Kwik-Fit Fleet Staff Raise £2000 for BEN
Employees at Kwik-Fit Fleet’s St Albans headquarters raised more than £2,000 for BEN, the Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund. Kwik-Fit Group is currently in the process of refurbishing and modernising its 669 UK centres and the redeveloping its Fleet Service Call Centre. As a result, all of Kwik-Fit Fleet’s sales managers have new laptop computers, while office-based staff have new desktop computers. The computers had seen out their useful life in the business and rather than scrap them, staff agreed to make a donation to BEN.
Continue Reading9-month Earnings Up at Yokohama
Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has posted a 19.1 per cent increase in operating income, to 20.9 billion yen (£141.5 million), in the nine month period ended 31 December. Sales growth, cost-cutting measures, and the weakening of the yen against the dollar reportedly “more than offset increased raw-material costs.”
Continue ReadingStrike Over At Firestone Liberia Plantation?
The strike action at Bridgestone Corps Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia has reportedly come to an end. The news has yet to be confirmed, but workers are said to have returned to work after government officials spoke to them. “The strike was provisionally called off. The workers have agreed to resume work after my intervention along with some other officials,” the Minister of Labour-designate told FrontPageAfrica.
Continue ReadingFour Bridgestone Tyres Make Consumers Digest List
(Akron/Tire Review) Four Bridgestone-brand tyres were named to Consumers Digest magazine’s list of tire “best buys,” which appears in the publication’s February issue. Earning the designation were the Bridgestone Turanza LS-H in the touring tire category; Bridgestone Potenza G009 in the performance tire category; Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in the light truck/SUV all-purpose tire category; and the Bridgestone Dueler H/P in the sport tyre category.
Continue ReadingIndonesian Tyre Production – 9.3 per cent Increase Predicted
Indonesia’s tyre production capacity is forecast to rise 9.3 per cent year-on-year to 69.6 million units in 2006. The association of tyre producers (APBI) said fears of slump in the country’s auto market this year will not significantly impact on the tyre industry. Last year two and four wheel production totalled 63.67 million units, with car tyres accounting for 41.7 million units, APBI chairman Aziz Pane said told Asian news sources. In 2006 exports are predicted to reach 31 million units, valued at US$600 million, up 10.6 per cent from last year.
Continue ReadingNew ConRad Tyre Strengthens Continental Radial Range
Continental Tyres has introduced the new ConRad tyre, a powerful addition to its radial industrial range. The manufacturer describes the ConRad is “ideally suited for heavy transport or lift trucks carrying loads up to 10 tonnes in weight, operating on smooth, paved and mixed terrain.”
Continue ReadingJK Industries to Separate Tyre Business
JK Industries is planning to de-merge its assets in order to better focus its tyre business. The company’s board has today approved the proposal of de-merger. According to the India’s Business Standard newspaper, the investments will be transferred to a new company at their respective book values. Ernst & Young and Amarchand Mangaldas and Suresh A Shroff & Co (AMSS) have been appointed as advisors and legal advisors, respectively, the company told the Bombay stock exchange. JK Tyres manufactures the JK and Vikran tyre and produces 7.2 million units each year.
Continue ReadingCostco Buys Additional Branick N2 Systems
(Akron/Tire Review) Costco Wholesale purchased an additional 26 Branick Nitrogen Tire Inflation Systems for its Costco de Mexico Wholesale locations, completing the installations in late 2005. In addition, Costco purchased an undisclosed number of Branick units for its 16 UK stores. The addition of nitrogen tyre inflation systems in Mexico comes one year after Costco installed over 400 Branick nitrogen units in its US and Canada tyre centres.
Continue ReadingHankook to Supply VW With 540,000 Tyres Annually
Hankook Tire Co has closed a deal with Volkswagen to supply 440,000 tyres per year for the German manufacturer’s Golf and Bora models. The tyres will be fitted the fifth-generation Golf and will be sold in Europe from 9 February. In addition, the manufacturer will also provide 100,000 tyres a year for Volkswagen’s Bora model. The deal will take Hankook’s overseas annual shipments for finished cars to $150 million - 12 per cent of its total export volume. Hankook sees the OE contract as a strategic move that will enable it to enhance its share of the European replacement market. Both the Bora and Golf will be fitted with Ventus Prime K105 (205/55R 16) and the Optimo K406 (195/65R 15).
Continue ReadingHSE Warns Tyre Fitters
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging all employers involved in tyre servicing to assess the risks associated with changing OTR/earthmover tyres. The announcement follows a fatal accident, near Sandwich, Kent, on 27 January, which occurred during the repair of a puncture on a 1.5 metre diameter EM tyre. Kent Police and the HSE are continuing the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident. The HSE is encouraging businesses to ensure that employees are “properly trained and competent to undertake such work.” According to the HSE there are two main hazards that can arise during tyre inflation: The violent separation of the component parts of the wheel, or an air blast from a ruptured or burst tyre.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop Exec Awarded ‘Market Leader’ Opportunity
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Ltd has announced that Geraldine McGovern, E-Business & Digital Manager has been accepted to take part in the prestigious Marketing Leaders Programme run by the Marketing Society. The Marketing Leaders Programme draws on the experience of the society’s senior members and Fellows and also utilises the training skills developed by Brand Learning. The programme was developed following an intensive period of consultation with leading marketing directors.
Continue ReadingContinental AG Sells Stankiewicz GmbH
Continental AG has sold Stankiewicz GmbH to the Dutch investor Gilde Buy-Out Fund, Utrecht, Netherlands. The two parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Stankiewicz belonged to the ContiTech division of Continental AG and was taken over by Continental as a part of Phoenix AG in 2004. “ContiTech is reorienting its core business activities, which is why we decided to sell Stankiewicz GmbH,” says Gerhard Lerch, executive board chairman of ContiTech AG. “This move will have a positive impact for Stankiewicz as well.”
