial gain.”
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Hankook launches iON HT for electric light trucks
Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook) has launched the iON HT, a highway-terrain tyre engineered specifically for electric light-duty trucks. Featuring an “XL” load designation, the iON HT is specially engineered to provide “extra strength and rigidity to accommodate additional cargo with regular light-truck usage, and the heavy battery packs inherent to electric platforms”.
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Exmile: From nothing to three factories in less than 2 decades
Following on from the preview we published in June, what follows is the concluding part of interview with Exmile founder and chief executive, Michael Zhang. See the July edition of Tyres & Accessories for the complete interview and further coverage of what took place at this years Guangrao Tyre Exhibition as well as news from the Chinese tyre industry in general. 20 years ago, Exmile didn’t exist. Meeting Michael Zhang during the course of the recent Guangaro Tyre Exhibition in Shandong Province revealed a unique personal biography that has led to the establishment and development of an uncommon company. From the start, quality has been prioritized over quantity at the same time that executives have invested in the brand over short-term sales wins.
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Guy Heywood retires from Hankook, continues consultancy work
At the start of 2025, Guy Heywood stepped down from his role as vice president of sales, marketing and business strategy at Hankook Europe to take up the role of vice president supporting Hankook in Europe as an “internal consultant” and with “strategic projects management”. On 3 July Heywood took to LinkedIn to share the news that he had started a new position as senior consultant at SPG Impact. Hankook representatives confirmed the news, but there are currently no further details relating to how Heywood’s retirement impacts the European organisation.
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Halfords names ex-Kwik Fit operations director as Garages MD
Halfords Group has appointed Adam Pay as managing director of Garages at Halfords. Pay will lead Halfords’ growing garage services business, taking over from Karen Bellairs, who continues with the business as Chief Customer Officer. Adam Pay will report directly to Henry Birch, chief executive officer, and will join the company’s executive team.
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Tyres a ‘major opportunity’ for independent garages – Cleevely Motors
Cleevely Motors is urging fellow independent garages to embrace the opportunity offered by tyre sales, particularly those servicing electric vehicles. Cleevely says it has experienced a 30 per cent increase in overall tyre sales since joining the Point S UK network in late 2023. “If you buy tyres properly and strategically through wholesale markets and deal with the right suppliers, tyres can become a little goldmine for your business, particularly when it comes to EV servicing,” said Matt Cleevely, managing director of Cleevely Motors and Cleevely Electric Vehicles.
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Valeo celebrates Wolverhampton College’s trophy triumph with student training day
Valeo Service UK recently welcomed students from Wolverhampton College to its headquarters in Redditch, celebrating their success in the prestigious Technicians Trophy event. The competition, held at Wolverhampton College, brought together teams from Wolverhampton College, Heart of Worcester College, and South and City College, with each entering two teams of four technicians.
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Garage Services Online to sponsor The Blend 2025
Garage Services Online has announced its sponsorship of The Blend 2025, the independent garage conference and networking event taking place on Saturday 18th October at The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham. Now in its sixth year, The Blend has become a key date in the diary for independent workshops, attracting over 300 attendees from across the UK and Ireland for a full day of expert-led talks and peer networking.
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New Emission control products from Klarius
Klarius Products has announced a number of new emission control components for nine different brands to further support the UK and European aftermarket automotive sector. The 19 parts released all meet or exceed the performance of the OE products and are estimated to cover in excess of 205,000 vehicles in the UK and over 1,100,000 in Europe.
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First Line adds 92 new parts
First Line Ltd. has expanded its product range with 92 new parts, further demonstrating its dedication to providing extensive aftermarket solutions for a broad spectrum of vehicle applications. The latest range expansion includes 37 additional parts in transmission, 29 in cables, 15 in steering and suspension, six in filters, three in friction and one each in cooling and lubrication.
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Stark Future chooses Dunlop Geomax MX34 off-road tyre for all-electric VARG MX
Stark Future is fitting the Dunlop Geomax MX34 next-generation soft-mid motocross tyre as a standard original equipment (OE) fitment for the all-electric VARG MX. The tyre is supplied in sizes 80/100-21 (front) and 110/90-19 (rear). Dunlop is a trusted supplier to many of the world’s leading off-road motorcycle manufacturers. This is the first Dunlop motocross product selected as standard equipment on an all-electric off-road motorcycle.
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Giti Tire partners VWCV to support ID. Buzz EV world record attempt
Giti Tire is supplying its GitiSynergyH2 tyres to support a new Guinness World Record attempt. Challenge4, supported by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, wants to visit the most countries in a zero-emission vehicle journey in the fully electric VW ID. Buzz. The planned eight-month journey will span around 75 countries across six continents, covering 80,000km.
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Upbeat in a ‘depressed’ market: B. A. Bush opens 4 branches in 6 months
B.A. Bush & Son Ltd is pointing to the fact that the company has opened four new depots in the last six months as evidence of how the company is bucking the trend of a “depressed” market. Specifically, two retail depots recently started trading in Norfolk – namely Ely and Attleborough; and two commercial depots have opened in Lincoln and Scarborough.
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Continental, Industrial Tyre Specialists partnership cuts Glennon Brothers downtime by 50%
A Continental policy with servicing by Industrial Tyre Specialists (ITS) has helped a leading manufacturer of high-quality timber products improve the durability of its solid and earthmover tyres. Fitting faster wearing products had translated to frequent downtime and therefore delays for Glennon Brothers, which supplies a wide range of timber solutions to the Irish and UK markets from its 65-acre main site in Fermoy and additional locations in Longford and the UK. The business operates 13 forklifts and loading vehicles across multiple shifts and sites, moving vast quantities of produce daily in demanding conditions.
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