Titan Signs Five-Year Deal with Deere
Titan Tire Corporation, a subsidiary of Titan International, Inc. has entered a new five-year agreement to supply Deere & Company with construction and forestry tyres. With Titans recent acquisition of Continental Tire North America, Inc.s off-the-road (OTR) tyre plant in Bryan, Ohio, Deeres senior management requested that Titan help them meet tyre demand and overcome shortage challenges, according to an official statement.
Continue ReadingCharity-minded Dealer Finds Formula for Success
First Stop dealer, Steve Andrews, has discovered a new winning formula after using a race-ready Williams racing car to impress visitors at a local festival. Andrews, owner of Steve Andrews Tyres, St Austell, booked the car, used during last year’s Formula One World Championship, as a showpiece for an evening of live music and fireworks at the Charlestown Regatta in Cornwall. And it certainly made an impact, attracting huge crowds and helping to raise more than £1,200 for local causes.
Continue ReadingPower, Hofmann Style
Hofmann is promoting another first. The new ‘DynaPower Box’ is the first self-contained dynamometer on the market. Designed to overcome the environmental concerns of placing a performance ‘Dyno’ in or around a busy workshop, the ‘DynaPower Box’ is in essence a 4WD dyno built into a weather proof cabin with it’s own sound-proofing, exhaust extraction and cooling fans. All the customer needs to supply is an IP65 plug and a flat piece of tarmac. So no costly civil works or soundproofing and potentially no planning issues.
Continue ReadingPirelli Offers Workers 3 per cent Rise
Pirelli Tyre has offered workers a total 3 per cent pay rise in a move that means the manufacturer can avoid strike action at its UK production plants, Tyres & Accessories has learnt. The new offer, which the Transport & General Workers Union described as “improved,” will be phased in from the beginning of 2007. Workers will first receive a 2.2 per cent pay rise in February followed by a further 0.8 per cent in June 2007. The total new pay deal equates to more than double the original 1.1 per cent pay increase Pirelli offered workers in April. “Pirelli believe this to be a sensible agreement which will enable us to move forward from our national dispute and will help to maintain the competitiveness of our industrial operations in the UK,” a Pirelli spokesperson told T&A, commenting on the news.
Continue ReadingNew Vans for Kwik-Fit Mobile Fleet
Kwik-Fit is renewing its fleet of 200 mobile vans. Twenty-one new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans have already joined the fleet and a further 27 vehicles will be ordered shortly. Eventually Sprinters will replace the entire current fleet of Renault Masters and Ford Transits. As well as being equipped with the latest tyre changing technology, the new vehicles have undergone a corporate livery makeover. The newly liveried vans also promote the Kwik-Fit website - www.kwik-fit.com. The new vehicles are all also equipped with ‘third arms’ which mean ultra-low profile and run-flat tyres can be replaced at the location of driver choice.
Continue ReadingDunlop Sport Maxx Passes Thruxton Test
Dunlop used the Great and British Motorsport Festival at Thruxton to put the latest Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyre to its toughest test in preparation for the forthcoming 2007 Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup for Production Cars. The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx road tyre was tested on two cars that are expected to grace the grids of the new production cup next year. The Hyundai Coupe V6 and Vauxhall Astra VXR Sprint were both chosen for initial tyre evaluation work as these powerful front wheel drive cars make the front tyres work extremely hard over a race distance.
Continue ReadingMulgrew Haulage to Start Michelin Fitment Policy
County Down-based Mulgrew Haulage Ltd has adopted a Michelin Four Lives tyre policy across its fleet of 70 tractor units, fitting a mixture of new and Remix tyres supplied by local independent tyre distributor A1 Tyres. The decision to fit Michelin ‘E’ segment regional tyres replaces an existing procurement policy with Pirelli and follows the successful performance of a number of trial tyres which demonstrated a lower cost per kilometre, according to Michelin.
Continue ReadingUS Grand Prix to Remain at Indianapolis
Tony George, the owner of Indianapolis race track, has agreed to extend his deal with Formula 1. This means the US Grand Prix will return to the Indy course, despite the 2005 USGP tyre debacle. Some observers saw the race’s future as doubtful following the well-publicised failure of Michelin tyres at the 2005 race. However, according to itv.com, F1’s successful return in 2006, with attendance figures rising above 100,000, triggered renewed interest in America. The website also published speculation that Bernie Ecclestone is considering a second US race “possibly through the streets of Las Vegas.”
Continue ReadingZiegler Retread Plant Starts Production
Ziegler Tire & Oil Co. new retread plant in Cincinnati, Ohio, has begun producing 150 truck tyre retreads per day. The production line opened in late May, according to Bill Ziegler. Ziegler Tire has 20 locations altogether and another retread plant in Massillon.
Continue ReadingTIA Supports Rolling Resistance Legislation
On 18 July the US Tire Industry Association (TIA) announced its support of House Resolution 5632, after “much deliberation,” TIA has decided to support H. R. 5632. The TIA Government Affairs Committee was able to come to a consensus after weighing the pros and cons of the legislation, the association said in a statement. “We were very pleased to receive feedback and questions from our membership regarding H.R. 5632,” said TIA President, Bob Malerba. “It was extremely helpful to our Government Affairs Committee in making a decision on whether to support the bill.”
Continue ReadingArvinMeritor’s Wheels Team Receives Chrysler Gold Award
ArvinMeritor, Inc.’s Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business group steel wheels team recently received a Chrysler Group Gold Award for outstanding performance in 2005. This designation places ArvinMeritor among the highest-rated suppliers to the Chrysler Group.
Continue ReadingColway and Greenway 4X4 Tyres “Love Mud”
C-Tyres Ltd, the UK-based manufacturer of the Colway and Greenway brands of retread tyres, points out that more and more off-road enthusiasts enjoy the C-Trax Mud Terrain tyres, with an increasing number of 4x4 users who predominantly drive “off-road” opting for Greenway specialist off road tyres.
Continue ReadingEU Commission Extends Thule/Pewag Investigation Period
The EU Commission has decided to extend its investigation into Thule’s, a world leader in Sports Utility Transportation, acquisition of Pewag Schneeketten GmbH which was made public on 31 March this year. “The European Commission needs more time to investigate into the consequences for customers and consumers in markets such as Italy, Austria and France”, comments Anders Pettersson, CEO and President of Thule AB. “The complexity of the market conditions makes this further investigation necessary and we support this step. We estimate that the final decision will be made in approximately four months”, concludes Anders Pettersson.
Continue ReadingDeldo Already Sold Over 1 Million Winter Tyres
Deldo Autobanden (Belgium) has already pre-sold over 1 million winter tyres. The vast majority of these are made up of sales of the company’s Eurowin, Sunny and Wanli products, but between 60,000 and 70,000 premium winter tyres have also been pre-ordered. Deldo made the announcement alongside the news that it is publishing a new winter catalogue for the 2006/2007 season.
Continue ReadingDunlop Gears Up For Longest UK Race
The Britcar 24 Hours is seen by some as the jewel in the UK endurance racing crown. Following the successful inaugural event in 2005, the marathon race returns to Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit from 9-10 September and has attracted a diverse range of cars, and headline sponsorship from Dunlop. With the biggest starting line-up in UK racing, up to 80 cars are expected to take to the grid for the 24 Hour race, including Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs and TVRs.
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