ITEC tyre show goes virtual
The International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC) scheduled for September is switching to an online format.
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TireTech introduces patented tyre examination system
TireTech GmbH isn’t known to many in the tyre market, as Bernhard Brain and Karl Staudinger only set up the company last year. The two founders, however, each boast 25 years of professional experience and are experts in mechanical engineering and automation. The German company is now presenting an automated solution to grade used tyres for reuse or disposal: The new and already patented, modularly configurable TP1 with Tire Measurement Reporting System (TMRS) can examine up to 400 used car tyres per hour and - according to customer specifications - sort and dispatch these for further application, such as retreading. With this solution, Brain and Staudinger claim they’ve finally “brought automation to arbitrary, manual car tyre testing.”
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Airless tyre market ‘worth over $45m by 2026’ – report
A new study from market research firm Global Market Insights expects the airless tyre market to surpass 139,000 units by 2024. The researcher said that stimulated production of military and heavy commercial vehicles in the Asia Pacific region would boost the segment. Also backed by urbanisation trends in the region, Global Market Insights estimates that APAC will account for more than 34 per cent of the global market by 2024.
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Rockwell and PTC upgrade FactoryTalk
Rockwell Automation, Inc. and PTC have announced strategic enhancements to the FactoryTalk InnovationSuite and used in factories around the world – including automotive and tyre operations. Launched in 2018, the FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, has reportedly seen “rapid customer adoption, helping achieve significant improvements in operational efficiency, reduction in unplanned downtime and improved quality.”
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Point S opens China pilot centres in Foshan
Following its entry into the Chinese market in October 2019, Point S has opened its first two pilot outlets. The tyre retail and car maintenance group formalised its joint venture, Point S China, with Suremoov and Harson, two major players in the Chinese garage market, and the membership of their respective networks. The formation of the JV was introduced at the end of 2019 during the Paris EquipAuto show, and in an official ceremony in Shanghai on 25 October.
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GT Radial tyres return to Gundlach exclusivity in Germany
Reifen Gundlach has resumed its exclusive distribution of GT Radial brand tyres in Germany. The new deal comes three years after Giti Tire ended their previously long-standing exclusive partnership with the wholesaler, started in 1994. Giti stated in 2017 that it wanted to to “achieve a higher market penetration with a planned realignment of the brand.” Part of the strategy was to make the GT Radial brand available through four different wholesalers. This coincided with the European entry of its eponymous Giti brand, with a special focus on the German market. At its peak, it had previously sold around a million GT Radial tyres per year, according to Gundlach statements. Now in 2020, the manufacturer has opted to resume its exclusive arrangement for GT Radial with Gundlach.
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Alejandro Recasens joins Apollo Vredestein
Alejandro Recasens has joined Apollo Vredestein as Cluster Director South-West, responsible for Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. Having had a successful career with Pirelli Tyres spanning two decades, Recasens is now spearheading Apollo Vredestein’s plans for growth in the markets of southwestern Europe.
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Fintyre initiates debt restructuring programme
On 15 June 2020 Italian tyre distributor Fintyre filed an application for admission into a debt restructuring arrangement with creditors to preserve “business continuity and better safeguard the interests of its creditors and of all the subjects who, for various reasons, have relationships with Fintyre”, according to our Italian group publication PneusNews.it. Related businesses Franco Gomme and Tire Retail (Pneusmarket) are not part of the arrangement.
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Sentury Tire IPO approval ‘ensuring company’s advancement’ – Davanti
Chinese manufacturer Qingdao Sentury Tire received approval for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange earlier in the month. The tyre maker is mainly known in the UK for supplying Landsail tyres through wholesaler Grouptyre, as well as being a manufacturing partner of Davanti Tyres. Tyres & Accessories asked Sean Maddocks, Davanti sales director for UK and Ireland, what the IPO would mean for its own relationship and growth plans.
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Maxxis re-appoints Dr Wally Chen as chairman
Former Maxxis International president Dr Wally Chen is leaving retirement to assume the chairmanship of the company. Dr Chen, who oversaw Maxxis’ rise to the ranks of the world’s top 10 tyre companies, will assume the chairmanship effective immediately following a vote by the company’s board of directors at a recent meeting. He replaces former Maxxis/Cheng Shin chairman Robert Lo (pictured).
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eBay France partners with Feu Vert to fit tyres bought online
eBay France has partnered with the 350-branch strong Feu Vert garage network to fit tyres purchased online. The development was hinted at last year’s Equip Auto show when the head of spare parts and accessories for cars and motorcycles in the French, Spanish and Italian markets, Francesco Faà di Bruno, announced that negotiations were underway. Now, Ebay has confirmed, the agreement is final.
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European car registrations plummet 52% in May
European passenger car registrations plummeted 52.3 per cent during May, according to the latest ACEA figures. Although COVID-19 lockdown measures were eased in many countries last month, the number of new cars sold across the European Union fell from 1,217,259 units in May 2019 to 581,161 passenger cars in May of this year.
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