New distribution centre and new product range
Kumho executives show Tyres & Accessories around Lutterworth NDC Just over a year after Kumho moved into its Lutterworth, Leicestershire national distribution centre (NDC), Tyres & Accessories caught up with brand manager Dan Woodward and marketing director John Thrupp in order to learn more about both the NDC and the company’s ongoing progress in the […]
Continue ReadingIAAF to discuss legislation, internet parts and social media misuse
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has announced that its latest breakfast network meeting will address key legislation, internet parts and social media misuse for employers in the automotive aftermarket. Taking place at Valeo Service UK, Redditch, on Tuesday 21 April, the event will welcome a representative from Capita, a leading FTSE business and provider of business process management solutions.
Continue ReadingFull house of UK’s biggest CV tyre brands at CV Show 2015
The CV Show has become an increasingly important event for the tyre and wheel segment in recent years, and the trend will continue with the 2015 edition. The UK segment’s biggest manufacturers – Hankook, Goodyear, Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Pirelli and Giti will all be present, as will the ambitious Sailun and Aeolus brands and retreader Bandvulc – and related companies such as wholesaler RH Claydon, and Pro-Align with the new Hunter commercial vehicle wheel aligner.
Continue ReadingCrews work to extinguish Essex tyre fire
Firefighters from Essex County Fire & Rescue Service are still dealing with a large tyre fire near the Fairglen Interchange on the A130. A pile of tyres covering an area of 50 metres by 20 metres and stacked two metres high caught fire late Monday. As of 7:30am today, crews were working with diggers to break up the pile and extinguish fires. Three pumps were working at the site.
Continue ReadingCoach and Bus tyre features punching above segment’s weight
When we consider the truck and bus market it can be easy to downgrade the importance of the latter half of the equation. According to the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Factbook, there were 89,374 buses (including coaches) on the UK’s roads last year, equating to 13.6 per cent of the UK heavy commercial vehicle parc (i.e. not including van-sized vehicles) and 0.2 per cent of the total vehicle parc. Compared with 568,993 trucks (86.4 per cent of the CV parc), the people transportation segment of the CV market is clearly the junior partner. New bus registrations have made a strong start to 2015 (see textbox), but are still relatively small beer.
Continue ReadingHankook UK bus and truck tyre market leader in 2014
In September Tyres & Accessories published a truck tyre market analysis suggesting there has been a massive shift in UK truck tyre market share distribution in the five years since the last time we did a study of this kind. In short, we found that the market is no longer the three-horse race it was in 2009 when Bridgestone and Michelin were fairly evenly matched ahead of Hankook in third place. Instead it looked like it had become a five-horse race, with Hankook and Goodyear Dunlop duking it out at the top. Of course, we have to be conscious that this all refers to sales volume data (tyre unit sales) as opposed to sales values (and the pound notes tell a wholly different story), however the overall point remains extremely pertinent to understanding what is going in the market.
Continue ReadingRingtons opts for Michelin winter tyres after trial
Tea company Ringtons, a proud family business steeped in history, is adapting its tyre policy to ensure it can continue to deliver to customers across the UK on time, every time. The Newcastle-based firm will progressively roll out a Michelin winter tyre policy for its fleet of 220 VW Caddy commercials, following a trial during winter 2014/15 which demonstrated a clear improvement in mobility throughout the colder weather.
Continue ReadingLancaster Insurance to attempt World Record at MGOC Race Championship
Lancaster Insurance will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the “largest parade of MGs” with the help of the MG Owners’ Club (MGOC). Taking place on Saturday 11 April at Rockingham Circuit in Corby, Northamptonshire; all MG owners and lovers are being encouraged to unite and get involved in what will be a world first. To set a new World Record there must be more than 100 cars in the parade.
Continue ReadingDriverless cars: the future fleet?
Following news that the government has the green-light for trials of driverless cars in the UK, Venson Automotive Solutions’ says fleet managers could benefit from considering the future of their fleet. Results from its latest survey suggest drivers would welcome these cars as an option; 62 per cent of respondents said they be happy to sit-back and let their company car do the driving, with many saying it would remove some of the stress from their working day.
Continue ReadingAA comments on Government’s report on road conditions
The Governments Road Conditions in England Report brings a mixed bag of results with some minor improvements on certain road categories and deteriorating roads elsewhere. Generally the AA believes that a great proportion of motoring taxation should be ring-fenced for road improvements.
Continue ReadingJaguar E-Type voted the UK’s favourite classic car
The British-made Jaguar E-Type sports car secured 14 per cent of the votes in a nationwide independent survey conducted by The Car Buying Service. Following close behind with 9 per cent of the vote was the Mini Cooper 1275, while the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow came in third with 7 per cent. Also amongst the top 10 favourite classic cars were the VW Beetle oval window, 67 Ford Mustang and Porsche 356 – the full rundown can be found below.
Continue ReadingNTDA TyreLink transferring call centre to Infleet
As of 1 April the NTDA will be transferring its TyreLink call centre service back to Infleet Limited. TyreLink, the name of the NTDA’s long-established tyre breakdown scheme, coordinates association members in offering 24-hour roadside breakdown service for trucks throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The move brings with it a new phone number – […]
Continue ReadingThe Tyre Equipment Company makes CV Show debut
The Tyre Equipment Company (TTEC) has released details of what it is exhibiting at this year – its debut – CV Show. At the show, The Tyre Equipment Company will be exhibiting an assortment of products and the team will be available throughout the three days to offer support and advice to visitors. TTEC describes […]
Continue ReadingIMI CEO calls for 70% pay increase for apprentices
Motor industry professional body IMI has called on employers to consider increasing the starting salary for apprentices by more than 70 per cent to compete with academic career paths. Steve Nash, CEO of the Institute of the Motor Industry, will explain that return on investment research demonstrates that most companies could increase starting salaries from the legal minimum set by Government of £2.73 to £4.73 per hour without loss of profitability. The IMI has launched an apprentice calculator to help demonstrated its point to businesses.
Continue Reading10-month consecutive CV registration growth ‘encouraging’ – NFDA
“It is encouraging to see that the commercial vehicle market continued to grow in February with registrations up 19.5 per cent”, said Sue Robinson, director of the National Franchised Dealers Association. February marked the tenth consecutive month of growth in the CV market - up to 40,491 units. Van demand sustained its upward trend and grew 17.9 per cent, and for the second month running, truck registrations increased 31.7 per cent to 2,518 units.
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