Ireland’s Modern Tyres invested £5.6 million in the establishment of a new division, Modern Wheel Solutions division back in May. The new business will be situated at a 81,000 square foot purpose-built factory in Carnbane Business Park in Newry.
Alliance Automotive Group UK (AAG), a subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company (GPC) and one of the UK’s leading aftermarket distributors, has acquired J&S Automotive Distributors (J&S). The acquired business, which includes its subsidiary Auto Components Northern Ireland, trades from three distribution centres in Dublin, Cork and Omagh with annual sales of approximately €35m.
Kevin Burke Tyres (KBT) has signed an initial three-year distribution partnership with Groupe Michelin brand BFGoodrich. The wholesaler will supply BFGoodrich tyres across the whole of Ireland until at least mid-2024 with the option to extend for a further two years. The deal covers BFGoodrich car, van, SUV and 4×4 tyres, all of which will be stocked for next-day delivery at KBT’s warehouse facility in Athenry, County Galway. The company has stocked “large quantities” of BFGoodrich tyres since 2015, it said, with the new deal representing the latest step in its developing relationship with the brand. The deal follows news from Great Britain that newly appointed UK BFGoodrich 4×4 wholesaler Micheldever Tyre Services has almost doubled its sales of the brand in the last year.
Phil Robinson has joined Marangoni Retreading Systems as senior country manager for the United Kingdom, Ireland and United Arab Emirates. In this role he supports Mike Carter during the gradual transition towards Carter’s retirement.
An arable farm in Ireland is reporting “significant improvements” to its soil health since moving its tractor fleet onto Michelin Ultraflex technology tyres. Coolcroo Farm, in Tipperary, used to run a mix of competitor brands but switched to Michelin following technical advice from local account manager Christopher Eakin.
In addition to the news that the Maha Duo+1 scissor lift if the model behind the Northern Ireland MOT crisis, GEA chief executive Julian Woods has pointed out that these Irish lifts are different to UK equivalents: “Vehicle lifts used for performing MOT tests in Ireland are of a different design/specification to those required in the UK MOT market and as such we cannot compare the situations.”
Maha Ireland has confirmed that its Maha DUO+1 scissor lift is behind the Northern Ireland MOT crisis. The lift, which has been supplied to DVA centres across Northern Ireland and is also believed to have been supplied to NCT centres in the Republic of Ireland, suffering from cracking which resulted in the suspension of all car MOTS in Northern Ireland on 27 January 2020.
Buying group Independent Motor Trade Factors Associated (IMTFA) has awarded Tony Fyfe of Fyfe Vehicle & Engineering Supplies the Car Product Manager of the Year Accolade at its annual gala dinner dance and awards ceremony at the K Club in Country Kildare, Ireland.
BFGoodrich has appointed Kevin Burke Tyres (KBT) as its distribution partner in Ireland. KBT will therefore stock “a large selection” of the brand’s tyres throughout the year in its large warehouse facility in Athenry, County Galway.
The Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA) plans to make this year’s AutoInform LIVE training event its most comprehensive to date, with industry experts such as Frank Massey leading informative seminars covering a wide range of topics.
In a buoyant period that has seen its team strengthened with a series of new appointments and promotions, Mahle has announced that Aliya Lam will be the new sales manager for Northern Ireland & Eire, in addition to her current role as sales & marketing manager at Mahle Aftermarket UK.
Dublin-based Industrial Tyre Specialists (ITS) has been appointed the aftermarket distributor for Camso products in Ireland. ITS will distribute the full line-up of Camso products for the construction and material handling segments, offering next-day delivery nationwide.
Ireland’s winter was one of the wettest on record, leading to frustration for farmers, as conditions in their fields proved too treacherous to work in. The right agricultural tyres can help to overcome such issues, as a number of Irish contractors using Bridgestone and Firestone’s latest agricultural products have found.
2 January 2018 is a very special day in the history of Ulster Tyres. 40 years ago the company was founded by husband and wife team Joe and Brighid McGinley. Joe was a director for a local tyre company and seen the opportunities in the tyre trade. Tentatively they opened the business in 1978 beside Whitehouse Motors in Ballybofey.
Modern Tyres
Continental
Coolcroo Farm; Michelin