2015 tyre manufacturer rankings: Stability at the top?
Today we at Tyres & Accessories published our annual ranking of global tyre manufacturers on our tyrepress.com website. As always, this yearly survey takes the turnover of the industrys leading players into account and also provides information on operating profit/EBIT(DA) and annual net income.
Kumho’s latest high-performance offering, the ECSTA HS51, was awarded a ‘Recommended’ rating in the recent test by the highly regarded German consumer magazine, ACE Lenkrad. And, according to company representatives, it was the racetrack as much as the test track that led to this result.
Stapleton’s broadens choice across its high performance range
High performance cars call for high performance tyres – and understandably motorists who have invested in an expensive vehicle are among the most discerning of customers. Reluctant to compromise performance or safety, they have tended to favour major global brands such as Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Pirelli and Michelin – but over the years Stapleton’s have been developing and introducing a range of alternatives from their own stable of exclusive brands.
Dayco has opened its own centrally-based distribution centre in Redditch, West Midlands. Having previously worked through a national distributor, the power transmission parts supplier says the new opening is the final part of a restructuring process that it says will bring significant benefits to motor factors and their workshop customers.
In 2018, Nexen Tire’s new 1.2 trillion Korean won (£705 million) tyre factory in the Czech Republic will enter operation. The tyre maker confirmed the project in June 2014 and says the facility it is building in Zatec will be “one of the most cutting-edge and eco-friendly plants in the world.”
The UK’s leading manufacturer of tipping trailers, Fruehauf has selected Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWSD) as a leading supplier for both forged aluminium and steel wheels. The agreement includes technical support and supply of commercial vehicle wheels for the company’s complete range of tipper units.
Pirelli continues sponsorship of Le Mans Village on the Curves
Pirelli has confirmed its deal to sponsor the Village on the Curves at the Le Mans 24-hour race will continue as part of the Italian tyre firm’s agreement with Porsche Club GB. The Village on the Curves is a camping village located on the well-known Porsche Curves, formerly known as the Porsche Owners International Village. Porsche Club GB and Pirelli maintaining a significant presence at this point on the circuit in 2014.
Another Luxembourg Green Product Award for Goodyear
Goodyear has been awarded the Luxembourg Green Product Award for the third time in the Luxembourg Green Business Awards’ five-year history. The award was handed over to Henk van Tuyl, technology directory for commercial tyres at Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa, during an event held in May as part of the Luxembourg Green Business Summit.
Long-term customer relationships key to defying market cycles, says Remo
We often witness that small and medium-sized retreaders cope much better with the market’s cyclical nature and with any changes in market structure that inevitably occur if they can reply upon a stable distribution network. A good example of this can be seen in Germany’s Remo Reifen GmbH Erneuerungswerk, a firm that considers itself a “typical pre-cure retreader.” When Tyres & Accessories recently spoke to company owner and managing director Roland Stecher, the 41-year industry veteran stressed that long-term business relationships have a positive influence on quality levels and enable a greater degree of flexibility – two factors that help companies in Europe stand firm against price-aggressive competition from the Far East.
The association representing companies that import and sell used vehicles in New Zealand has expressed its disappointment in a government decision not to proceed with the declaration of tyres as a Priority Product under the country’s Waste Minimisation Act 2008.
LingLong Americas has restructured its North American sales and marketing team, reports Tire Review. This measure was apparently undertaken to help the company better service its dealers, and the newly-restructured team is led by industry veteran John Hagan. Hagan recently left Kumho to join LingLong as the company’s chief operating officer and president of sales and marketing. He will be based in LingLong’s offices in Medina, Ohio.
Mahle Aftermarket expands UK warehouse on back of ‘rising demand’
Mahle Aftermarket has added a 350sqm extension to its existing 70,000sqm warehouse in Bilston, West Midlands. The UK subsidiary of the German Mahle Group says the extension has helped to create no less than 1,300 new locations to provide more space for its core automotive filtration range as well as new product offerings such as replacement turbochargers, electronic thermostats and HVAC service equipment.
Borg & Beck argue the benefits of fully coated discs
Although coated discs are a relatively recent addition for volume suppliers distributing comprehensive braking programmes to the mainstream aftermarket, there are two very distinct routes to which these suppliers have committed themselves. The first is the partial coating using an oil-based formula; the second, as adopted by the First Line Group, is the complete coverage of the disc, with a water-based coating.
A couple of months ago we discussed the “restructuring” of relatively large and modern Chinese manufacturer Deruibao Tire. Back then, Qingdao Doublestar was top of the list of firms connected with an acquisition/cooperation/merger rescue orchestrated by the local government. A month later government-owned ChemChina announced that it was buying Pirelli. This latter point has been covered in some depth in the pages of Tyres & Accessories, especially in our April edition. The Pirelli/ChemChina story will no-doubt garner more attention as the very complex outworkings of the deal are walked out, but what remains of interest is the way in which both the local Chinese market and the global industry are engaged in a period of both parallel and inter-connected consolidation.
The new Davanti brand, which distributor Oak Tyres launched at Autopromotec in Bologna at the end of May reportedly received “rave reviews” from contacts and customers.
With impressive EU labels boasting strong wet-grip performance and consistently low noise ratings across the range, visitors and exhibitors alike were eager to see the tyres for first time.
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