Successful Start For Goodyear TyreOnlineService
Goodyear Dunlop has reported that a recent direct marketing campaign is succeeded in increasing tyre purchases through the company’s TyreOnlineService system. TyreOnlineService was launched as a pilot scheme in the UK in May 2004, but became available of wider scale this year. The service provides customers with an online solution to purchasing their Goodyear, Dunlop, Fulda and Sava tyres. Since the launch its popularity has risen with many customers now reliant on the system to place their orders on a day-to-day basis, says Goodyear Dunlop.
Continue ReadingEcclestone Insists F1 Will Not Go to Hutchison
The speculation that Formula One might soon be under new ownership was correct, but contrary to reports, the sport will not be falling into Far Eastern hands, the Daily Telegraph has reported. Bernie Ecclestone yesterday dismissed talk of a $1 billion bid from a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, Hutchison Whampoa. “I spoke to Hutchison. They sent a boy to do a mans job. We are not interested in selling to them. We get offers like this every day, but it is not what we want for the future of F1,” Mr Ecclestone told the newspaper.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Continue RFT Investment
Bridgestone continued its programme of preparing First Stop dealers for a rise in run-flat replacement fitments by inviting them to test the technology at a specially designed event in Bedford. Dealers were given the chance to drive BMW 3-Series cars fitted with original-equipment Bridgestone Potenza RE050 RFT run-flat tyres around a track designed to simulate a variety of different road conditions, in order to test the tyres for themselves.
Continue ReadingCord Romania Open for Business
Pirelli and Continental opened their 80:20 joint venture Slatina steel cord production plant, Cord Romania on Friday. The factory is located on a 100,000 square metre area will have an annual output of 30,000 tons of steel cord and employs 350 people. The steel cord is destined for tyre production in East European markets. The new facility will require an investment of 40 million euros over several years to meet growing demand which is already almost two times supply says Continental. This investment is the first ever made by Pirelli Tyres in the Balkan region and is part of the companys expansion strategy in Romania. The manufacturer also plans to open a new high performance car tyre plant in Slatina in 2006.
Continue ReadingPro-Cut – Carving Out A Niche
In 2000, Guy Carter, co-owner of Haweka UK with Dave Smith, obtained full distribution rights outside the USA for Pro-Cut machines and started Pro-Cut Europe. Now the company is aiming to improve its already widespread coverage in the UK and across Europe.
Continue ReadingAssurance Wins Another Award
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s successful Assurance Triple Tred line has already been honored with several awards. Recently, the tyre earned recognition as “one of the most innovative ideas of the year” from R&D magazine. The magazine staff selected the product as recipient of an “R&D 100 Award.” The 43rd annual awards summary will appear in the magazine’s September issue, with an awards presentation scheduled for October in Chicago.
Continue ReadingIs F1 For Sale?
Hutchison, a company that also owns the UK’s 3 mobile phone network, is reported to be preparing to buy Formula One for about $1 billion (£575 million). Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One tycoon, confirmed on Sunday that he had been approached by the Hong Kong firm.
Continue ReadingNanjing Automobile Acquires MG Rover Assets
Nanjing Automobile Corporation (Nanjing) has beaten competitor, Shangai Automotive (SAIC), and acquired the assets of the MG Rover from the administrator, PricewaterhouseCoopers. The news owner reports that it intends to revitalise the MG brand and create a range of vehicles from manufacturing centres in China and the UK.
Continue ReadingTyre Fill Industrial Espionage in South Africa
OTR tyre supplier the Roesler Group is considering legal action after allegations of industrial espionage were made against competitor, the US-based Carpenter Co, in South Africa. Tyres & Accessories has seen security tapes, which the Roelser group alleges show Carpenter Co executives, bribing their way into a Benoni, South Africa, tyre plant. Copies of the original footage are believed to depict executives touring the Quality Tyres facility and examining prototype technology the company was testing on behalf of the German-based Roesler Group. According to the recordings, two men spent 20 minutes on the premises taking photographs and touring the Benoni, plant before leaving.
Continue ReadingCooper Declares 134th Consecutive Quarterly Dividend
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. declared its 134th consecutive quarterly dividend – 10.5 cents per share on common stock – earlier this week. That marks some straight 33 years of paying dividends each quarter. The dividend will be payable Sept. 30 to stockholders of record at the close of business on Sept. 2, said the company.
Continue ReadingBFNAT Local Agrees to Re-Vote on Contract
(Akron/Tire Review) There may not be a strike at Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s (BFNAT) truck tyre plant in Warren County, Tennessee, after all. United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1155 leaders yesterday announced that they would allow rank and file members to re-vote on BFNAT’s master contract offer, beginning today.
Continue ReadingCooper Adds UHP Sizes
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has expanded its Zeon 2XS and Zeon XST ultra-high performance lines with new sizes for performance cars and SUVs. And it added two new sizes to its Cooper Lifeliner SLE touring line. Cooper added five new 18 and 19-inch sizes to, its Zeon 2XS line targeting BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Cadillac, Lexus, Mustang, Audi and Chrysler models. In addition, it added sizes 305/35R23, 305/40R23 and 285/45R22 to the Zeon XST line to target sport tuned trucks and SUVs. Sizes 235/65R16 and 225/60R17 were added to the Lifeliner SLE family, Cooper said, to target the Saturn Vue, Chevy Equinox and Lincoln Town Car.
Continue ReadingAftermarket Marketing Intensifies
The Aftermarket Show has signed up a number of new exhibitors say organisers, as the campaign to book potential exhibitors is intensified. One of the new exhibitors includes Beissbarth UK. Managing director, Philip Hodges, said: “As a supplier of automotive service equipment to garage workshops, we believe that The Aftermarket Show is the ideal avenue for us to unveil and demonstrate our next-generation products to the garage and consumer. “The event has some very exciting plans for its ongoing development and we are determined to play an active role in this, championing the cause for the garage equipment sector.”
Continue ReadingVredestein Sportrac 2 Tops Auto Express Test
Auto Express magazine has named the Vredestein Sportac 2 as tyre test winner in its 2005 Product Honours report. Goodyear’s Hydragrip and the Barum Bravaris were also commended. “Think tyres and Vredestein is unlikely to be the first name that springs to mind, but the Dutch firm’s rubber certainly is impressive,” the consumer magazine wrote, adding: “Vredestein has always made products that perform well in the wet, and the Sportrac 2 was no exception, recording a series of top-three results.”
Continue ReadingMichelin Says F1 Tyre Supply Unbalanced
Michelin has revealed that an eighth team has approached Michelin looking for a Formula supply agreement. Michelin stated that since its return to Formula One it has noticed an imbalance of teams requesting its tyres, with seven teams currently using its products.
Continue Reading