DC PowerSystems Develops Compressor With 65% Fuel Savings
With diesel costing more than a pound a litre, DC PowerSystems claims to have designed mobile tyre van compressor that offers a potential fuel of £10,000 over the course of the van’s life. The figure is based on the typical service life of a mobile truck tyre fitting van. Want to know how this works? The trick is that the DC PowerSystems compressor only needs the host vehicle engine to run at 800 rpm rather than the 1700 rpm typical PTO driven systems require. As a consequence, the reduction in fuel usage equates directly to a reduction in carbon emissions. Working with the Power Train and Vehicle Research Centre at Bath University, DC PowerSystems aimed to establish the level of fuel savings that could be achieved. A simple test enabled the fuel consumption of the host vehicle to be determined while the compressor system was running on load, by reading the data directly from the vehicle’s ECU.
Continue Reading11th Hour Reprieve
Swiss based alloy wheel manufacturer Uniwheels has acquired the European interests of Germany’s ATS Group, former subsidiary of South African company Tiger Wheels. Included in the purchase are the company’s affiliated production factories in Germany and Poland as well as the globally recognised ATS brand name. We can only speculate at the purchase price – Uniwheels has chosen not to disclose this – and a separate solution is sought for the company’s US subsidiary, ATS Light Alloy Wheels (Alabama), Inc. “With Uniwheels we have found an investor, who is taking over the shares of the subsidiaries of the insolvent ATS Beteiligungs GmbH,” commented Tobias Hoefer, representative of the Group’s insolvency administrator, Hack Hoefer. “With that in Europe all jobs and sites of the Group can be kept. This is the best possible result for the creditors and the employees.”
Continue ReadingHunter Announces Sales and Marketing Organisational Changes
US based automotive service equipment manufacturer Hunter Engineering has announced two key new appointments from within the company’s ranks. Dave Smith has been promoted to senior vice president, and Beau Brauer to vice president of marketing. Smith joined Hunter in 1975 as a sales representative in Richmond, Virginia. and was appointed Cleveland regional manager in 1980. Since 1984, he has served as Hunter’s vice president of sales and marketing. During this time he led the growth of Hunter’s field management team and sales and service organisations from 200 representatives to more than 630 today. Similar growth was achieved in Canada. Smith will now continue to manage Hunter’s U.S. and Canadian field managers and sales and service organisations, and provide guidance to Hunter’s marketing department. Brauer joined Hunter in 2005 as a sales representative in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was named New York regional manager in 2007, responsible for sales, service and national account activities in the region. As vice president of marketing, Brauer is now responsible for all of Hunter’s marketing and advertising department activities.
Continue ReadingDekk Partner – Continued Growth
Dekk Partner claims to be the largest group of tyre dealers in Norway, Sweden and Finland, with an anticipated turnover this year in excess of 320 million euros. The group is still expanding and the latest deal is that the Dekk 1 group, in the western part of Norway, has joined Dekk Partner from 1st February. After six years in Sweden, Dekk Partner is on the same level as the largest chain in that country, plus the group is also working very hard on expanding in Finland. Each year Dekk Partner holds a membership meeting and this years event will be held in the Latvian capital Riga, where it is expected that more than 500 guests will attend.
Continue ReadingWe Are Not Alone….
It appears it is not only UK motorists who don’t fully appreciate the importance of tyre safety. A nationwide US survey commissioned by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) has revealed 85 per cent of American motorists do not properly check tyre inflation pressure. The RMA survey coincides with National Tire Safety Week, sponsored by the organisation and held between April 20 and 26. The RMA hopes that through the nationwide campaign it can share the basic message that spending five minutes every month checking tyre pressure can save both time and money. “Record high gas prices should be an incentive for motorists to take every step possible to help make their cars and their money go further,” said RMA senior vice president, public affairs Dan Zielinski. “While our survey found that 61 per cent of motorists agreed that checking tyre pressure is very important to maximising fuel economy, only one in seven drivers properly perform this easy task.” And money will not only be saved at the petrol pump, Zielinski notes – premature tyre wear can be avoided by maintaining correct pressure. “Consumers can help their wallets and the environment by paying attention to their tyres so they last as long as possible, reducing disposal needs,” he commented.
