Tag: e-commerce
New senior developer joins CAM
CAM is expanding its software development team with the appointment of John Reed as a senior developer. According to the company, his appointment “highlights the importance the business places on the CAM ecosystem in creating products that support all forms of business, from multi depot retail outlets to mobile businesses that bring services to them”.
YourMechanic adds Goodyear.com to online tyre service directory
In the US, the YourMechanic interactive platform that delivers mobile repair, maintenance, inspection and reconditioning services directly to millions of consumer, mobility and fleet clients has added goodyear.com to its offering.
Dana releases new TireAnalytics version
On 13 March Dana Incorporated released version 3.0 of its Rhombus TireAnalytics system, in the USA. According to company, the latest version comes with new capabilities to help large fleets reduce tyre costs. The third generation of the technology provides new cost-per-mile (CPM) analysis capabilities and best practice solutions that enable commercial-truck owners and fleet maintenance managers to make better data driven decisions for each application.
Auchinlea invests in fitter-force
Motherwell-based Auchinlea Tyres Ltd is participating in CAM’s new fitter-force digital tablet technology to remove back office costs and inaccuracies associated with the manual completion of service work, while improving its customer service through operational responsiveness.
Bridgestone buying Tomtom Telematics for 910 million euros
Bridgestone Europe NV/SA, the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, has entered into an agreement with TomTom to acquire its telematics business for a cash consideration of 910 million euros. Michelin had also been named as a suitor for the business when the news that TomTom Telematics was for sale emerged in November 2018.
Do markets dream of electric cars?
Phillip K Dick may well have been thinking far further into the future than the current popularisation of electric cars when he wrote his famous novella “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, however the rise of big data alongside electric and autonomous vehicles means the most advanced cars of today have an increasing amount in common with the artificial intelligence in the source material for the film Blade Runner.
Mopar connects with Amazon Marketplace
Mopar, Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA)’s spares, parts and service operation, has announced that it will be selling its products online on Amazon Marketplace. Mopar will be the first Automaker in Italy to sell its products through this platform. According to the company, it is a new way to respond to the needs of increasingly more technological and digitised customers.
Delphi partners TomTom on driverless technology
Delphi Technologies PLC has announced a collaboration with TomTom, known for its satnav products. According to the two companies, the partners will collaborate on “electronic and software applications designed to further optimize vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions through the use of real-time mapping data”.
Pirelli Cyber Fleet available in UK from Q1 2019
Back in September 2018 Pirelli announced that the system it had developed for the monitoring and management of tyres had been renewed. As a result, the company launched two technological solutions at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover - Cyber Fleet Smart and Cyber Fleet Gate – both of which represent the company’s latest engagement with the digital revolution.
Motokiki tyre price comparison site launches
A new online tyre price comparison service has launched, aiming to provide UK motorists with an online tool to choose their tyres quickly and easily, and bringing together products from a wide variety of retail businesses. Motokiki’s comparison engine is designed to offer an impartial whole of market price comparison of tyres from a broad range of suppliers, as well as tyre label result comparison, and the location in which they can be fitted. The company initially comprises 20 staff in offices a short walk from Port Talbot railway station, working on the technical development and marketing of the website, with other aspects of the business outsourced to teams around the country, such as its London-based communications agency, FWD Consulting. Tyres & Accessories travelled to south Wales in late November to attend the launch, with Maven Capital Partners (“Maven”) and the Development Bank of Wales, which have collectively made an equity investment of £3 million in the company, also represented.
Michelin acquires Tablet
Michelin has bought Tablet, an online travel agency specializing in boutique and luxury hotels. Headquartered in New York, Tablet was founded in 2000 by Laurent Vernhes and Michael Davis to provide a high-quality selection of unique hotel experiences to millions of travellers, and an associated booking platform. The purchase of The Tablet follows Michelin’s earlier purchase of Bookatable.com in January 2016 and Restaurantes.com in December 2016.
Blackcircles.com entrepreneur launches online portal for US tyre retailers
Mike Welch, the founder of Blackcircles.com has founded Tirescanner.com, a new online portal designed for North American tyre retailers. Initially investing more than $1million in the venture, Welch claims it will be “North America’s first online portal for brick and mortar tyre retailers.” Welch sold UK “click and fit” tyre retailer, Blackcircles to Michelin three years ago, and will bring his online experience to the world’s largest tyre retail market in the US, where replacement tyre sales reached $39.6 billion in 2017. Earlier in 2018, Welch became strategic adviser and shareholder of Indian e-commerce venture Tyremarket.com, while he joined the board of US player Simpletire.com in 2017, prior to US distributor Dealer Tires, itself currently in the process of being acquired by Bain Capital, making an investment in the company this year.
Service training and online presence key profits, Irish Michelin dealers told
Developing an online identity and regular customer service training for staff are key to boosting profits, Michelin’s Republic of Ireland partner dealers have been told at an annual event. Delegates at the full-day session at Langton House Hotel in Kilkenny were given advice on developing their digital offering through websites and social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
Data increasingly important to future prospects in tyre and mobility sectors
It is not unusual for the start of the year to be replete with corporate acquisitions. Some even happen while much of the western world is enjoying Christmas and new year holidays. While European FinTyre Distribution (EfTD) did indeed enact the latest move in its ongoing strategic purchasing programme during the 2018 holiday break, it seems that this year February was the month of choice for getting the chequebooks out, with Bridgestone, Michelin and – in the UK at least – Goodyear all announcing strategic spending. For different but connected reasons all three challenge us to consider the impact of changing mobility trends.
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