JK Tyre to Bump Prices by 4%
India’s JK Tyre has told the country’s Economic Times that it will likely increase the price of its product range by a figure of up to 4 per cent. The rise would be put down to higher costs, especially natural rubber. The online report also said that JK Tyres’s prices have risen by more than 10 per cent since May.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop UK Appoints New Consumer Director, New HiQ Head to Follow
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has announced that Juergen Titz, currently director of the company’s HiQ retail network, has been appointed as director, Consumer and Motorcycle effective 1 October 2010. He will continue to report to George Rietbergen, managing director – UK and Ireland, and replaces Mark Davison, who is said to be moving to a new opportunity outside of the tyre industry. According to the company, further organisational announcements are due to be made at a later date, following this change. Tyres & Accessories understands that this means Goodyear Dunlop will shortly announce a new face for the HiQ top in response to Juergen Titz’ promotion. A spokesman told T&A that if no replacement is announced by the end of the month, the HiQ team will report directly George Rietbergen.
Continue ReadingNizhnekamskshina Ramping up Production
Russia’s OAO Tatneft states production of solid steel core (SSC) tyres is to increase at the Nizhnekamskshina factory it commissioned late last year. According to the manufacturer, this year it will draw upon technology provided by Germany’s Continental to produce 130,000 SSC certified tyres in four different sizes, and by the end of the year a total of six sizes will be certified. Starting in September tyres will be shipped to the vehicle manufacturer OAO KamAZ for OE fitment on a number of trucks.
Continue ReadingTitan Prices to Rise
Prices for Titan branded aftermarket OTR tyres will rise be approximately three to ten per cent when the company’s latest planned price increases are implemented on October 1, 2010. Titan Tire Corporation says this price adjustment will offset rising raw material, energy and transportation costs, and the company warns that “certain tyre prices” may rise in excess of ten per cent due to product realignment and positioning.
Continue ReadingNokian Increases Ply Rating With Latest Forest King F Size
In introducing the newest size in its Forest King F range, Nokian Tyres has described it as the “world’s strongest forest tyre”. Intended for fitment on CTL (cut-to-length) harvesters, the range has been extended to include size 710/45-26.5, the first tyre in the line-up to have a Ply Rate of 24. Nokian states that the cross-ply tyre “offers the best available reliability and load-bearing capacity for modern harvesters and forwarders.”
Continue ReadingPirelli ‘Slightly Ahead’ With F1 Tyre Testing
Testing of Pirelli’s Formula One tyres continues, and the Italian tyre maker says test driver Nick Heidfeld was busy at the Le Castellet circuit in the south of France during the first week of September. The Toyota TF109 test car fitted with F1 PZero tyres was on the track for two days in order to further evaluate tyre construction and compounds.
Continue ReadingConti Places Billion Euro Bond
Continental AG reports it has further improved its debt maturity profile through the placement of a euro-denominated bond with an aggregate principal amount of one billion euros. The seven year notes are to be issued by Conti-Gummi Finance B.V. and guaranteed by Continental Aktiengesellschaft and certain subsidiaries. The coupon will be 7.5 per cent per annum interest, payable semi-annually in arrears.
Continue ReadingKlarius Opens Netherlands Warehouse
The Klarius Group has continued to invest and expand across Europe since its acquisition of Quinton Hazell in February of this year. Latterly the exhaust manufacturer opened a new Emission Control Distribution Centre at the existing facility in the Netherlands. The new dedicated Klarius distribution centre is fully integrated with the 1700 square meter Quinton Hazell facility already occupying the site. The warehouse now stocks 3700 different exhausts, 1100 catalytic converters and 1400 mounting and ancillary components; from September it will also stock a full range of Lambda Sensors.
Continue ReadingNTDA Annual Dinner a Sell Out
The National Tyre Distributors Association has revealed that its Annual Dinner and Taff Awards Gala night is a sell-out, with six weeks still to go until the event. “Interest in the Dinner has been unprecedented and we are delighted that we have a full house, although we have taken steps to limit numbers to ensure the room will be comfortable for guests,” said director Richard Edy.
Continue ReadingDirk Reurslag Appointed VMI Vice President Sales & Projects
Dirk Reurslag was appointed as the new vice president sales and projects of VMI effective 16 August 2010. He succeeds Harm Voortman, who has recently been appointed as CEO of the VMI Group.
Continue ReadingGoodyear to Hike US Tyre Prices
Goodyear has revealed that it will raise its US consumer tyre prices by up to 6 per cent on 1 October due to the persistent rise in raw materials costs. The increase will, according to US sources, affect all of the company’s brands, including Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly.
Continue ReadingTrelleborg Launches New Twin Radial Tyre
Trelleborg Wheel Systems has launched a new 710/50 R26.5 twin radial tyre. According to the company, the new product offers enhanced flotation characteristics that protect the soil, the driver’s health, lowers noise levels and contributes to reduced overall operating costs for the farmer. The twin radial features a 15 per cent wider footprint area, additional lugs and a longer central block compared to the previous version. This means an increased land/sea ratio and 14 per cent deeper lugs.
Continue ReadingVolume Key to Economical GS Battery Stock, says Maxxis
While Maxxis has been making strides as a tyre brand over recent years, the UK company says it continues to meet market demand for “affordable motorcycle and ATV batteries” with GS brand and its own Powerite range. “In excess of 90 GS products are available through Bickers [a division of Maxxis International UK], all of which come with a standard two-year warranty. Understandably, there is a price premium on batteries of this quality, but because we deal in such high volumes it is much less than people might think,” says Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.
Continue ReadingManbat Provides Mobility Scooter Batteries to Aid Medical Research
Cutting-edge research expeditions may not be the first thing to spring to mind when UK battery distributor Manbat’s name is mentioned. However, a group of medical researchers have employed Lucas LG75 batteries supplied by the company to keep vital blood samples at the correct temperature while staying at a hut in the Alps. The Xtreme Alps project is designed to test the effectiveness of a dietary supplement taken to improve the body’s tolerance for lack of oxygen.
Continue ReadingHas the DfT Got an MOT Screw Loose?
MOT tests need tightening up not dumbing down, if the views of respondents to Tyres & Accessories’ August poll are anything to go by. Last month visitors to T&A’s tyrepress.com website were asked if tyre age should be inspected as part of MOT tests. A whopping 89 per cent of respondents said yes. We asked the question following last month’s editorial on tyre age, which was triggered by the news that Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore wrote to the DfT recommending more attention be paid to tyre age during MOTs (see Tyres & Accessories August 2010, page 3) and in light of the government’s suggestions that MOT intervals should be increased to two years rather than the current annual requirement. However, our poll results would seem to suggest there isn’t much support for either government moves to spread out the time between MOT tests or its reticence to include tyre age in the MOT requirements.
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