The National Association of Bodyshops (NAB), has been nominated by some of the UK’s leading body repair specialists to represent them in a Creditors’ Committee looking into the conduct of directors of failed accident management company, Drive Assist. When Drive Assist, once one of Britain’s leading non-fault accident vehicle replacement companies, collapsed in December 2012 with debts of more than £82 million, 150 bodyshops were left with more than £7m in unpaid repair bills.
On 20 October Freescale Semiconductor introduced the FXTH87 tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) family, which the company claims is the smallest integrated TPMS solution available. Weighing in at just 0.3 grams the FXTH87 family is said to be 50 per cent smaller than competing products. Freescale reports that its newest TPMS provides low power consumption combined with the highest level of functional integration in one package, featuring a dual-axis accelerometer architecture, pressure and temperature sensor, integrated MCU, RF transmitter and low frequency receiver.
Russian tyre manufacturer Nizhnekamskshina has is broken through the 2 million all-steel radial truck Tyre barrier at its Nizhnekamsk factory. Nizhnekamskshina commissioned the factory in 2011 after a two-year, $575 million construction project, according to online news reports.
Multiple Indian news sources are reporting that Taiwanese tyre maker Cheng Shin/Maxxis is planning to invest in an Indian factory. According to one Business Standard report, group president Dr. Wally Chen called upon Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel on 15 October.
Sensing and electrical protection supplier Sensata Technologies has completed its acquisition of Schrader, the global tyre pressure monitoring sensor (TPMS) and valve solutions manufacturer. The transaction provides Sensata with a leadership position in the growing TPMS market, the company said in a statement announcing the news.
Euro Car Parts opens 14 former Unipart Automotive sites
Euro Car Parts has announced that 14 of the 27 branches it acquired from KPMG, the administrators for Unipart Automotive, are already open for business. Two further branches, Braintree and Penzance, will also open by end of October and mid-November respectively.
Sami Toljamo has been appointed managing director of well-known Finnish test centre Test World effective 3 November 2014. According to the company, Toljamo has strong background in international business and in managing test facilities.
Strathclyde Tyres joins Horndean Tyres as investor in CAM UniSerV platform
Truck and car tyre retailer Strathclyde Tyres has joined Hampshire’s Horndean Tyres in introducing CAM’s UniSerV platform. The Scottish retailer is expanding its operations, and the further investment in technology platforms will enable it to offer local authority contracts paperless and streamlined job sheet processing and invoicing. Horndean will seek to improve connectivity with its truck and earthmover customers, increasing efficiency through the tablet-based electronic jobsheet, which will be used by its 12 fitters in the field.
Insolvent German tyre industry company the Reifen Ihle Group will evidently be broken up for sale. According to information from our sister publication Neue Reifenzeitung, despite attempts from insolvency administrator Prof. Dr. Martin Hörmann to sell the four-division group – which includes the Point S operation Reifen Ihle Service, a tyre wholesale operation, retreader R-I-G Technische Produkte and casing dealer R-I-G Karkassen – these efforts have failed to find a buyer.
Conti offering free winter tyre experiences at Mercedes-Benz World
Continental Tyres is offering motorists the chance to experience the difference in performance between summer and winter tyres, with free tests during half-term at Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge.
China passenger car vehicle market ‘to continue upward trend’
While some market analysts are pointing to the end of the 20 per cent annual growth “dream” attached to the seemingly perpetually growing Chinese domestic passenger car vehicle market, others point to the continuance of an “upward trend”. A new analysis of the automotive market in China produced by HIS should be counted amongst the optimists and suggests “significant growth opportunity continue in many of the country’s provinces, however, some provinces will start to see growth rates change significantly”. According to IHS Automotive forecasts, passenger vehicle volumes in the country as a whole are expected to rise more than 10 million units by 2026. And thus the detail is not as far apart from the opposing thoughts as it may first seem.
Norgesdekk AS agrees to buy Hjulius Dekk og Felg AS
Norgesdekk AS agreed to buy 100 per cent of Hjulius Dekk og Felg AS on 17 October 2014. The strategy behind the move is to strengthen Norgesdekk’s position on the Norwegian South Coast in particular but there are also said to be “other synergies”. Following this acquisition Norgesdekk will have seven wholesale warehouses, serving customers selling tyres and wheels of all kinds across Norway. The latest announcement follows the purchase of P. Holth AS at the end of 2012 in a similar move.
Even today the number of Chinese tyre makers, and tyre brands, remains exceptionally high. The necessity for consolidation is obvious and something China’s authorities are well aware of. And in the People’s Republic of China, where the state has a closer relationship to the market than in the West, how a firm appears to measure up can be crucial. Tyre makers who fail to meet targets set for them fall by the wayside while those who establish a global presence grow in favour and are viewed as strategically significant enterprises. This state-business relationship also means companies can rely upon government support in one form or another – and this certainly applies in the case of Jiaozuo, Henan Province-based Aeolus Tyre Co., Ltd.
This year’s DTM season came to an end over the weekend, and the series organiser concedes that fans “weren’t 100 per cent satisfied” with the touring car championship in 2014. The first half of the season was a particular concern and Hans Werner Aufrecht, chairman of DTM rights holder and promoter, ITR e.V, says a number of measures will be introduced to add more pep to DTM races. One step that has already been decided upon is dropping the option tyre in 2015.
Michelin supplying Pilot Sport S9L to Renault Sport R.S. 01
As part of its association with the World Series by Renault (WSR), Michelin will supply Renault Sport its Pilot Sport S9L for the new Renault Sport R.S. 01. Michelin will provide the tyre in two sizes, 30-68x18 for the front wheels and 31-71x18 for the rear. The company says the decision to fit an 18-inch tyre is in line with its desire to see as many parallels as possible between racing and road tyres, an arrangement that enables new technologies developed for motorsport to be more swiftly carried over to road tyres.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
