Hankook to Sponsor Audi Cup
This weekend a football extravaganza is being held in Germany to celebrate Audi’s 100th anniversary. On July 29 and 30 the Allianz Arena in Munich will host four of the world’s most highly regarded teams – FC Bayern München, AC Milan, Argentine champions and three-time Intercontinental Cup winners Boca Juniors, along with our very own Manchester United. Hankook Tire will also be present at this gathering of the football world’s elite, as one of the official sponsors. “Naturally, it is a great honour for us as one of the original equipment suppliers to Audi to be able to get involved in this sporty highlight for Audi’s hundred-year anniversary,” commented Jin-Wook Choi, executive vice-president and COO of Hankook Tire in Europe.
Continue ReadingPagid Range at ECP Provides 99% Market Coverage
Aftermarket parts supplier Euro Car Parts is now offer one of the worlds leading manufacturers of brake friction material, Pagid, and customers can thus take advantage of this comprehensive range that includes more than 1,200 brake pads and discs, more than 250 brake drums and over 500 brake shoes. Indeed, ECP states that the Pagid line-up covers an astounding 99 per cent of the UK car parc and gives the company great coverage across may of the newer vehicles. Examples given by ECP are the latest model ford KA, released in February 2009, the new fiesta released last year and the new Vauxhall Insignia released in December 2008 – all of which now have coverage in the Pagid brand.
Continue ReadingFullboreUSA Range Arrives in Europe
The Japanese engineered motorcycle tyre brand FullboreUSA has developed a following stateside, and its popularity is said to be gaining within the racing fraternity, an acceptance that has been reflected by increasing North American sales figures in 2008 and 2009. Here on this side of the pond the FullboreUSA brand is brand new. The range is exclusively available through Delticom’s various national websites – at present FullboreUSA products can be purchased in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Poland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and the Czech Republic.
Continue ReadingSuperbrands Survey Acknowledges Top Industry Marques
Superbrands has released its 2009 Superbrands and Business Superbrands survey results, and several familiar names appear in the respective top 500 lists this year. Tyre manufacturer Michelin appears in the 88th spot and Pirelli at number 154. The trio of tyre Superbrands is rounded off by Dunlop, occupying the 265th position this year. Business Superbrands – which began in 1995 – lists the UK’s strongest business-to-business brands as voted for by independent experts on the Business Superbrands Council and more than 1,500 individual business professionals from across the country. Our three tyre Superbrands were also present in this category – Michelin in eighth spot, Pirelli at number 20 and Dunlop at 53. They are joined by Bridgestone in the 54th spot and Snap-on Tools at 193.
Continue ReadingKeeping Costs Down with Conti
Bitumen supplier Nynas has exclusively fitted Continental tyres to its fleet of 120 tractor units and trailers for the past 15 years, and the decision to do so appears to be paying off – the company’s annual tyre budget is said to be lower now than a decade ago. A combination of good tyre husbandry – an annual independent audit by entyrety shows the company as being amongst the top performers in terms of its tyre management process – and the tyres chosen are to thank for this happy situation. Nynas reports achieving good wear from the tyres, while benefitting from their low weight and the contribution they make towards fuel efficiency: it is said that each truck can carry up to a tonne more payload every week, with fuel consumption of 8.64 mpg for tankers running at 44 tonnes.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Adds Texas Dealer as Authorized Retreader
Heintschel Tire & Service Inc. is converting its commercial truck tyre retreading operation to Goodyear’s pre-cure and patented UniCircle retreading processes at its retreading plant. “We feel Goodyear offers customers products that help provide fleets and truck operators the cradle-to-grave tire solutions they want,” said Garry Heintschel, vice president and co-owner of Heintschel Tire. “That’s why we decided to make the move to Goodyear. We feel Goodyear is moving in the same direction that we need to go and at the speed in which we need to respond to our customers. Pat Demianenko, national sales manager for Goodyear Retread Systems, said Goodyear is pleased to have Heintschel Tire as an authorized Goodyear retreader. “Heintschel Tire has a strong reputation among its customers and its peers as a leading tire retreader that’s committed to producing quality products and supporting them with great service,” Demianenko said.
Continue ReadingMcConenchy’s Bridgestone F1 Day Raises £1,000 for Charity
McConechy’s Tyre and Exhaust Centres and Bridgestone raised almost £1,000 for Diabetes UK at the Glasgow River Festival. Visitors to the festival got a close up look at Bridgestone’s replica Ferrari F1 car and tested their racing skills on a F1 simulator in exchange for a small donation to Diabetes UK. These fantastic donations raised a whopping £970 as Donald Carmichael, managing director of McConechy’s, said: “Thanks to the weather and the huge generosity of the festival goers we managed to raise a fantastic amount for Diabetes UK. With the 2009 championship in full swing, F1 fans young and old made the most of the exclusive opportunity to take the driving seat in the F1 car and simulator. The event was a huge success and we are looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2010!”
