The Federation of Engine Re-manufacturers (FER) brought members together at a Southern Regional Meeting recently at Reigate Manor Hotel in Surrey, with engine components supplier AJUSA hosting the event. The meeting highlighted cylinder head gasket stresses, fibre gasket characteristics and uses, the ‘mls’ design, metal-elastomer gasket characteristics and uses and, cylinder head gasket tests and other verifications.
Exol Lubricants is partnering with Aston University on its career and placements programme, offering students insight into the independent automotive aftermarket and lubricants sector. The collaboration will offer the company the opportunity to build solid relationships with future industry professionals while also promoting the Exol brand, work ethic and principles.
The spring issue of Garage Essentials, the tools and equipment brochure from The Parts Alliance, is available now to view online. Printed copies of the 76 page quarterly garage equipment brochure will be arriving at of The Parts Alliance members Allparts, Bromsgrove Motor Factors, Car Parts & Accessories, CES, GMF, GSF Car Parts, SAS Autoparts, SC Motor Factors and Waterloo.
Cooper Tire Europe announces title sponsorship of World RX of Hockenheim
Cooper Tire Europe has extended its support of the World Rallycross Championship. In addition to being the official tyre supplier and associate partner of the FIA series for the fourth consecutive year, Cooper has become the title sponsor of the 2017 World RX of Hockenheim. Cooper has supported World RX since its inception in 2014, and supplies eight dry and eight wet tyres per Supercar driver at each of the 12 rounds. Cooper also became the presenting sponsor and tyre supplier to the second tier RX2 International series - previously RX Lites - for this season earlier in the year.
The Kwik-Fit brand is now present in Italy following the opening of the first outlet in the country last Saturday. Kwik-Fit’s entry into Italy follows last year’s signing of an agreement between the company and CDG-ONE, a company belonging to Italian tyre distributor Segema S.p.A. As a master franchisee, CDG-ONE plans to build a network of more than Kwik-Fit 200 centres in Italy by 2026 – the first is now in operation in Buccinasco, Milan.
Several leading Indian tyre makers are said to be bidding to acquire Falcon Tyres Ltd., the company that supplies the Dunlop tyre brand in Indian market. The Economic Times reports that Apollo Tyres, JK Tyre and Ceat Tyres are amongst the leading bidders.
China recycling plant and joint venture: Enviro signs MoUs with Vanlead Group
State-owned Chinese firm Guangzhou Vanlead Group, parent company of Wanli tyre brand manufacturer South China Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd, has signed two memorandums of understanding with Swedish firm Scandinavian Enviro Systems. The first of these covers the establishment of a turnkey recycling plant in Guangdong province, and the second the setting up of a joint venture to market Enviro’s patented technology across China.
Euro Car Parts has acquired the business of Team P R Reilly, a family-owned, automotive parts, accessories and bodyshop business based out of Dublin, Ireland, and that of paint and collision repair supply specialist Karkraft (N.I.) Limited of Belfast. The agreement expands Euro Car Parts’ operations across Ireland, with a key focus on enhancing product availability, further improving delivery times and expanding into new market sectors.
Autogem to exclusively distribute Tire Profile software and hardware
Autogem is exclusively distributing Tire Profiles Inc’s TreadSpec and Groove Glove tyre tread depth and wheel alignment diagnostic equipment. Tire Profiles is designed to help auto dealers and repair shops sell more tyres, wheel alignments and other “around the wheel” repairs, by providing equipment and processes that create “a sound repeatable process”. The solution works on the philosophy that “it is not the measurement that matters but rather what one does with the measurement which has driven”.
Dunlop WEC teams conduct pre-season tests at Monza
The Italian Autodromo Nazionale Monza hosted the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) pre-season test, the first opportunity for fans to see all the 2017 competitors and for teams to gather data before the season begins in two weeks’ time. In around 14 hours of track time, teams worked on set-ups to optimise their new tyre and car combinations; the 14 cars covered 2268 laps – a total of 13138 km. Wet weather on Saturday evening and a damp track on Sunday gave teams opportunities to work with the intermediate and full-wet tyre options.
As we transition into spring, many think of new-born lambs and flowering bulbs as symbols of the new life of the year ahead. However, for accountants and many others working in the finance side of things, the beginning of April marks the end of the tax year. Along with the end of the tax year come a reasonably regular slew of motorist spending analyses. Two such surveys caught Tyres & Accessories’ eye because they offer insights into what the tyre-related “cost of ownership” is in practical terms.
According to the JD Power 2017 India Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Index Study 34 per cent of customers in India cannot recall their tyre brand. Furthermore, only 58 per cent of these customers say they “definitely would” repurchase the original brand, as compared to 65 per cent of those customers who could identify their brand.
Point S has opened an Asia office Singapore and appointed Ler Hwee Tiong as chief representative. The new Point S representative office is located within the French Chamber of Commerce in the city centre of Singapore and will coordinate activities within the Asian region. Point S push into Asia is expected to be “patient, and adapted to the local working environment of each market”.
Apollo Tyres is reportedly developing tyres for India’s defence forces that will be manufactured at the company’s facility in Chennai, India. The Chennai facility currently produces 16,000 passenger car tyres and 6,000 truck-bus radials per day, according to Apollo. The company is in the process of doubling the truck-bus radial capacity at the factory to 12,000 tyres per day.
Continental opens newly expanded Hefei car tyre manufacturing plant
Continental AG set the 250 million euro ($271.58 million) expansion of its Hefei, Anhui province, China tyre production plant into operation on 28 March. Total investment in the Hefei plant is now said to be 570 million euros.
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