Continue ReadingRené Zingraff to Retire
Michelin has announced that René Zingraff will retire from his position as managing partner after the company’s Annual General Meeting on 12 May 2006. Mr Zingraff’s announcement is subject to shareholder approval. At the last Michelin Annual General meeting in May 2005, Michel Rollier was appointed managing partner of Michelin, alongside Edouard Michelin and René Zingraff. The appointment is seen as advanced preparation for Mr Zingraff’s retirement.
Continue ReadingBlackcircles.com Launches Online Fleet Service
Blackcircles.com has launched a new online fleet service. As manager of Black Circles Fleet, recent appointment, Paul Collins, will be responsible for ensuring “consistent delivery and on-going innovation.” At the same time the company launched an online auction site and continues with a long-term strategy aiming at European expansion. Managing director, Mike Welch, gave Tyres & Accessories details of this growing business’ ambitious but pragmatic plans. According to the company, the new fleet service will be available to vehicle fleets of all sizes. Furthermore, blackcircles.com/fleet is said to significantly simplify the purchase process by providing access through a web-based system. Businesses will have their own private area containing all their vehicle details and will be able to make transactions using a unique PIN number. Blackcircles expects its announcement to be warmly welcomed by fleet managers and boasts that it has “the largest network of fitting stations of any UK tyre retailer.” Mike Welch, managing director said: “We have taken all the knowledge gained from our retail business, including all the feedback we have received from customers, and invested this in our Fleet service. “For too long managers have had to contend with complicated systems and a lack of control. We plan to change this with a system that is far easier to use but a lot more effective. Through our unique tyre procurement process and ground-breaking delivery mechanisms, Black Circles Fleet offers forward looking business flexibility, immediacy and savings to their fleet tyre needs.” Mike added: “Whether it’s five or 5000 vehicles, one preferred supplier or a managed matrix of tyre outlets, Black Circles Fleet can be utilised as the primary resource for tyre supply or simply as a secure back up.” One of the UK’s leading online tyre businesses, Blackcircles says managers and small business owners will now be able to have tyres sent anywhere in the UK in as little as two hours and will be able to access the lowest prices and over 30 tyre brands. According to Mike Welch, Blackcircles already has 8000 fleet customers. That’s all very well, but some observers would argue that there is not much room for expansion in the fleet market. Welch’s response is that, in a similar way to how the company’s consumer business is run, Black Circles Fleet will focus on the needs of the niche it currently serves with a view to expanding from this point. “We’re not eating anyone’s dinner and we are not looking to make no profit. The Kwik-Fits and the ATSs can keep their large fleets because they don’t make any money on them,” Welch explained. ‘We just want to sell more tyres’ In spite of his confident outlook, Mike Welch is pragmatic about Blackcircles’ progress so far and its plans for the future. In his words, the company got where it is today (a 5-year-old business that became profitable in 2005 and predicts sales of £15 million in 2006) by focusing on its core customers and not overestimating what can be done with the Internet. “People always think I am trying to put them off when I say that, but I’m not,” said Welch, adding: “The Internet is another shop front for your retail business, not the answers to all you sales problems. Selling tyres is not a traditional online business and we are not a traditional dotcom company, we are more than that.” “Trying to win and retain customers is our priority and price alone is simply not enough to do that. It’s about service, price and satisfaction. We all say that, but do we all deliver that ‘hand-on-heart?” he continued. Instead Blackcircles aims to add value to “the whole Blackcircles.com experience” with the announcement that it has launched a number of additional services - the company’s online fleet service and auction site (see box) being examples. Pricing is another critical part of the business. While the company’s structure and volume purchasing power help it to keep prices down, it is about more than the lowest possible price tag. “Being able to get a handle on retail prices is a whole lot more important – the tyre industry is a funny industry, being one of the few that is happy to sell a product and not get anything for it. This confuses customers and trains them to expect the same or less next time,” Welch comments, suggesting that appreciating the importance of profitability is central. But no matter how it is presented as a UK retail chain with international business, Blackcircles is growing from an online foundation and not the other way around. And in order to succeed in this respect there are a number of non-traditional advertising and marketing mediums that have to be mastered. So how many visitors does the Blackcircles website attract? Welch didn’t want to see the figure published, but he did say that visitor numbers have grown exponentially – growing by 50 per cent per quarter since the beginning. Conversions, the rate at which visitors become customers is also on the up. Online marketing is an area that Welch, by his own admission, really ought to know a bit about. “Its all about gaining the right balance between traditional and other mediums. PR is good but it doesn’t live forever.” Then there are the non standard mediums like search engine Google’s Adwords system. For Blackcircles.com “Adwords is just an expensive branding exercise.” Instead Welch says that it is all about understanding our current and future customers adding: “We are very good at that.”
Continue ReadingGoodyear Provides Aerial Olympic Coverage
With a record total of 418 hours of Olympic television coverage, NBC will use The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to provide aerial coverage for US television of the Winter Olympics from Torino, Italy. Goodyear, which provided the first aerial coverage of a televised sporting event at the 1960 Orange Bowl, has contributed spectacular images from above thousands of major sporting events for almost 50 years. “NBC is putting particular emphasis on its high-tech coverage,” said NBC Sports executive producer David Neal. “Only Goodyear has the means and the skill to be able to provide the type of first-class aerial footage we needed to enhance our more than 24 hours of combined coverage everyday and bring our viewers an amazing overhead perspective.”
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