RoSPA ‘concerned’ over rise in road deaths
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says more needs to be done to protect vulnerable road users after new figures revealed a rise in the number of deaths on Britains roads. The statistics released by the Department for Transport show an increase in the number of people killed or seriously injured, in particular pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, in 2014 compared to 2013.
Continue ReadingFirst Goodyear retread redundancies expected in October
Following the news of Goodyear’s planned closure of its Wolverhampton mixing and retreading operations, Express & Star journalist, Peter Madeley has quoted “a union spokesman” on Twitter, saying that the closure proposal was “out of the blue”.
Continue ReadingEuropcar adds electric vehicles to Birmingham hire fleet
Car hire company Europcar underlined its commitment to moving its fleet to 5 per cent electric vehicles by 2020, with the launch of a new electric vehicle service in Birmingham City. The 100 per cent electrically powered Nissan Leaf cars will be used for delivery and collection of hire cars in Birmingham and will be available to hire at Europcar branches across Birmingham, allowing customers to experience the greenest motoring technology.
Continue Reading‘Steady growth’ in UK car manufacturing during May
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal a steady growth in UK car manufacturing in May, with 119,338 cars built – a rise of 2.3 per cent. The strong domestic market once again played a significant part with a 13.3 per cent increase outweighing a small dip (-0.2 per cent) in production for export.
Continue ReadingTeam TerraClean’s drive to Africa for Macmillan Cancer Support
A team of mechanics from the TerraClean Service Centre network is undertaking a massive endurance test for Macmillan Cancer Support by travelling to Africa in a London Taxi.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop Wolverhampton retread plant closure: history and reaction
The proposed closure of Goodyear Dunlop’s Wolverhampton retread plant will bring to an end 90 years of tyre production in the city. The factory was part of the first Goodyear factory outside USA, when the manufacturer first started producing new tyres in the city in response to post-World War One import tariffs designed to boost British industry. At its peak, the manufacturer’s operations in Wolverhampton were estimated to have provided more than 7,000 jobs, making it one of the most significant players in the local economy. This role diminished throughout the 2000s, as Wolverhampton job losses became a regular occurrence.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop to close Wolverhampton retread plant
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK has announced a proposal to close its Wolverhampton mixing and retreading facility. Under the proposal, the company would move its compound mixing activities and the production of commercial retreads to other existing sites across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. It has been reported that the process of transferring operations would be completed over the next two years under the closure proposal.
Continue ReadingPCL: Autopromotec attracted international interest
PCL greeted customers from around the world at this year’s Autopromotec, with the Spanish market said to be enjoying a boom. Bologna’s celebrated its 26th show with a new floor plan aimed at grouping exhibitors into areas of interest. Within Europe the most noticeable development was reported by PCL’s Spanish distributors, who were upbeat about the future for the local market.
Continue ReadingFirst Stop accepted by Foxy Lady’s female friendly Tyre Services Register
First Stop’s 76 branches will join a list of female-friendly garages, accident repairers and car dealers when it is accepted onto the Foxy Lady Approved Tyre Services Register. The Register identifies businesses that meet the female drivers club’s quality standards. Each member of the list has signed a Foxy Lady Promise to “never overcharge, patronise or sell women services they dont need.” The new tyre-based register, “monitored by regular female feedback” like Foxy Ladys other automotive industry registers, was started to build upon the club’s TyreSafe Online and Social Media Award in 2014, which recognised its work in promoting tyre safety using its Twitter and Facebook pages. The club is also a TyreSafe member.
Continue ReadingFast-fits becoming slow-fits, says epyx
Only 40 per cent of motorists visiting fast-fit centres get new tyres fitted on the first visit, according to new research from e-commerce firm epyx. Instead, 60 per cent of drivers had to make a second visit. The figures, which were released on 19 June, show that fast-fit centres are now only half as fast as they were 10 years ago.
Continue ReadingBVRLA welcomes plug-in car grant assurances
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), has clarified the status of the Plug-In Car Grant (PICG), which is available for vehicles emitting less than 75g/km CO2. It has confirmed that the current version of the grant, worth up to £5,000, will end this year, at a date yet to be confirmed. Until that date, OLEV has said that it will honour any deal placed on its system for a qualifying car, provided that the vehicle has been allocated to a customer and is delivered and registered within nine months.
Continue ReadingGlass’s calls for ‘grown up debate’ to avoid ‘demonising diesel’
Central government and local authorities should think hard and look at the facts before making major policy changes in the name of in the name of achieving green environmental improvements, says Glasss. They point out that knee jerk reactions to studies showing the negative impact of diesel emissions on urban air quality could be counterproductive as well as affect sales and use of diesel cars and commercial vehicles.
Continue ReadingHiQ launches roadside emergency app
HiQ, the franchise retail arm of Goodyear Dunlop, has unveiled a new roadside emergency app. ‘Pocket HiQ’is free to download from app stores as of June and features functions including quick call links for a selection of breakdown providers as well as geo-location technology to find places of interest nearby should motorists and fleet drivers need to find facilities such as a café or petrol station. The app also provides directions, opening times and details of how to get in touch with the nearest HiQ centre should a motorist need a new tyre or other vehicle maintenance.
Continue ReadingKarl Naylor joins Kumho as national sales manager
Kumho Tyre (UK) Ltd (KTUK) has appointed Karl Naylor to the newly-formed role of national sales manager. Naylor will lead the car tyre sales team in further growing its business within Kumho’s own network of independent retailers, while simultaneously developing new market channels for the brand. The former Grouptyre MD will report to sales director Kevin Peck.
Continue ReadingChemChina (UK) Ltd founded
On 4 June, Pirelli’s largest single shareholder, ChemChina announced that it had set up ChemChina (UK) Ltd., as a wholly owned subsidiary of ChemChina Petrochemical Co., Ltd. According to the company, this business serves as “a London-based trading platform that will effectively complement its sister company ChemChina (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. to build around-the-clock trading networks covering various fields”.
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