Continue ReadingTitan Tests New 63-Inch Tyre
Titan International subsidiary Titan Tire Corporation reports it has begun testing its new 63-inch tyre on the company’s newly constructed 24-foot bull wheel. The first 63-inch tyre, built in February 2008, is approximately just over four metres in total diameter and weighs approximately 5.45 tonnes. Titan will test the 63-inch tyre on the bull wheel, loaded with up to 226 tonnes at a speed of up to 45 miles per hour, and this testing will confirm the tyre’s casing and its heat characteristics. Ten days of testing is equivalent to a year of field use, and will allow Titan to know how it will perform before volume production begins. “There were many who doubted Titan’s ability to produce and test this tyre,” said Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr. “Never underestimate a small entrepreneurial company. This tyre has surpassed all of Titan’s expectations.”
Continue ReadingProminent European OEM Wheel Lock Supplier Making UK Inroads
Europe’s leading supplier of OEM automotive fixings, Altenloh, Brinck & Co GmbH & Co, is entering the UK market through its wholly owned French subsidiary, ADL s.a.s. The company, which supplies most German and European car manufacturers, will introduce into the UK a range of security wheel locks marketed under the Blocky brand name. Established in 1973, ADL has quickly become European market leader in the design and production of security wheel locks, which it sells under several different brand names (including Blocky). In the past, however, Britain has not been a major market for ADL products. ADL sales manager Hans Dietmar Fiedler thus is confident Britain presents itself as a major opportunity for the company, as he believes the quality of many wheel lock products currently available here to be substandard. He emphasises the importance of not compromising on product quality in this area, as a security locking wheel bolt is an important component in car safety as well as for security.
Continue ReadingMarangoni Title Sponsor at Santa Pod Fast Show
A crowd of over 15,000 attended the Marangoni Fast Show at Santa Pod on 9/10 March. For Marangoni, the Fast Show was a huge success. The informal and involving Marangoni roadshow feature with its ‘hand’s-on’ approach reportedly proved popular with show visitors, particularly the Pit Stop competition with its top prize of a white-knuckle ride up the strip in the Santa Pod 2-seater dragster.
Continue ReadingMichelin Phasing Out OEM Supply of PAX
Last year’s speculation that Michelin’s feelings towards its PAX run-flat system had somewhat cooled appears after all to contain substance. The New York Times reports that the tyre major is no longer attempting to sell the system to vehicle manufacturers. Michelin spokeswoman Lynn Mann told the newspaper that this decision had been reached as automotive manufacturers have several other run-flat technology choices available to them and due to the “slow growth of the extended-mobility tyre segment in general.” Only three years ago Michelin predicted that its tyre-wheel combination “could become as commonplace as fold-flat seats,” however the company’s experiences with PAX in the US have been a saga of customer complaints about high replacement tyre costs and difficulties finding appropriate repair facilities. Michelin still faces a number of lawsuits filed by disgruntled consumers. In spite of this, Ms Mann claims these issues played no role in Michelin’s latest decision, and she added that replacement tyres and service would continue to be made available for vehicles already fitted with the tyres.
Continue ReadingMichelin Extends XZM Tyre Range Warranty
Michelin claims to be only manufacturer in the world offering to guarantee the longevity of its forklift tyres, and this unique warranty offer has now been extended. Following the implementation of the warranty offer on tyres in the UK, Spain, the Benelux countries, France, Italy and Sweden, Michelin’s warranty system is now being extended to Australia for 8 to 15-inch tyre sizes. The XZM radial forklift tyre, reports Michelin, delivers at least twice the tread life of flexible solid tyres and cross-ply tyres. And the tyre major is confident this is more than merely a claim; Michelin guarantees that its tyres will last twice as long. And if they don’t, the company will reimburse the difference, based on the pro rata purchase price.
