PERSONNEL
On 17 March, Linglong Tire announced that it hired Yu Hang as its vice president. The tyre manufacturer stated that the appointment of Yu Hang is to enhance Linglong’s brand value and competitiveness, optimise and improve its “product + service + value” system, build a world-class brand influence, and enhance Linglong’s international competitiveness.
Goodyear has appointed Shane Petersen as the company’s new Director PBU Consumer in South Africa. Petersen brings with him experience spanning over 20 years in sales, marketing, retail operations and business transformation. He has held various leadership roles in the petroleum, consulting and facility maintenance industries, with deep international experience having worked in Canada, Europe and Africa.
Genan has appointed Michael Christensen as its new application development manager. Christensen lives in Denmark and has more than 40 years of experience in tyre and rubber recycling. Effective 1 February 2023, Christensen will act as the link between sales, marketing and innovation in Genan.
TMD Friction UK has been highlighting the importance of embracing future talent and encouraging the next generation of aftermarket professionals into the industry as part of National Apprenticeship week (6–12 February).
To mark the occasion, the braking specialist is celebrating its own homegrown talent throughout its UK sites. For its part, TMD Friction UK offers a comprehensive apprenticeship programme.
Recent months have seen the appointment of a completely new leadership team at Yokohama’s UK distribution operation, Yokohama HPT Ltd. Well-known in the market for its high-performance passenger car tyre and wheel sales, the appointments signal the start of a new chapter. With that in mind, Tyres & Accessories visited the company’s Milton Keynes headquarters and distribution centre in order to meet with recently-appointed CEO Peter Fairlie; commercial director, Karl Naylor; and marketing manager, Lucie Dalton, in order to find out more.
Goodyear’s decision to cut 5 per cent of its global salaried employees is shocking enough for the firm’s 72,000-strong worldwide workforce. However, the fact that senior executives directly linked that decision to the company’s worse-than-expected performance in the EMEA region (Europe Middle East and Africa) is giving employees in those countries extra cause for concern.
Ronni Nielsen has been appointed as moveero’s new sales director, Europe. With a background in Mechanical Engineering and a Diploma in Leadership, Nielsen brings a wealth of experience to the business, having spent his career to date working in global sales roles, business development and leadership, particularly working with original equipment manufacturers.
Craig Rudkin has been promoted to the position of national accounts director at Vaculug. Rudkin has been part of Vaculug for 31 years and has experience in many aspects of the business. According to the company, this appointment comes at a time when Vaculug is experiencing “major growth and making investments in strengthening the…team ready for another successful year.”
BorgWarner brand Delphi Technologies has launched its new Masters of Motion hub aimed at independent garage technicians. The company said the launch heralds a “sustained campaign to support technicians and workshops even more closely.” The availability of qualified technicians adequately prepared for the rapid changes in the car parc, including the rise of electric vehicles and increasingly complex advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), is one of the key challenges currently facing the automotive aftermarket.
Prometeon Tyre Group has appointed Ali Yilmaz as the new managing director for the UK, Ireland and Nordics, effective from 1 January 2023. The move sees Yilmaz promoted from commercial director to the leadership role of the cluster, replacing interim MD Francesco Antonacci.
As of January 2023, Agustin Pedroni has become general manager of Bridgestone (China) Investment Co. Ltd. Pedroni joined Bridgestone in Argentina in 1996 and worked in administration, sales and marketing roles in Argentina, Latin America and South America. Pedroni came to Bridgestone Asia Pacific in 2019 is the vice president of marketing and sales and was later promoted to the chief operating officer of the Asia Pacific region.
There has been talk about closing the recruitment gap in the automotive aftermarket for years. More recently certain training bodies and associations such as the NTDA have taking significant steps to renew efforts to recruit and upskill the tyre and aftermarket workforce. Now, however, is clear evidence that these much-discussed issues are not just theoretical. Rather, the lack of skill people in the trade is affecting the ability to service already depleted demand, which is hitting profitability even amongst some of the largest, fastest-growing and most profitable tyre-selling businesses.
Halfords Group plc (Halfords)’s third-quarter 2023 trading update for the 13 weeks to 30 December 2022 show that group revenue grew 38.3 per cent and like-for-like group sales were up 12.6 per cent compared with 2020 levels. Other headlines included the news that Halfords’s services business represents 50.3 per cent of group revenue, and B2B, which includes the Avayler system 28.2 per cent. At the same time, Halfords hailed its “strong Commercial Fleet performance”, with this part of the business growing 138 per cent year-on-year. However, the company reduced its full-year 2023 underlying profit before tax (PBT) guidance from £60 million to £50 million.
Prinx Chengshan
Goodyear
Genan
TMD Friction
Moveero
Google
Goodyear
Yokohama
Bridgestone
Halfords
Halfords