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Kingpin Tyres Limited has lost its accreditation under the Tyre Industry Federation’s Responsible Recycler Scheme. A statement issued by the Tyre Recovery Association explained that the accreditation has been rescinded effective 31 July 2008.
Manufacturers such as Michelin and tyre industry organisations including the NTDA have long disseminated the message that maintaining the correct tyre pressure is an important measure. In the US an influential voice has been added to this effort.
Contender for the US Presidency Barack Obama, visiting the state of Missouri on July 30, gave voters an important fuel saving tip: “There are things that you can do individually though to save energy,” said Obama. “Making sure your tyres are properly inflated, simple thing, but we could save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tyres and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much.”
Peter Gaster has been appointed chairman of the Tyre Industry Federation (TIF), following the federation’s AGM in London last week. Gaster is also current chairman of the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and has represented the NTDA on the TIF Board since it joined the organisation three years ago.
“It is a great honour for me to take on this pivotal role in the UK tyre industry and I look forward to representing the varied interests of the industry as TIF’s chairman. NTDA continues to be totally supportive of the objectives of the TIF and I will ensure that TIF’s key role, as a forum to bring together the various sectors of our industry in the interests of better communication and understanding, continues to be the cornerstone of the organisation,” Peter Gaster commented.
For the second year running, Michelin has scooped two NTDA Tyre And Fast Fit (TAFF) awards in one night. Michelin Tyre Plc won both the Tyre Manufacturer of the Year and Industry Advertising Awards. The success follows a strong showing at the 2007 awards when the French manufacturer received the Product Innovation and Industry Advertising awards. The 2008 TAFF awards also saw a return to winning ways for BITS who won Wholesaler of the Year for a record eighth time, including comparable prizes from before the TAFF awards began three years ago.
As the award citation stated, “the Michelin name is recognised across the world, as is its iconic emblem, Bibendum.” When it comes to the UK, the company - uniquely - has three manufacturing facilities and it is a measure of its commitment to the UK that investment in all three sites remains ongoing. The larger a company becomes, the greater is its social and environmental responsibility, and these are areas that Michelin takes very seriously.
Another environmental 'first' for Michelin is visible at its plant in Dundee, where giant wind turbines generate electricity to power the factory. On a global scale, the annual "Challenge Bibendum" encourages the development of sustainable mobility and environmental responsibility. Michelin has a proud history in the field of motor sports and this continued with a victory in the Le Mans 24 hours race. Competition is the driving force behind development, the company believes, which is why it did not put its name forward to be the sole tyre supplier for Formula 1.
2008 Industry Advertising Campaign of the year - Michelin
This is the second year running that Michelin has picked up this award, despite some fierce competition. "Bibendum" - the Michelin Man - is over 100 years old and still going strong. The worldwide icon has once again been at the centre of Michelin's European 2007 advertising campaign. Notably, Bibendum returned to the television screens after an absence of three years in an advert giving a longevity message that a Michelin tyre can last more than once around the world.
New media were also targeted with online campaigns featuring on a range of sites including MSN, Yahoo, AOL, iVillage as well as trade sites such as Autotrader and Pistonheads. These banner and skyscraper ads carried the longevity message, plus a safety theme emphasising the importance of maintaining correct tyre pressure as well as fuel saving & environmental messages. Voted the leading tyre brand on the Internet by Envisional, online advertising is another area in which Michelin is the industry leader.
Wholesaler of the Year – BITS
To win Tyre Wholesaler of the Year once is commendable, but to win it eight times (including the similar preceding equivalents) is simply a fantastic achievement.
Putting the company’s success down to “consistently great service, day in and day out,” BITS managing director Brian Duguid explained: “For over 70 years we have had a service-first policy which means we put great customer care at the centre of everything we do. Our customers clearly appreciate it and we’d like to thank them for voting for B.I.T.S once again.”
This service-first approach may be a simple philosophy, but it’s also a hugely successful one. Since being formed in 1970, the family-owned company has grown into one of the largest independent tyre wholesalers in the country. Its distinctive flame-liveried vans are a regular feature on roads up and down the country, as the company completes its regular daily deliveries from its eight key regional centres, including the newest B.I.T.S centre based in Southampton.