Continue ReadingNankang Launches the NS-20
Nankang Rubber Tire has released a new tyre range this summer. Named the Noble Sport NS-20, Nankang reports the new tyre is an ultra high performance product that provides for luxury performance saloons the perfect balance of comfort and technical performance. The NS-20, uses dual layer tread design to enhance dry traction while its 4-groove directional pattern enhances wet traction. Furthermore, the lateral groove and multi-sipe design is designed to reduce tyre noise, ensuring greater driving comfort. The Noble Sport NS-20 is available to fit rim diameters between 16 and 20-inches, with seep ratings from H to Z. An additional feature on the NS-20 is Nankang’s new Step Wear Indicator, intended to make it easier for customers to gauge the condition of their tyres and remaining tread.
Continue ReadingING to Offer Customers an Exclusive Michelin Option
An agreement signed between corporate vehicle leasing firm ING Car Lease and Michelin in France will provide ING customers with the opportunity to exclusively select Michelin tyres for their cars. Michelin comments that the agreement breaks new ground in vehicle fleet management as, for the first time, a car lease operator will give its customers the opportunity to choose a single tyre manufacturer for as long as the car is used. The tyre major reports that the balanced overall performance of its tyres was the decisive factor guiding ING Car Lease’s choice of Michelin and, in particular, the manufacturer’s Energy Saver line-up. Approximately 78 per cent of the 23,000 vehicle strong French ING fleet will include the tyre option.
Continue ReadingHalf of Bike Tyrestore Scooter Sales are Sava Tyres
With increased scooter registrations and second hand purchases driving tyre sales, Bike Tyrestore has revealed a fascinating insight into what the market looks like. The short story is that almost half (49%) of the scooter tyres Bike Tyrestore (BTS) sells are Sava products. And when you consider that BTS is one of the leading two-wheel tyre wholesalers in the country, this is not an insignificant amount. Looking at the figures you have to take into account the fact that BTS is the UK Trade Distributor for Sava, based in Slovenia, so the results are statistically biased. However, company representatives believe that the lead in sales is so large that it has implications on the overall market.
Continue ReadingATC Outlines Desire to Acquire Goodyear OTR Tyre Facility
Amongst the regular assortment of correspondence postal workers deliver to Goodyear each day will shortly appear a letter proposing the purchase of its Topeka, Kansas facility. The people at American Tire Corporation (ATC) have produced a letter to this affect, and it appears they have already licked the envelope seal, stuck on a stamp, and dropped the acquisition offer through the slot of the nearest mailbox. According to ATC, under the proposal ATC would buy out Goodyears OTR tyre facility in Topeka at “any reasonable price.” Built in 1944 by US government, Goodyears Topeka tyre plant is the largest Goodyear OTR tyre facility in the world and the company’s only one in North America. Should such an acquisition be successful, ATC says it will spend US$200 million modernising this “old OTR tyre plant” (to quote ATC), increase production capacity for all sizes of OTR tyres by a minimum of 20 per cent, and “create more job opportunities with a better annual pay in the state of Kansas.”
Continue ReadingBridgestone Acknowledged as Top Porsche Supplier
Every year Porsche recognises its ten best performing suppliers at the Porsche Supplier Awards, and for 2008 Bridgestone has been honoured as an award recipient. Bridgestone Europe Original Equipment key account manager Stephan Rambow accepted the award in the presence of 300 guests at a ceremony held by the automaker in Weissach, Germany on April 3. Three categories of business partner are eligible for a Porsche Supplier Award– production material, non-production material and logistics – and awards are given in recognition for achievements in sales, engineering and quality. Bridgestone was the only tyre manufacturer amongst the eight production material suppliers nominated for an award from the Stuttgart based sports car manufacturer.
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