US Companies Plan Tyres-to-Ethanol Facility
US companies Startech Environmental Corp. and Future Fuels (FFI) in the building of FFI’s own $84 million Waste-to-Ethanol Facility to be constructed in Toms River, New Jersey. “An important fact sometimes overlooked is that waste is an inexhaustible, renewable, ever-recurring resource.” Joseph F. Longo, Startech Environmental Corp., president Startech also received the Letter of Intent from FFI for FFIs purchase of a 100 ton-per-day Startech Plasma Converter System (PCS) for installation in the Waste-to-Ethanol Facility in Toms River, scheduled to go online in late 2007. Plans call for the Toms River Facility expansion to include a series of additional Startech PCSs.
Continue ReadingOn Track With Beissbarth
Chris Franklin is taking Beissbarth technology down to the trackside to help car enthusiasts get the best from their cars. Using a Beissbarth ML Easy 8 – the Microline 8 toe sensor microprocessor alignment computer - linked to a laptop, Chris has been offering owners wheel alignment and corner weight assessments during race-track days.
Continue ReadingJudge Dismisses Class-Action Securities Suit Against Goodyear
(Akron/Tire Review) US District Court Judge John Adams has dismissed the class-action lawsuit alleging securities fraud filed against the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and some of its current and former officers.
Continue ReadingTyre Care Plus Chain Launched in Oman
Towell Auto Centre, the sole representative for Bridgestone tyres has established a nationwide chain of retail outlets in Oman, branded as ‘Tyre Care Plus.’ According to AMEInfo.com, “these exclusive outlets are redefining tyre retailing.” In a very clear and focussed marketing strategy and keeping in line with their Closer to Customer concept, Towell Auto Centre has expanded to thirteen Tyre Care Plus outlets in the country. The first outlet was set up in 1999 at Wadi Kabir, which was known as Bridgestone Tyre Service Centre. Later a need to brand these exclusive outlets led to the conception of Tyre Care Plus in 2005.
Continue ReadingMichelin Launches Roadside Service Program in China
(Akron/Tire Review) Groupe Michelin launched a new service product in China called Sui Ni Xing or “Drive Without Worry,” according to China Daily. The product, which includes services such as 24-hour roadside assistance, free tyre repair, towing and warranty programs, will be available in China within the next two years.
Continue ReadingAnother Award for Kwik-Fit Fleet
Kwik-Fit Fleet has been named Best Fast-Fit Company by weekly fleet industry newspaper Fleet News at a prestigious awards ceremony held recently at Londons Grosvenor House Hotel. This is the second accolade for the company this year, having taken first prize in the Fleet Excellence Awards – voted for by the fleet professionals who read Fleet Week and Fleet Management – for an unprecedented 13th year in succession.
Continue ReadingMarangoni Appoints Brand Manager
Marangoni, has announced the appointment of Greg Graham as Brand Manager. The role will be predominantly UK based, with responsibilities across additional English speaking countries. The appointment follows Marangoni’s new distribution partnership with leading UK wholesaler, Group Tyre (UK) Ltd, and further signals the manufacturer’s intent to aggressively increase its market share of the UK car tyre market.
Continue ReadingNew Gislaved Tyre Pattern
The Gislaved tyre range has been extended with the recent addition of the Speed 606 tyre, replacing the current Speed 506. Exclusively available from Viking International the new Speed 606 has a lot to offer the discerning driver. The new tyre is said to safeguard enhanced handling and cornering stability. It features nuerous sipes with different angles, and block edges in the pattern combined with the fastest modern silica tread compound. As a result Viking representatives described the tyre’s performance by saying it had “short braking distances and outstanding handling.”
Continue ReadingWant to Show Off Your Modified Car to the World?
Have you turned a boring and average motor into a blinged up, racing machine? If so, a new national competition from Auto Trader might interest you. The well-known magazine’s ‘Curves and Chrome’ competition is looking to find the “Best Amateur Modified Car” which will win £4,000 in cash and the “Best Professional Modified Car” which will win three weeks of advertising, with a full page advert, in their local Auto Trader magazine.
Continue ReadingMaxxis British Motocross Championship Kicks-Off
British racing fans experienced the beginning of a season’s worth of racing with the first round of the 2006 Maxxis British Motocross Championships, held 12 March at Cadders Hill, Lyng. The contest went on as planned despite forecasts of rain with a possibility of snow.
Continue ReadingWorld Cup Fever Reaches Aftermarket
Maccess has unveiled a range of automotive World Cup merchandise, which it claims will offer stockists high earning potential throughout Spring and Summer. The football World Cup 2006 takes place throughout the month of June in Germany and is a fantastic opportunity for UK automotive accessory retailers to offer England football team memorabilia to supporters.
Continue ReadingIndian Dunlop Units Set to Reopen in April
(India/Rubber Asia) At the end of what seems like an agonizingly endless wait, the gates of the Dunlop factory at Sahagunj, in the eastern State of Communist-ruled West Bengal, and the one at Ambattur near Chennai in the southern State of Tamil Nadu, are set to re-open in April, if nothing else intervenes in between, local media reports said. “Maintenance work will start probably by early early-April at both the units,” an official spokesman for the Ruia group, which now controls Dunlop India Ltd. (DIL), has said.
Continue ReadingBlackcircles Opens First Garage in Franchised Network
Village Motor Company in Wallasey has become the first member of Blackcircles’ franchised dealer network. The launch meant coming full-circle for Blackcircles’ MD, Mike Welch, as it is just 10 miles from where he launched his first tyre business in Garston at the age of 17. Blackcircles reports that it has been “inundated” with enquiries since it launched its bolt-on franchise option.
Continue ReadingChina Lowers Tax on Tyres
From the 1 April China will lower its “consumption tax” on a range products including tyres. The Ministry of Finance and the General Administration of Taxation have decided to lower the consumption tax on passenger car tyres to 3 per cent from its current rate of 10 per cent.
Continue ReadingEconomic Influence Subject of MEMA ‘Landmark’ Study
(Akron/Tire Review) Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) has undertaken what it calls “a landmark study” to document the economic influence of automotive and heavy-duty suppliers. The study, which is scheduled to be completed in November, will analyze the economic contribution of suppliers to the nation’s economy and will provide data on both a national level and state-by-state breakdown, MEMA said.
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