Commenting on the growth of the business, Brian Duguid said: “We’re a people business. We look after our staff, who in turn look after our customers. This allows us to offer a highly personalised service which our customers really value. We get to know our customers’ needs and our dedicated team is always on-hand to help.”
Product innovation award
This year’s Product Innovation gong was won by Goodyear for the company’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyre. Goodyear representatives will no-doubt be pleased with the tyre’s performance as the TAFF Award joins the list of silverware the new Eagle tyre has won. Soon after being launched the Eagle F1 Asymmetric was named the best tyre by Evo magazine and was lauded by the Autocar in both its front and rear wheel drive test categories.
"Goodyear is thrilled to win this TAFF award. Already, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric has dominated the Autocar and Evo tyre tests, and it is great to see that the trade agree with the media! ActiveCornerGrip Technology, which maximises the footprint distribution of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric, is the latest in a long line of award winning Goodyear innovations including RunOnFlat, BioTred and HydraGrip.
"The Goodyear Eagle F1 family has won more industry awards and tyre tests than any other tyre. We thank the NTDA members for their nomination and support. It is important that we work with our dealers to communicate to drivers that not all tyres are the same, and recognition from this award will certainly help," stated James Bailey, Corporate Communications Manager.
Environment award
The 2008 NTDA TAFF Environment Award was won by Kingpin Tyres. The award was collected on behalf of the company by John Campbell representing last year’s winner, Vellco.
In response to the company’s success, Kingpin representatives told Tyres & Accessories that the company’s management and staff are “honoured to have received the NTDA’S TAFF Award for the Best Environmental Company 2008 and wish to thank all those who contributed to this award.”
With over 35 years in business, Kingpin Tyres is certainly not ‘the new kid on the block’ when it comes to providing environmental and recycling services to the tyre industry. The business commenced operations in 1973 manufacturing passenger and commercial van retreads, whilst also providing the service of collecting used tyres from its customers. At the peak of tyre retreading in the UK, Kingpin supplied in excess of 20,000 retreads per week directly to the domestic market. Today Kingpin is the only remaining UK passenger tyre retreader, supplying a full range of passenger, commercial van, 4x4 and truck retreads nationally and one of the UK’s largest used tyre collection specialists.
In addition to providing retreading services and used tyre collections, Kingpin recognised the need to process scrap tyres in-house at its site in Wem, Shropshire - closing in the recycling process chain. All scrap tyres are processed through the company’s tyre shredding and granulation plant, eliminating the need for further transportation and so improving the company’s carbon footprint. Materials produced on-site include aggregate replacement and rubber granulates for use in the equestrian and leisure industries.
A major contributor to the collection and disposal of tyres in the UK, Kingpin collects and disposes of over 3 million tyres a year. Kingpin is accredited with a full waste management licence and waste carriers licence as well as being fully compliant in its duty of care to the environment.
Tyre & Aftermarket Equipment Supplier of the Year
And lastly, but by no means leastly, for the second consecutive year, the Tyre & Aftermarket Equipment Supplier of the Year award was presented to Apaseal.
The 79th NTDA Annual Dinner and Tyre And Fast Fit (TAFF) were held concurrently at the Hilton Metropole, alongside the Commercial Vehicle Show in the NEC and featured after dinner entertainment from former world snooker champion, John Parrott.
At the end of the evening the NTDA raised around 6000 pounds in a prize draw in aid of the automotive industry benevolent fund, BEN. Approximately 5300 pounds was raised by the initial draw, with a further 650 pounds being added to the total following an impromptu auction after winner Mary Scanlon generously returned her two track-day tickets to the prize fund.
Peter Gaster confronted the issue of tyre ageing head-on in what is likely to be his last NTDA dinner as association chairman. The headline news is that, following negotiations between NTDA director Richard Edy and the RAC Foundation, the respected motoring organisation has pledged its full support for to an industry-wide tyre age check campaign.
Last year, Kwik-Fit Fleet carried out more than 220,000 vehicle inspections – up from 188,000 in 2006 – and this year the company expects its mobile technicians to undertake more than 250,000 tyre safety checks in company car parks or at a driver’s location of choice.
Initial tyre checks result in about 25 per cent of vehicles inspected requiring attention, usually tyres being replaced because they are illegal. Extrapolated across the UK’s three million-strong company car and approximately one million van parc it means that up to 800,000 vehicles could be running on at least one unsafe tyre.
