
Michelin buys Blackcircles.com for £50 million
Michelin has bought Blackcircles.com, the number one internet tyre sales company in the United Kingdom, for £50 million. Based in Edinburgh, Blackcircles.com generated £28 million in revenue in 2013. Run by Mike Welch, its founder, Blackcircles.com has enjoyed growth of around 20 per cent per annum since 2008. The company reports that the first quarter of 2015 saw the company achieve revenues 34 per cent higher than Q1 2014.
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New Marangoni earthmover retreads for underground mines
The Marangoni Group, a recognised world leader in the retreading sector, is also an important supplier of earthmover retreads in Europe. The Italian company says that it is now offering a response to the need for efficiency and cost savings expressed in the OTR market.
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PCL says ciao to Autopromotec
PCL returns to Autopromotec this year with its portfolio of products on-show in Hall 19 Stand A41. This is Bologna’s 26th show, and the May 2015 event will boast a new floor plan aimed at grouping exhibitors into areas of interest, helping visitors to plan their visit according to specific interests.
Continue ReadingDelticom: Tirendo’s business concept not successful
At Delticom’s Annual General Meeting in Germany yesterday, shareholders were informed that the online tyre retailer would distribute a dividend of € 0.25 per share for the 2014 financial year – only half that of the previous year. This smaller dividend particularly reflected a three-quarter drop in net profit – a decline “mainly due to the higher cost base after the Tirendo acquisition.” Andreas Prüfer, head of the company’s board of management, also told shareholders that the Tirendo business concept “of achieving 50 per cent or 100 per cent growth in the online tyre market through high advertising and personnel expenses did not prove successful.”
Continue ReadingAlligator showing new sen.it technologies
With Autopromotec just around the corner, Alligator Valve Group reports that the firm’s show presence will emphasize its sens.it family of products, a complete solution for replacement sensors in the automotive area. In particular sens.it-Statistics will get debut at Autopromotec. According to the company, this program module provides the operator (e.g. a tyre workshop) a quick overview of all sensors programmed at their service point to date. The newly developed print-out function also enables direct printing of the tyre pressure sensor diagnostic service record; if desired, this document can be handed over to the customer with the service bill, or entered into the customer file at the service company.
Continue ReadingApollo Tyres expanding Chennai TBR capacity over next 12 months
A report published by The Financial Express yesterday claims Apollo Tyres will implement the previously announced production capacity expansion at its factory in Chennai over the coming year. According to Satish Sharma, president of the tyre maker’s Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa business, the planned boost in the plant’s truck and bus radial capacity from 6,000 to 9,000 tyres per day will cost Apollo Rs 15 billion (£155.6 million). Passenger car tyre capacity in Chennai will remain at current levels for the time being.
Continue ReadingSumitomo Rubber Australia opens – direct tyre distribution begins
On 30 April, Sumitomo Rubber Industries held an opening ceremony for Sumitomo Rubber Australia Pty. Ltd., its new tyre sales corporation in Australia. Sumitomo Rubber Australia was founded in December 2014 as a joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation (SRI holds a 75 per cent equity share), and it began operating in March 2015.
Continue ReadingCarlstar appoints Harmon EVP sales
The Carlstar Group appointed Laren Harmon as executive vice president of sales on 30 March. Harmon reports to chief executive officer John Salvatore and “will lead the implementation of global growth strategies and emphasize customer satisfaction”, according to the firm. In addition, Harmon will oversee the US tyre and wheel sales organization as well as customer service.
Continue ReadingCarlstar releases new mixed surface construction tyre
The Carlstar Group has launched the Carlisle Ultra Guard MX. Like the existing Ultra Guard series, the Ultra Guard MX is designed for severe duty applications but is also offers features specifically designed for mixed surface applications.
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Maxam enters agricultural tyre market
Over the past 50 years, Luxembourg-based Maxam Tire has built up a reputation for the supply of quality, cost effective OTR radial, construction and industrial tyres, making a name for itself as a force in the off-the-road speciality tyre sector. At the start of 2015, the company broadened its product portfolio by offering the first of a new range of agricultural tyres; the Agrixtra MS951R. The new tyre is a radial, aimed at medium horsepower tractors and is available in nearly 40 sizes for rims from 24” up to 42”. It comes in aspect ratios of 85, 70 and 65 series, with the 65 series developed for applications at 65 km/h.
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GT Radial launches Champiro FE1 in Tuscany
The Tuscan hills south of Montepulciano during an unusually warm and sunny spring are an idyllic setting for most occasions. Yet the choice of location for the official launch of GT Radial’s Champiro FE1 passenger car tyre was more significant than just as one of the world’s most picturesque places. The tyre is designed to tackle what Fabio Pecci-Boriani (senior product marketing manager – PCR, Giti Tire) described as “one of the most important market sectors – 15-17”, H-W speed rated, 50-65 series.” Positioned as an all-round premium passenger car tyre for C and D vehicles (including such bestsellers as the Volkswagen Golf, Peugeot 308 and Kia Cee’d) the tyre now has more than 95 per cent coverage of its target sector, following the introduction of nine new sizes (the FE1 was first (soft) launched in 2014).
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Mitas introduces new ERL-30 earthmover tyre
Mitas unveiled the newest addition to its family of ERL-30 earth-moving tyres at France’s Intermat show. The new 29.5R25 ERL-30 tyre will be available for worldwide sales early in June 2015. ERL tyres are used on loaders, dozers and graders in mining operations. The all-steel radial construction of Mitas 29.5R25 ERL-30 tyre is particularly designed for large wheel loaders such as Liebherr L 586 and Caterpillar 980. The Mitas ERL series features 12 various tyres of 28 to 90 mm tread depth.
Continue ReadingFirst Goodyear tyres with ‘next-generation’ silica rolled out
The Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV range being launched in Latin American markets this month is the first tyre from Goodyear Tire & Rubber to contain what the tyre maker describes as a “next-generation silica” – a silica developed by PPG Industries and now marketed as Agilon performance silica. Tyres containing the silica will be introduced into other regions within the next year.
Continue ReadingEast European trailer market stalls…again
The East European trailer market has stalled once again, according to a new analysis produced by Clear International. The report suggests that the instability in Ukraine plus the plummeting oil price has had a “devastating impact” on the outlook for trailer demand in Russia. Nearly 24,000 trailers have been wiped from the demand forecast for the 2015 - 2019 period, with most of that falling in 2015/2016. That is in addition to the reductions made to the forecasts in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea. The latest forecast reductions affect Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
Continue ReadingTRM to launch new Omega 60 tyre builder at Autopromotec
TRM, a division of Marangoni Meccanica dedicated the development and manufacture of retreading equipment, has announced plans to unveil its latest Omega 60 tyre building machine at Autopromotec (Bologna, Italy – from 20-24 May).
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