e-commerce and online tyre business news
Delphi Technologies has launched the Delphi Technologies Academy – a new e-learning platform aimed at those in the automotive industry wanting to “enhance their skills and keep up to date with the latest technological developments”. The platform, launched in September, significantly enhances the company’s existing training portfolio.
Michelin has added the last 60 per cent of leading French tyre e-tailer Allopneus to the 40 per cent stake the leading tyremaker bought in 2015. Michelin now “intends to develop its knowledge of customer behaviour and the purchasing process and thus continue to offer the best possible experience, from online information seeking, right up to tyre fitting”, company representatives wrote in a statement dated 25 August.
CAM is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month by committing to continue investment £1.5 million of investment a year in research and development design to “keep the tyre industry connected” and help “amplify its growth into the future”.
Since its inception in 1981 by founders Trevor Allen and Len Miller, CAM has expanded to be the primary tyre solutions provider for 19 of the UK’s top 25 tyre wholesalers, and 16 of the UK’s top 25 tyre retailers have chosen CAM products to manage their tyre systems.
Goodyear and TyreOps have created a connection to allow fleet, job and inspection data to be synchronised when carrying out work for fleets in a move that stretches across Europe. According to the companies, the connection will allow tyre businesses within the Goodyear network to save up to 50 per cent of admin time when carrying out fleet work and allows TyreOps users to manage assigned Goodyear fleets alongside their existing customers. As well as time savings and efficiency gains, the move is designed to “eliminate the need for double entry of data”.
Vaculug has signed an exclusive five-year agreement with CAM International, which will allow its service partners subscribed to the e-jobsheet tablet app for truck, bus, van, industrial and car fleet work to be integrated with its systems via the TiDaeX platform.
Halfords has entered the B2B software market by making American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) the first customer of Halfords’ Avayler proprietary software which streamlines “service delivery for companies that operate in multiple locations.” According to Halfords, the Avayler platform will underpin ATD’s operations, supplying tyres to 80,000 garages across the US. ATD will also be the exclusive provider of the Avayler Mobile platform to the North American automotive market. ATD is one of the largest independent suppliers of tyres in the US replacement market and the part owner of Tirebuyer.com (which was established by blackcircles.com founder Mike Welch). No price details associated with the sale of the Avayler software system to ATD have yet been disclosed.
The Allstar ServicePoint online service maintenance and repair (SMR) portal through is offering fleet tyres in conjunction with Colewood Automotive, which builds and operates a number of tyre retail websites in the UK, partnering with well-known brands such as ASDA, RAC and etyres.
Tyre dealers stand to save thousands of pounds a year by shopping around when selecting payment processing providers. For a long time tyre retailers did business with cash, cheque and invoices. The next generation brought with it credit and debit card processing, something that has become the norm in garages. Now, a new generation of payment processing providers are offering to streamline the critical payment part of any business while also significantly reducing the associated fees.
Slough-based Tomato Tyres is integrating CAM International’s e-jobsheet tablet app for truck, bus, van and car tyre servicing. When work is conducted by Tomato Tyres’ technicians on fleet vehicles, e-jobsheet will enable job data to be passed automatically via TiDaeX as it is completed on the tablet, including a copy of the job card, signatures and any photos provided.
Bandvulc has unveiled a new website, which has been created as a mobile-first tyre information portal, providing technicians with easy to view detailed, technical information about each Bandvulc retread tyre whilst giving customers an overview of tyres by application type, to aid tyre choice.
Westlake Tyre has launched a new global website. Westlaketyre.com features “a more intuitive and responsive user interface, is optimized for various digital devices such as PC, smartphones, and tablets”, according to the company. Regionalised multilingual versions of the website will be available “for each region” in the coming months.
Yorkshire Industrial Tyres is introducing the combination of UniSerV Call Logging implementation and CAM International’s e-jobsheet app system to its Barnsley site to streamline its processes following the success of the system at its sister company, GW Tyres, in Wakefield.
TyreRunner.com has appointed Gavin Marshall to its board of directors weeks after TyreRunner.com revealed plans to double headcount. Marshall was previously the CEO of Middlesbrough-based North Eastern Tyres & Exhausts (NETE) which he successfully sold to Stapleton’s tyres, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Itochu corporation of Japan, parent company to Kwik-fit.
Bridgestone’s First Stop retail network is offering Techman Pro as part of its franchise programme in the UK. According to Bridgestone, First Stop TechMan Pro creates “greater levels of professionalism across its forecourts thanks to real-time digital reporting – including personalised camera and video analysis – as well as data on workshop efficiencies, in a win-win for customers and dealers alike”. First Stop has hailed the technology as “a game-changing addition to its existing dealer package”, adding that it will play an integral role in helping the network grow to 220 centres by 2024.
Delphi Technologies
Allopneus; Michelin
Cam
ATD
Fleetcor
Bopp
Cam International; Tomato Tyres
Bandvulc
Westlake
TyreOps
Tyre Runner
First Stop; TechMan