TyreSafe’s Outstanding Achievement award for 2008 has been presented to National Tyres and Autocare. The tyre safety organisation reports that the award was given in acknowledgement of the company’s “outstanding contribution to the work of TyreSafe since its formation at the start of 2007,” and was presented to National Tyres’ chief executive officer, Tony Neill, by TyreSafe chairman Rob Beddis at the NTDA Dinner in Birmingham on April 16.
National Tyres became a foundation member of TyreSafe when it emerged out of the old Tyre Industry Council, and since day one has helped to develop a new structure, tyre safety strategy and re-branding, which TyreSafe reports has already had a profound effect in raising tyre safety awareness and wider road safety. TyreSafe adds that, since its formation, National Tyres has actively engaged with, and supported, the recruitment of new members. Membership now stands at 26 companies, representing all the key tyre industry organisations.
A much-awaited insight into our local tyre market has become available following the release of the first in a series of regular reports produced by market research company GfK. The GfK report into retail sales of new tyres divides the market into three distinct channels; national multiples (retailers with over 100 branches), regional multiples (10-99 branches) and independents (1-9 branches). Data from thousands of depots has been collected and analysed over a six-month period, and GfK has estimated the total UK new tyre replacement market (for car, 4×4 and light commercial vehicles) to be 28.4 million units.
For the second year running, Michelin has scooped two NTDA Tyre And Fast Fit (TAFF) awards in one night. Michelin Tyre Plc won both the Tyre Manufacturer of the Year and Industry Advertising Awards. The success follows a strong showing at the 2007 awards when the French-manufacturer received the Product Innovation and Industry Advertising awards. The 2008 TAFF awards also saw a return to winning ways for BITS who won Wholesaler of the Year for a record eighth time, including comparable prizes from before the TAFF awards began three years ago.
TAFF Winners:
Tyre Manufacturer of the Year and Industry Advertising Awards - Michelin
Wholesaler of the Year - BITS
Production Innovation Award - Goodyear (Eagle F1 Asymmetric)
Environment Award – Kingpin Tyres
Tyre & Aftermarket Equipment Supplier of the Year - Apaseal
Workplace safety is increasingly a high profile issue, and this is no less the case for professional drivers and those using company or fleet owned vehicles. Kwik-Fit Fleet reports carrying out more than 220,000 vehicle inspections during 2007, a total markedly up from the previous year’s 188,000. To cope with a growing demand to ensure at-work driver safety, Kwik-Fit Fleet is preparing to add an additional 30 units to its mobile fleet this year.
It is likely that the April 6 introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act will place added pressure upon businesses to comply with workplace health and safety legislation. Thus this year the company expects even stronger demand for its mobile service, and anticipates its mobile technicians to undertake more than 250,000 tyre safety checks in company car parks or at a driver’s location of choice.
It was back in the early days of 2002 when Gary Oliver and Peter Morris formed the company called C-Tyres and purchased the assets of retreaders Colway and Motorway from the Official Receiver. Since then, the demise of car tyre retreading in the UK has been well documented and, it has to be said, one or two quizzical eyebrows were raised when Oliver and Morris announced that C-Tyres would be making retreads.
At the end of January the Colway brand and equipment owned by County Durham-based C-Tyres was bought by Polish retread company, Mark Gum. No details of how much Mark Gum paid were made available. C-Tyres managing director Gary Oliver had previously spoken of his hope that a British company would take ownership of the assets, allowing tyre production to start up again from within C-Tyres leased premises in Langley Moor.
Chris Anthony
Editor, Tyrepress.com/Tyres & Accessories
Tyre Industry Publications, Federation House, Station Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2SA, United Kingdom
+44 (0)1782 969860
The content herein is expressly intended for the person(s) addressed, and for business purposes. Any other communication is the sole opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of Tyre Industry Publications Ltd.
Following on from a series of one-year agreements forged during recent years, Vellco Limited has announced a two-year total waste management agreement with National Tyres & Autocare. As part of the new deal a number of recently agreed upon program initiatives will be launched. These cover a wide variety of automotive waste streams.
The new arrangements take immediate effect and will reportedly provide significant operational savings for National Tyres & Autocare over the next two years. In addition to conventional waste stream management, Vellco has undertaken to provide National Tyres & Autocare with an innovative environmental analysis, which will enable the fast fit chain to track its carbon footprint and to strive to become carbon neutral within a defined target period.
