The Monolift Revival
The Hofmann 2.0 Monolift, the company’s original single post lift, first manufactured 30 years ago, has felt a resurgence in sales, according to Maywoods director Gavin Masterton. “When I was MD of Hofmann we sold regularly at least one each week for many years but in more recent times sales had fallen to just a handful. Now under Maywoods sole distribution of the Hofmann range of lifts, sales are rocketing to unprecedented levels. “The great thing about the Monolift is that where you can park a car you can fit a Monolift and it can handle virtually every car available from a mini to a Rolls Royce!
Continue ReadingTRW Automotive Close Brake Plant
Auto parts supplier TRW Automotive Inc. said on Thursday it plans to close a Michigan brake components plant by July 2006 because of increasing industry pricing pressures.
Continue ReadingIndian Newspaper Upgrades MRF to Buy
Indian newspaper, The Hindu Business Line, has awarded tyre manufacturer, MRF, its ‘Buy’ rating. “Though the recent trend of subdued growth in earnings may continue for a while, the long-term prospects are encouraging,” the newspaper reported. “The performance of MRF and other tyre producers has taken a knock owing to the sharp rise in the price of key raw materials such as rubber and carbon black. The pick-up in demand in domestic and export markets has mitigated the damage to the bottom line,” the report added.
Continue ReadingToyo Tyres Produce Slick Performance
Toyo claims to have turned conventional racing wisdom on its head, following tyre partner Nick Williamson’s recent driving performance. Williamson leads his class and is currently second overall in the Track and Race Saloon Car Championship Class B and has won five out of the six last meetings, running on Proxes R888 tyres.
Continue ReadingSmaller Brands Lead the Way in Tyre Tests
Auto Express’ decision to make its recent tyre tests their “biggest ever” goes some way towards demonstrating the increasing interest surrounding these reports. And with so many brands on the market all claiming to be the best at something, who can blame consumers for wanting a second opinion? However, Auto Express is not alone when it comes to testing. Other well-known magazines including Which? Autocar and Evo also publish tyre test results. But in terms of coverage and frequency Auto Express’ tyre tests currently lead the way in the UK. And when you consider that that this particular publication is Britain’s biggest selling motoring weekly, it is clear that winning or being recommended by such a report can have very positive repercussions on the tyre business. Relatively unknown brands particularly have a lot to gain. By winning or being recommended in tests, these companies stand to gain a leg up in the estimation the country’s motoring millions, without investing in publicity or marketing campaigns. The theory is that product quality will speak for itself.
Continue ReadingRetreading Special: Recycling Now Available Online
Ever asked what proportion of used tyres are actually recovered? Ever wondered how important the so-called green angle is when it comes to selling retreads? Look no further than Tyres & Accessories recently published Retreading Special: Recycling supplement, which contains the answers to these questions and many more. Retreading Special: Recycling, the second in our successful series of bilingual supplements, can now be downloaded from the T&A web site. Magazine subscribers can download the complete document as a PDF file by clicking more.
Continue ReadingTaking a Leaf Out of the Dutch Book
Michelin has announced that it plans to compete in the UK’s developing cold-weather tyre market. And the fact that the French company has brought in Dutchman Frank Tanke to head the campaign gives a clear indication of how seriously the manufacturer is taking its latest marketing project. After all, the weather in the Netherlands is not a lot different to the UK, and yet 12 per cent of the total Dutch market is made up of cold-weather sales.
Continue ReadingDelphi to Highlight Technologies at IAA
Delphi Corp plans to present 10 new technologies and to announce several new customer programmes at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt next month. The news will focus on two of Delphi’s principal concerns in Europe: environmental protection and safety technologies. The company will show a new halogen-free recyclable cable and the first-ever integrated Driver Protection Module, which offers drivers up to 27 per cent more protection from serious injury during a frontal collision based on crash simulations.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Opens Nominations for Highway Hero Award
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear is now taking nominations for its annual Goodyear North America Highway Hero honour. Nominations opened during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, 21 – 27 August.“What better way to celebrate America’s truck drivers than to nominate one for the trucking industrys most prestigious award for heroism?” said Steve McClellan, Goodyear vice president for commercial tyre systems. “There are many who deserve to be nominated as stewards of our highways.” Last year, nominations were made for drivers who risked their lives in an automobile accident or traffic stop. One driver, McClellan said, died trying to save others. Several others were injured. “We are thankful for these courageous truck drivers who travel our highways,” he said. “In the 22 years of the Goodyear Highway Hero program, we have heard about hundreds of truck drivers who placed themselves in harm’s way to save someone else, and we believe it is important that they be recognized and celebrated publicly.” Nomination forms and program details can be obtained by calling the Highway Hero Hotline at 330-796-8183 or online at www.goodyear.com/truck/whatsnew/heros.html
Continue ReadingBERU Achieves Double Digit Quarterly Revenue Growth
Beru AG’s preliminary first quarter figures show the company increased its total sales revenues in the first quarter by 14.5 per cent to 97.9 million euros. The company attributed the strong first quarter results to new product “start-ups” in the core division of Diesel Cold Start Technology and in the youngest division of Electronics and Sensor Technology, which includes TPMS sensors. According to executive board chairman, Marco von Maltzan, the group now plans to achieve growth in sales revenues at a high single-digit percentages in its current financial year. The goal is for operating profit (EBIT) to increase at the same rate as sales revenues. Beru considers itself well positioned with its strong product pipeline, but expects weaker growth in the coming quarters in view of only moderate growth in demand for automobiles combined with an increasingly competitive environment and more aggressive pricing.
Continue Reading100,000 Tyres and Counting
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin has celebrated the production of its 100,000th Michelin PAX System assembly at Michelin’s PAX 1 facility. PAX tyres are featured on the 2005 and 2006 Honda Odyssey Touring Edition minivans. The manufacturer says additional OE fitments will be announced shortly.
Continue ReadingTiger Wheels Buys Kentucky Plant
Tiger Wheels has reinforced its position in the North American market with the acquisition of a large-diameter wheel plant in Kentucky. The company reports that the plant is dedicated to supplying Ford motor manufacturing plants in Detroit, Louisville and elsewhere and cost $24 million. The acquisition, which was made by Tiger’s 74 per cent owned German-based wheel manufacturing business, ATS Beteiligungs GmbH, looks a good purchase when the assets’ book value ($45 million) is taken into account. ATS Beteiligungs bought the facility from the Australian ION Group, which is currently in administration.
Continue ReadingCooper Names Brennan to Head Supply Chain Operations
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire, & Rubber Co. has promoted Fran Brennan to vice president of supply chain operations. The 21-year Cooper veteran most recently served as the technical vice president, a position he held for the past five years. During his Cooper career, Brennan also has served in industrial engineering, manufacturing planning and production planning.
Continue ReadingMichelin Truck Tyres Achieve Endurance Record
US freight transport company, ABF, recently changed a set of Michelin front tyres after an enormous 483,000 kilometres, a new record for the French company’s tyres. The tyres were driven in North America driving conditions throughout their life and had not been retreaded. Manufactured at the Michelin plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the tyres were fitted as original equipment on a 2003 Sterling truck. This performance represents an improvement of more than 32 per cent over the current US average for a North American long-haul application, according to Michelin.
Continue ReadingThai Produced Michelin Tyres Mulled Over
In recent months a letter originating from Michelin Tyre PLC commercial director, Chris Bloor, has circulated among the tyre distribution community highlighting the availability of parallel imported Michelin branded 295/80R 22.5 XZE2+ commercial vehicle tyres. Tyres & Accessories approached Mr Bloor for further clarification, and asked what was behind the memo.
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