Truck Tyres
From 1 May, the new EU rules on the energy labelling of on-road tyres apply at consumer level. Updating the label first introduced for car and van tyres in 2012, the new rules require that tyres for buses and lorries must now be labelled – and offer a new pictogram, where relevant, to highlight tyres suitable for use in snow or in extreme, icy conditions.
Vaculug has launched a new tyre designed for the waste sector. The Waste Protektor urban all position tyre features a five-rib Protekt+ dual sidewall protection system. The company says the system provides “the best defence against kerbing damage.”
The first batch of radial truck tyres rolled off the production line at Guizhou Tire Co Ltd’s Vietnam plant on 1 April 2021, marking the completion of the first phase of the factory project. When Guizhou Tire’s Vietnam tyre factory, which was funded through a share issue in September last year, gets up to speed it will produce 1.2 million radial tyres a year.
Hankook Tyre UK is an official partner to two significant trucking events this year, the Devon Truck Show and Cornwall Truck Gathering. The tyre maker considers the shows, which focus on commercial transport solutions, an excellent opportunity to exhibit products from its truck tyre portfolio and to liaise with new and existing fleet operatives and owners.
Several leading tyre repairers have joined the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) following the launch of the association’s Responsible Repairer Group (RRG) on 23 March. Midland Tyre Control Ltd, TRS Tyres Ltd, TS Tyre Repairs Ltd, and Jade Tyre LLP have all joined the NTDA over the last three weeks. The team in Aylesbury adds that many more membership enquiries from across the UK have been received from repairers too.
Apollo Tyres aims to gain a foothold in the North American commercial vehicle market with tyres produced at its plants in Europe and India. The roll-out of commercial vehicle tyres in the USA and Canada follows the introduction of a comprehensive passenger vehicle range, but this time the tyre maker will market its products under the Apollo brand rather than as Vredestein tyres. Apollo Tyres says the launches of both ranges have been preceded by years of in-market research and planning.
Multi-brand commercial fleet specialist Tructyre is part of the global Michelin group and Euromaster family. As is the case for many companies, Tructyre has found the past 12 months challenging, and it has focused on managing the impacts of the pandemic and helping to keep customers moving throughout the crisis.
Jinyu’s Vietnamese tyre plant has produced its first TBR tyre. The milestone for the new facility caps nine months of intense construction, as the project team of Jinyu (Vietnam) Tire Co, Ltd overcome multiple challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic. The facility includes 19 buildings over 130,000 square meters, containing 894 pieces of equipment. The production of the first tyre at 10:08 on 30 March 2021 marks the completion of the production line and lays a solid foundation for the start of volume production in May.
The Sailun Group is ramping up production at its plants in China and Vietnam. The manufacturer brought its newest truck tyre plant in Shenyang, China onstream in November 2020, giving it an additional 3.3 million units of all-steel truck radial capacity. In addition, Sailun plans to invest RMB 719.9 million (£81.3 million) to upgrade production at recently acquired manufacturer Shandong Anchi Tyres in Weifang, giving it the capacity to produce 1.2 million truck and bus radials and 6 million high performance passenger car and light truck tyres a year. Most recently, Sailun confirmed plans for the third phase of expansion at its Sailun (Vietnam) subsidiary.
Kumho’s extensive truck tyre range has benefited from “significant investment in new technology”, according to the manufacturer. It says it has recognised the growing demand for multi-purpose tyres. Kumho now offers its 3PMSF marked KXS10 steer and KXD10 drive patterns in 315/70, 295/80 and 315/80R22.5 fitments. The range offers all-season performance across a variety of operational demands, together with increased mileage.
Giti has launched the next generation Giti GAM831 mixed service all-position tyre in Europe. The tyre has been designed to deliver significant mileage improvements and improved robustness in severe applications. To achieve this, the manufacturer designed a new belt construction concept, which helps to optimise the tyre’s footprint and a new tread compound with improved abrasion resistance. The tyre is available in 13R22.5 156/150 (154/150) K (L) and 315/80R22.5 158/150 (154/150) K(L).
Dunlop has introduced the SP346+ steer tyre for “fleets and hauliers who demand a wide variety of performances in all on-road applications”. According to the company, the Dunlop SP346+ features a range of technologies designed to achieve high mileage, robust durability and improved fuel efficiency or low energy consumption for electric vehicles. It offers advanced winter grip, “making it a tyre for all seasons and all purposes” in Dunlop’s words.
Commercial vehicle tyre suppliers are increasingly required to be multifaceted in their approach. Following its acquisition of TomTom Telematics in 2019 (now known as Webfleet Solutions), Bridgestone’s transition from tyre producer to mobility solutions provider with increasingly integrated approaches to fleet services moved up several gears. Demand for fleet-based mobility grows year-on-year, the tyre manufacturer says, with fleet managers demanding reliable and innovative services to maximise their effectiveness and efficiency. Webfleet Solutions has allowed Bridgestone to support business process streamlining with seamless end-to-end systems. These include transport management systems, on-board cameras, and route optimisation.
The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) is launching a new Responsible Repairer Group for companies providing major repairs for commercial vehicle, OTR, agricultural as well as plant and equipment tyres. Tyres & Accessories understands that “several major repairers” have expressed interest in the group.
Bandvulc has launched a new 295/80R22.5 High Load version of its Wastemaster II tyre in order to the needs of its waste management sector customers. Sporting the same features and bespoke compound advantages as the existing Wastemaster II product, the new tyre comes to the market in a 154/149 J load/speed rating.
Guizhou Tyre
Sailun
Kumho
Giti
Dunlop
Nigel Durrant; Pixabay