Lack of spare wheel could jeopardise safety – ABD
Drivers Lobby Group the Alliance of British Drivers have expressed concern that losing the hard shoulder on the proposed M1 Managed Motorway scheme could jeopardise motorists safety. The group are concerned that the modern trend for car manufacturers to substitute a can of foam for a proper full size spare wheel will put lives at risk where there is no longer a motorway hard shoulder.
Continue ReadingGoodyear publishes road safety white paper
Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) published the findings of a new research project it undertook with the European Driving Schools Association (EFA) on 27 November. Alongside the research, Goodyear EMEA published a Road Safety White Paper – “Driving Safety First: Improving Road Safety For Novice Drivers”. The White Paper was introduced and discussed at a panel debate of the European Transport Safety Council in Brussels today.
Continue ReadingLabel’s effect has been weak or non-existent, says French association boss
The head of the Syndicat des professionnels du pneu (SPP), the organisation representing the tyre industry in France, has added his voice to those who say the European tyre label has little influence on consumer purchase decisions. SPP president Régis Audugé was quoted by Reuters on 13 November as saying “The effect (of the label) has been weak, not to say non-existent.”
Continue ReadingToyo commences ‘Toyama’ trademark infringement action
On 8 November, Toyo Tire Rubber Co. Ltd. and its US subsidiaries filed a trademark infringement action against Toyama Tyre Corp and its subsidiaries. The action against Toyama was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, where both companies had exhibitor booths at the annual Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) trade show.
Continue ReadingFour metre height restriction would damage trade between UK and Ireland, warn associations
A group of leading trade associations from the UK and Ireland have written to the European Parliaments Transport Committee asking it not to damage highly efficient trade flows between the two countries by imposing unnecessary and unwelcome height restrictions on goods vehicles. The letter, alerting the Committee to the real threat posed to trade by a report which was presented to it today (5 November), received strong support from key members of the Transport Committee and from the European Commission.
Continue ReadingWinter tyre labelling 2.0?
With memories of Nokian’sill-fated alternative winter tyre label fresh in mind, I was interested to learn that Finnish tyre and vehicle test centre Testworld is making its own ice braking test result publically and freely available. Let’s cast our minds back almost exactly a year. The new tyre labelling laws had just been introduced following six months of various manufacturers making certain data available.12 months on virtually all of that has died down and it is far from clear exactly how the market has received this concept, let alone consumers (see Labelling compliance worse..., NTDA/Lanxess labelling report and Goodyear Dunlop: Labelling one year on for more on this.
Continue ReadingLabelling compliance worse one year on
Compliance to tyre labelling legislation is lower one year on from its introduction than it was in the opening months of the rules. According to research conducted by market analysts at Encircle Market, the amount of labelling talk has actually decreased since tyre labelling was introduced in November 2012. The research also reveals a number of other details demonstrating relative some degree of inertia when it comes to the subject of tyre labelling.
Continue ReadingMore than half of consumers aware of tyre labelling
A year on from the introduction of European tyre labelling legislation, the longest term data available assessing its impact suggests it is increasingly influence consumer purchasing choices. According to research carried out by Ipsos MarketQuest across six European markets on behalf of Goodyear Dunlop, 54 per cent of consumers are aware of tyre labelling. However, what is perhaps more significant is that about three quarters (71 per cent) say that it has influenced their purchasing decision saying they “utilised its gradings on three performance criteria before making their purchase”. The research was conducted by MarketQuest in June and July 2013 among 4,200 consumers from UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland, who had bought tyres over the past six months.
Continue ReadingWhat is the National Measurement Office?
The history of the NMO goes back to the Magna Carta, but more recently it was known as the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML). In 2006, NWML became responsible for the enforcement of RoHS Regulations (Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2008) in the UK. On the 28 June 2007 NWML (more recently renamed the National Measurement Office) became part of the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Continue ReadingNational Measurement Office to enforce tyre labelling
The National Measurement Office (NMO) has been named as the enforcement body of the European tyre labelling legislation that was implemented across the continent in November 2012. The NMO’s remit covers the effective implementation of tyre labelling in the UK and includes scope for retail checks as well as monitoring the authenticity and accuracy of the labels themselves. News of the appointment bridges the gap between the legislation put in place and the industry take steps to adapt to it. Now however, there is reason for renewed positivity. Not only because there are people to take responsibility for the deployment of the law, but because we will hopefully now be able to begin gauging the real effects of the legislation on how tyres are bought and sold.
Continue ReadingComment: Soft touch enforcement?
By the time you read this it will be nearly six months since tyre labelling became mandatory in the UK and across Europe. However, while the rules associated with this regulation have been anticipated for years, and indeed a rolling introduction began in May 2012, nearly a year after we all began talking about who got what label there is still something of a gap when it comes to enforcement. We have talked through the various options available to the British government in the pages of Tyres & Accessories before (see our 2012 Tyre Labelling special supplement for more on this) so there’s no-need to retrace those steps here. However the central point that rules are only as strong as their enforcement still stands. And the need is getting more urgent. As long as we don’t have an enforcement body in place there is a disincentive for dealers and other parts of the tyre trade to invest what’s necessary in systems and training to ensure labels are being talked about during the sales process. In its place all we have is de facto Andrex-soft enforcement.
Continue ReadingPRA calls for OFT investigation into fuel market
"The shock rise in wholesale costs is just one of the reasons why the Petrol Retailers' Assocation (PRA) has been knocking on the door of the Office for Fair Trading (OFT), since this time last year, to demand a full investigation into the workings of the UK market for road fuel" said Brian Maddersion, PRA Chairman.
Continue ReadingNokian withdraws winter tyre label
Nokian Tyres withdrew its self-produced “winter grip label” on 21 November following pressure from European tyre manufacturer’s organisation ETRMA and some competitors. The company reports that the label had not been and was not planned to be distributed outside Nordic countries. The news is set against the backdrop of the introduction of mandatory tyre labelling on 1 November 2012.
Continue ReadingFlorida legislator proposes used tyre age bill
The problem of growing part worn tyre sales in the UK has been much discussed within the industry this year, though while it can be seen as symptomatic of certain sections of the British market’s attitude to tyre purchases, the problem is reaching a level that appears to warrant government intervention in at least one US state. Tire Review reports that Florida State Representative Jason Brodeur has proposed a bill that tackles both the sale of used tyres and tyre aging, backed by an Orlando law firm. The still unnamed and un-numbered proposal would require “retail used tyre dealers” to inform buyers of the ago of the used tyres they are buying and provide “certain warnings relating to the age of used tyres.” While the Bill is primarily concerned with the age of sold tyres, it has strong implications for those selling part worn tyres, making the dealer more responsible for knowing the provenance of their products.
Continue ReadingETRMA shuns Nokian ice and snow sticker
The ETRMA has called for action against one its own members after Nokian Tyres took the initiative of producing its own ice and snow label. The association is specifically asking authorities in Finland, Norway and Sweden to put an immediate end to the initiative. Nokian tyres, which specialises in winter tyres, appears to have devised its own additional labelling system in response to the fact that the new EU tyre label that became mandatory on 1 November 2012 doesn’t include snow and ice performance information. Furthermore, due to the fact that the EU label requires tests to be conducted at relatively high ambient temperatures, winter tyres in general have shown a tendency to appear to perform poorly on the EU label.
Continue Reading