Continue ReadingAlcoa Releases 17.5×6.75-inch Wheel for Low Deck Trailers
Alcoa has launched a new 17.5 x 6.75 trailer wheel with 10 bolt holes on a 225 mm PCD. The wheel is comes in sizes 245/70 R 17.5 and 235/75 R 17.5 and will be available in Europe from mid-August. It is suitable for: low deck trailers for transport of heavy and oversized vehicles and loads; trailers and semi-trailers for volume transport; special trailers for transport of passenger cars.
Continue ReadingTyre s-marking statutory instrument delayed
I had to say it, didn’t I? I should have known better than to put proverbial pen to paper and write “unless there is an unlikely 11th hour stay of execution at the European parliament.” I should have known better because no sooner had these words gone to print then exactly this happened. I am, of course, referring to the wonderful s-mark legislation (also known as regulation 2001/43), which has become the subject of so much coverage in Tyres & Accessories recently. Apparently, tyres won’t necessarily need an s-mark to comply with regulation 2001/43 and, er, be s-marked. However, it doesn’t end there. The latest from the Department for Transport is that there has been a “delay in putting into place the statutory instrument which is required for the new s-marking regulations to become law.” In short, there won’t be any means of enforcing the new law in the UK until March 2010. This fact doesn’t affect the other European markets, which will all have to comply by the original 1 October 2009 deadline.
Continue ReadingUSW Wants USTR Appearance
The United Steelworkers (USW) union wants make its case for restricting Chinese tyre imports and has requested an appearance before the US Trade Representative (USTR) public hearing scheduled 7 August. The USW advocates strong enforcement of a US trade law. Last month, a majority vote of the ITC reportedly found that “tariff relief was needed to urgently reduce tire imports,” say the steelworkers. However, trade associations including the TIA have questioned the effectiveness of such measures. USW President Leo W. Gerard said: Our nations job loss numbers at tyre factories dramatically understate the impact Chinas flooding imports have caused in the communities where our represented workers live. The consequences of lost tyre production jobs have extended to many thousands of other jobs in supporting industries and suppliers that have also been lost.
Continue ReadingSchaeffler, Employees Reach Agreement on Cost Cutting Measures
Company management and employee representatives at Schaeffler KG’s facility in Schweinfurt, Germany have reached an understanding on a package of staff cost cutting measures. According to Schaeffler, this measure has been taken due to weaker demand creating the necessity to make adjustments amounting to a total of 50 million euros. The savings will be generated through naturally occuring labour turnover, voluntary redundancy and part time work for older employees, plus a shortening of working hours and an extension of government subsidised short-time work. Apprentices at the site will be retained.
Continue ReadingS-Mark Won’t Take Effect in UK Till 2010
S-mark legislation limiting the sound levels emitted by tyres won’t not take effect until March 2010. According to an NTDA e-zine published this afternoon, the revised deadline comes after the Department of Transport reported that there has been “a delay in putting into place the statutory instrument which is required for the new s-marking regulations to become law.” In short, there won’t be any means of enforcing the new law in the UK until March 2010.
Continue ReadingAnalysts: Continental’s New In-Vehicle Infotainment System is ‘Revolutionary
While the top level executives at Continental AG, Schaeffler Group and the panel of banks they owe huge sums of money to slog it out over who will run the companies, for many who work within their subsidiaries it is business as usual. And while one of the fiercest battles in German corporate history rages at the upper echelons of the business, Conti’s in-car division is apparently doing something right. According to a report released today by Frost & Sullivan, Continental’s AutolinQ in-vehicle connectivity and infotainment platform is set to “revolutionise the automotive world, ushering in new business models that are simpler, more flexible, and better set to maximise payoffs for all players along the telematics value chain.” However, questions of connectivity, the overall selling model, cross industry collaboration and application types must be ironed out first.
Continue ReadingNE Wholesale Pushing Ahead with Strategic Plan
Many would reasonably argue that our country’s economic system has recently taken a blow to the head, but during this time when the “credit crunch” is complicating our lives, NE Wholesale is seizing the opportunity to distibguish itself from the majority of the tyre distribution market. As companies prepare to “cut costs” and customers are “clinching their belts”, NE Wholesale says it is remaining committed to its three-year strategic plan.
Continue ReadingMichelin Trial Proves ‘Food for Thought’ For Frank Wright
A year-long trial with Michelin’s XZM tyres fitted to a single forklift unit has led to animal feed manufacturer Frank Wright Trouw Nutrition International taking the plunge and switching to the Michelin brand across its mixed fleet of 20 diesel and electric powered forklift trucks. During each day the test unit operated for an average of ten hours on a range of surfaces from asphalt to concrete and grit. The Michelin shod forklift was carefully monitored during the entire period, with monthly tyre inspections to check for wear and damage.
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