Apollo launches 57-inch OTR tyre
The 11th International Mining and Machinery Exhibition (IMME) took place in Kolkata, India between 5 and 8 December. During the show Apollo Tyres launched the largest OTR tyre produced in the country, the XTRAX 40.00‐57.
Continue ReadingMaxxis a 2012-2013 CONCACAF sponsor
Maxxis reports its participation as advertiser in the 2012-2013 CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) World Cup Qualifications, open to the national teams of these regions. The Maxxis logo was shown on field-boards in 18 games in 2012 and will appear in most matches in 2013.
Continue ReadingGoodyear transferring stock to NASDAQ
On 7 December Goodyear Tire & Rubber announced it will transfer its stock exchange listing to the NASDAQ Global Select Market from the New York Stock Exchange. Goodyear’s common stock shares will begin trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on or about 18 December 2012 under the current Goodyear ticker symbol “GT.” Additionally, Goodyear’s 5.875 per cent mandatory convertible preferred stock will trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “GTPPP.”
Continue ReadingBridgestone title sponsor of Libertadores Cup
As of next year, the Bridgestone brand will be title sponsor of the Copa Libertadores, or Libertadores Cup. This annual international football competition, which is arguably the most prestigious club competition in South America, will thus be known as the Bridgestone Libertadores Cup through to 2017.
Continue ReadingBoto brand favourably received by Bandvulc key partners
As announced at this year’s Brityrex, Bandvulc has added the Boto brand to its wholesale commercial tyre range. The company has now released a statement confirming the brand’s introduction, and in it Bandvulc writes that Boto has invested “over £250 million in people, technology and buildings to produce an annual production capacity of over 3.6 million Boto radial truck and bus tyres.”
Continue ReadingRegrooving helps customers and customer retention – interview with Rema Tip Top's Marc Jürgens
These days, companies that specialise in the sale of new or retreaded truck tyres must always offer their customers a comprehensive product portfolio plus a regrooving service. Through professional regrooving, a tyre’s mileage can be increased by a further 25 per cent, simultaneously reducing the pence per mile cost. Speaking with Tyres & Accessories, Marc Jürgens, product manager Tyre Repair Tools and Chemicals at Rema Tip Top, explained why regrooving is important, how it can help retain customers and what must be taken into consideration in the workshop.
Continue ReadingFootball and ‘Dancing’ – Conti outlines new sponsorships
Contestants in the popular ITV show Dancing On Ice display an impressive level of control on a slippery, cold surface, so the show is perhaps a logical sponsorship choice for winter tyre champion Continental. The tyre maker says it has signed up as headline sponsor for the latest series as part of a seven-figure deal that also includes ITV’s coverage of the England football team next year.
Continue ReadingUse the driving test to boost winter tyre knowledge, says Kwik Fit
Demand for winter tyres at Kwik Fit has quadrupled over the last four years, and the company anticipates a continued rise in orders. However the fast-fit network concedes that only a small number of UK motorists are purchasing season specific tyres and it says research shows that 68 per cent of drivers are uninformed about the differences between cold and warm weather tyres, while 23 per cent haven’t even heard of winter tyres.
Continue ReadingMetzeler announces spring 2013 debut for Karoo 3
The successor to Metzeler’s Karoo and Karoo T will be available in spring 2013, the tyre maker reports. The motorcycling world gained a sneak preview of the new Karoo 3 at November’s EICMA motorcycle show in Italy, and when it hits the road next year the tyre will be available in three front wheel and six rear sizes. Metzeler describes the new knobbly tyre as a product “designed for bikers who love adventure and off-road travel.”
Continue ReadingKwik Fit director of communications elected NTDA VC
The National Tyre Distributers Association (NTDA) has elected Roger Griggs, director of communications at Kwik Fit, to the role of vice chairman, working with Stephen Callow, who succeeded Kwik Fit’s David White as NTDA chairman in March 2012. Griggs has spent 34 years in the tyre industry, starting in a Jersey tyre centre in the late 1970s. Richard Edy, director of the NTDA, says: “We are delighted that Roger has joined the board. His experience in all areas of the industry means he has a great deal to offer and we look forward to supporting him in developing future campaigns.”
Continue ReadingNew Question of the Month tackles low labelling take-up
It seems fair to say, on the basis of recently published Encircle Marketing research (see the forthcoming December 2012 Tyres & Accessories), that tyre labelling had a slow start at point of sale in its first month. Encircle made 4,700 sales calls in November 2012, and only 6.1 per cent of the retailers contacted mentioned the new tool that was designed to help overhaul the way tyres are sold in the European Union.
Continue ReadingSocial network tyre business usage over 50%
More than 50 per cent of businesses in the tyre industry use social networks like Facebook and Twitter for business purposes, according to a poll conducted amongst trade visitors to Tyrepress.com. A full report on social network use in the tyre business has been published in the October edition of Tyres & Accessories for the past two years, and in this relatively short period of time we have seen growing competitiveness amongst the big-name manufacturers in particular.
Continue ReadingCorby Tyres joins Hankook Masters
Barely a month has passed since the Hankook Masters Programme was launched in our part of the world, and Hankook Tyre UK reports having four outlets on board, the most recent sign-up being Corby Tyres. The tyre maker has big plans for Hankook Masters, and foresees a network exceeding 100 outlets in the UK within three years.
Continue ReadingThe label brings transparency, says Aeolus wholesaler
Mandatory tyre labelling will provide extra opportunities in the market, opines a major European Aeolus Tyre wholeslaer. Although the label’s aim is to deliver more environmentally-friendly, safer and efficient transport, the wholesaler believes it will also help to challenge established brand reputations. The company expresses confidence in the quality, mileage performance and longevity of Aeolus products, and it sees the label as a means of conveying these aspects and instilling users with greater confidence in basing their decision-making on price. “The buying process will become more transparent and all tyre brands will have the same opportunities,” commented Bertus Heuver, director of Heuver Tyrewholesale, supplier of the Aeolus brand in a number of European markets.
Continue ReadingLabel remains under utilised
Both small and large operators are still failing to include the label in the sales process In July, more than 700 tyre retailers were contacted as part of research into the EU label’s role in the sales process. It so turned out that, during this voluntary period, the label didn’t register as a significant factor. Only four of the more than 700 retailers mentioned the label during the sales process – a tiny 0.6 per cent, a figure well and truly within the margin of error in any survey. On 1 November the voluntary period drew to a close and the sale of passenger car and truck tyres in Europe must now involve a label. In light of the label’s compulsory status, Encircle Marketing revisited the question of its role in the sales process.
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