Goodyear Raising Truck Tyre Prices
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. yesterday announced that as of Aug. 1 it was raising prices on its medium truck tyre lines by as much as 5 per cent. In addition, Goodyear also hiked prices on its retread products sold in North America by up to 5 per cent as of July 1. The increase, due to raw material, energy and transportation costs, covers the company’s Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly-Springfield brands.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Makes its Mark at Tattoo
Bridgestone has continued to spread safety messages to UK motorists, and raise money for charity, by exhibiting its Think Before You Drive roadshow at the world’s largest military air tattoo. Thousands of people visited the Bridgestone stand at the recent Fairford Air Tattoo, where they not only received potentially life-saving road safety information but also had the opportunity to have their photos taken with a stunning replica of Michael Schumacher’s World Championship-winning Ferrari Formula One car in return for charity donations.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop Increases Marketing Focus
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has announced the appointment of Mark Dilks as Brand and Market Planning Manager. Dilks will be responsible for developing the brand and market strategies for the companys wide range of consumer tyre brands, including Goodyear, Dunlop, Fulda, Falken and Sava.
Continue ReadingVECO Moves in to Northern Ireland
The VECO range of automotive components is now available in Northern Ireland after Belfast-based SIA Agencies teamed up with GP Automotive, the official distributor of the brand in to the UK aftermarket. Under the new agreement, SIA Agencies has become the exclusive new VECO distributor in Northern Ireland and components are available immediately from the companys warehouse in Belfast. The VECO label has gone from strength-to-strength since GP took over the brand last September. Its range of braking, clutch, water pump, cables, wheel bearings, and steering and suspension components have proved popular with aftermarket retailers seeking a cost-effective and reliable hard parts programme. The current VECO range exceeds 11,000 part numbers.
Continue ReadingCooper Adds to Discoverer Range
Cooper Tires has made another tough addition to its renowned Discoverer off-road range of tyres with the new Super Traction Tread (STT). Designed with the adventurous pursuits of rock-climbing, mud-eating and terrain-taming in mind, the Discoverer STT also offers great traction, enhanced durability and increased puncture resistance on the road thanks to its innovative and uncompromising design and tread compound. The bold, aggressive tread of Cooper’s new tyre has been extended down the sidewall to enhance soft surface traction and provide additional clawing power in rocky, off-road situations. The notched shoulder lugs have been scalloped, guaranteeing that one part of the tyre always has a clear shot at fresh ground.
Continue ReadingLSUK Seeks Retail Battery Partners
LSUK, which claims to be the largest single supplier of batteries in to the UK automotive, marine, leisure, industrial and commercial industries, is giving proactive garages, fitters and retailers the opportunity to join its battery programme – and reap numerous rewards at the same time. The UK battery market is estimated to be worth £120 million in retail sales every year and LSUK has established itself as a leading player in the sector with the unrivalled service that it can offer. With 52 distribution branches nationwide, LSUK is in the position to offer first class product availability from stock, access to the best brands on the market, and arguably the most competitive pricing structure in the battery sector.
Continue ReadingTIA Says It Backs RMA-Drafted Fuel Efficiency Bill
(Akron/Tire Review) After weeks of review, TIA has decided to support the tyre fuel efficiency program bill (HR 5632) written by the RMA and recently passed by the House Energy Committee. In making the announcement, TIA said, “The TIA Government Affairs Committee was able to come to consensus after weighing the pros and cons of the legislation.” Separately, SEMA announced earlier this month that it would not support the bill, which calls for NHTSA to create a national tyre fuel efficiency consumer information program that would include a fuel efficiency rating system, requirements for providing such information to tire buyers, and a national consumer tire maintenance consumer education program.
Continue ReadingVacu-Lug to Return to Profit – Fleet Sales grow 28 per cent
Independent retreader Vacu-Lug recently announced that it is “back on track,” reporting half a million pounds of operating profit for 2005. Speaking at the company’s AGM, managing director Tim Hercock, who was appointed in 2002 following a £2.5 million loss, commented that he was delighted with the progress the company had made. “It is testament to the hard work of all our employees” he stated, adding: “We have been through a major change process and have come out in much better shape”.
Continue ReadingVarta AGM Batteries Support Stop-Start Technology
The electronics revolution behind major improvements in auto economy, braking, stability and ride comfort has necessitated a techno-overhaul for the car battery to underpin these functions. Luxury car brands like Bentley, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce were the first to turn to suppliers like Varta for AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries to cope with increased electrical and electronic consumption, and they have been being swiftly followed by mainstream models like the Audi A3, VW Golf and Passat, not to mention London’s black cab fleet. Now BMW is set to fit a Varta AGM battery as original equipment to the new Mini out later this year to meet the increased electrical demands of the Stop-Start technology it is adopting for this substantially revised model. Varta is Europe’s only supplier of AGM technology batteries to the original equipment market to date, and has a number of long term development programmes with carmakers to support their quest for increased vehicle efficiency and performance improvements.
Continue ReadingArnco Gets Deal With ACTN Member Dealers
(Akron/Tire Review) Tire-fill maker Arnco will provide its polyurethane flatproofing material to the American Commercial Tire Network (ACTN), a buying group representing a group of commercial tyre dealers. Founded in 1999, ACTN is an alliance of 17 independent commercial tyre dealers located in 41 states and with more than 75 retread plants and 320 service locations.
Continue ReadingMichelin, Union Reach Tentative US Tyre Agreement
Michelin and the United Steelworkers on Tuesday reached a tentative agreement on a new contract for hourly workers at three of its BFGoodrich tyre plants in the United States. Details of the agreements, which cover about 3,450 workers, will not be released until the union has completed ratification votes, Michelin spokeswoman Lynn Mann said. The contracts covering the Michelin union workers in North America were to expire at midnight on July 22, but both sides had agreed to temporary extensions while talks continued. The agreement covers two of Michelin’s BFGoodrich plants in Alabama and one in Indiana and is to be used as a template for contract talks with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Bridgestone Corp. in North America.
Continue ReadingAmtel-Vredestein to acquire Moscow tyre plant
Tyre maker Amtel-Vredestein N.V. said it is acquiring the Moscow Tyre Plant (MTP) in a deal that will provide it with production capacity to meet growing demand in Russia. The company said it plans to use the facility to manufacture its Amtel and Vredestein brands, which are in short supply due to capacity constraints. Working at full capacity, the Moscow Tire Plant could bring Amtel $66 million to $82 million a year in added sales, the company said in a statement.
Continue ReadingCarlyle Group Joins IRSG’s Panel of Associates
The International Rubber Study Group has announced that The Carlyle Group has joined IRSG’s Panel of Associates. Established in 1987, The Carlyle Group is a private global investment firm that originates, structures and acts as lead equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, and growth capital financings.
Continue ReadingCooper Results Out on 3 August
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. plans to unveil its second quarter and first half financial results before the market opens on Thursday, 3 August. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has not said when its second quarter/first half figures will be issued.
Continue ReadingDiesel Demand Leads to Glow Plug Factory
The rapidly-increasing demand for diesel cars in Europe, and with it the increased demand for glow plugs, has led NGK Spark Plugs to open a new factory on its Komaki site in Japan, dedicated to the production of ceramic and metal glow plugs. The rise in demand has seen a dramatic growth in NGKs market share – four years ago the company claimed 10 per cent of the UK glow plug market and today the figure is 50 per cent and rising. NGKs Komaki factory was originally opened in 1962 and the new four-storey building covers some 30,000 square metres. It will manufacture several hundred different types of glow plugs and the annual production capacity is 20 million pieces.
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