On 12 September 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published its fourth batch of green manufacturing lists. The list includes 602 green factories, 371 green design products, 39 green parks and 50 green supply chain management demonstration enterprises.
Environmental campaigners have been protesting against Linglong’s Zrenjanin, Serbia tyre factory. At the same time the construction work, which has been variously described as either an 800 million euro or US$994 million project by different sources, has also been involved in certification disputes.
Sailun’s SDR1 truck tyre has attained TÜV SÜD MARK certification, the first Chinese manufacturer in the tyre industry to do so, according to the company.
The SDR1 series of tyres from Sailun are sold in more than 30 countries and regions in Europe, such as Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Spain and has been well received by all Sailun dealers in Europe. For Sailun, gaining TÜV SÜD certification “not only demonstrates Sailun’s strengths in development and production in high-end tyre products, but it also signifies the approval of the European market towards its products, laying the foundation for growth in this high-end market”.
Nokian Tyres’ new Dayton, USA manufacturing plant has been awarded ISO 9001 certification. The certification requires companies to meet specific quality management system requirements and thus affirms the company’s commitment to premium quality.
British aftermarket parts brand, Comline, has reaffirmed its commitment to copper-free braking with the announcement of an Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) ‘N’ rating. This rating confirms Comline brake pads as containing less than 0.5 per cent of copper by weight and permits the brand to use the AASA LeafMark ‘N’ icon in promoting its comprehensive range of all makes brake pads.
JK Tyre & Industries has successfully completed a best practice five star occupational health and safety audit conducted by the British Safety Council. JK Tyre’s four manufacturing facilities in Chennai, Mysore, Banmore and Laksar all received the certification.
CAM has been awarded Gold accreditation by Investors in People (IIP). The award indicates that CAM is in the top 16 per cent of accredited organisations across the UK, demonstrating commitment to excellent customer service delivery. The assessors recognised the people and process investment CAM has made over the past two years, as well as the hard work the whole company has put in to continually improving its customer service and support business culture.
Soltyre has gained Michelin’s agricultural seal of approval for its new Airdrie dealership, marking a major achievement for the tyre specialist with all three branches now members of the pan-European Michelin Exelagri network.
The RAC has joined forces with Euro Car Parts to create the biggest independent garage network in the country. Formed from existing RAC Approved Garages and Autofirst Network members, along with new sign ups, the newly created ‘RAC Approved Garages powered by Autofirst Network’ already has 500 garages on board and is expected to exceed 650 by April this year.
ATS Euromaster has renewed its ISO 9001 certification for the 27th consecutive year. The renewal means the national tyre and vehicle maintenance provider has consistently met the highest award for quality management since 1992.
The NTDA Roadside Emergency Action Concerning Technicians (REACT) scheme hit a new milestone on Tuesday 18 September when Commercial Tyre Technician Keiran Smith of Lodge Tyre Company in Stafford received the 5000th certificate and Licence to Work Safely at the Roadside at Lodge House, the company’s impressive corporate headquarters in Stafford.
Smith, who is from Worcester and works at Lodge Tyre’s Droitwich depot on Berryhill Industrial Estate, was trained by Roadside Safety Training UK Ltd one of the founding members of the REACT scheme.
The tyre testing laboratory operated by Rosava has been accredited according to DSTU ISO/IEC 17025: 2006 (ISO/IEC 17025: 2005) by the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine. The accreditation was granted on 6 August and is valid through to 2023.
Davanti has exhibited its extended range of tyres at Automechanika Dubai, reporting positive reactions to its expansion strategy across Europe and Asia. The brand included its recently launched all-terrain tyre, the Terratoura, explaining that a full range of tyres is a prerequisite for building Davanti’s profile in new markets. The company also mentioned the value of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) accreditation in the Middle East – a measure Davanti has taken with its whole range, where competitors have chosen to accredit only the most popular sizes.
Hankook Tire shares that its state-of-the-art research and development centre in South Korea, the Hankook Technodome, has been granted ISO/IEC 17025 certification from A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation).
The NTDA’s new Tyre Technician Professional Development Scheme, designed to raise professionalism within the tyre industry and improve technicians’ opportunities and career progression, is gathering momentum according to the association.
Officially launched at the Tyre Industry Conference in October last year, the NTDA Tyre Technician Professional Development Scheme is intended to act as a form of self-regulation for the tyre retail industry and will increase the flexibility of tyre technicians by providing them with a nationally-recognised licence designed to demonstrate their competency wherever they choose to work.
Sailun
Nokian
AASA