When football teams run out onto Moscow’s Luzhniki BSA Olympic Stadium at the start of a match, it is a safe bet that few, if any, players realise that the “grass” under their feet was once black and round and fitted to a car. But despite this unawareness, the tyres we deal with every day have a strong connection with the beautiful game; the Luzhniki stadium was one of the sites at which the UEFA trialled the use of synthetic turf several years ago, and was subsequently granted the honour of hosting the first ever UEFA Cup qualifying round to be held on an artificial surface. The synthetic turf gracing the ground at Luzhniki is FieldTurf – a product produced by FieldTurf Tarkett, a Canadian company that, in addition to supplying numerous UEFA and FIFA approved turf installations, also happens to be Credential Automotive’s largest rubber crumb customer. FieldTurf’s requirements currently account for two-thirds of all Credential’s annual output of recycled tyre product.
“We’re quite proud to be playing our part in sporting excellence around the world,” comments Credential Automotive director Steve Patterson. But while Credential’s supply of tyre derived rubber product helps provide a natural feeling yet durable surface for our most popular sport, tyre recycling is much more than just a game for the County Durham based recycling and waste management specialist. Vast quantities of end of life tyres arrive at Credential’s Newton Aycliffe premises each year – Steve Patterson reports that Credential will process approximately 11 million tyres in 2008 – and the company collects tyres plus other automotive waste from fast fit centres, car dealerships, ELV dismantlers, farmers, councils and other tyre collectors in many regions throughout Great Britain, from Southwest England to Scotland.
Credential’s ability to process so many tyres was in 2007 aided by the installation of the “Tyrannosaurus”, reported to be the world’s largest shredder. This machine of Cretaceous proportions was installed in May 2007 after arriving from Finland, and it is “operating well,” reports Steve Patterson. “The machine completed commissioning in August 2007 and will have processed 2.5 million tyres by then end of January 2008.” With a line capacity of 20 tonnes per hour, the equivalent of 3,000 car tyres, the Tyrannosaurus can make short work of end of life tyres. “The processing capacity is very high and depends on the material produced, but at a 50mm tyre chip the machine could process over 80,000 tonnes per annum on a two-shift basis.” Credential’s hardware is able to effectively process 4×4 and van tyres without encountering any of the problems experienced by operators using smaller machines, and Patterson reports that the company is also able to process or find outlets for tyres containing a range of technologies, including run-flat or uncured tyres. He adds that tyres containing anti-puncture sealants may provide a less than satisfactory result should they arrive in sufficient quantities, but at present very few of these appear in the mix so they pose no problem.
The output from Credential Automotive’s facility, or at least the one-third not taken by FieldTurf, is supplied to numerous rubber manufacturers, whose end products include mats, flooring, insulating products and children’s playgrounds. According to Steve Patterson, Credential is easily able to sell everything it produces. “We currently have outlets for all of our outputs, he says. “Most are contracted and a proportion is placed on spot markets. We balance the risk/reward of contracted supply and spot markets constantly.”
The ETRMA reported last July that the UK was Europe’s leading tyre recycler, with 93 per cent of tyres previously destined for landfill now diverted to various forms of recycling. While Credential, as a past winner of the Motor Traders Association ‘Environmental Award’ and NTDA TAFF environment award nominee, is recognised for its environmentally sound policy and practices, Steve Patterson believes that legislation remains fundamental to our high recycling levels. “In general terms most people within the industry recognise the benefits of recycling a high quality product like tyres, but you need legislation and strong enforcement to push the minority into compliance because they wont do it for the sake of it.” He adds: “While a number of responsible producers take an active interest in what happens to scrap tyres, a number do not, and it is economics that drive the market. If the landfill ban was not enforced then the UK would still send a higher proportion of tyres to landfill, or at least until the landfill tax made it uneconomic.”
One thing that almost everybody agrees on in the UK tyre industry is the lack of readily available, meaningful statistics on the size and value of the tyre market. The NTDA has teamed up with research company GfK to produce the "World of Tyres" – an exclusive members' newsletter which includes a regular review of retail sales data on the passenger car, 4X4 and light commercial tyre market.
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