Speaking on behalf of the executive officers of the NTDA, national chairman Martin O’Brien welcomed delegates to the 7th NTDA Tyre Industry Conference (sponsored as it was by GB Tyres (UK) Ltd in association with Linglong Tyres), before updating us all on the continued growth of the association and addressing the subjects of recycling (via a TRA update) and industry training.
NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay’s NTDA Tyre Industry Conference 2021 speech covered a range of pressing topics, that – due to the impact of the pandemic and its associated lockdowns – couldn’t be addressed in-person before now: key worker lobbying, climate change and the importance of training and technicians were amongst the main topics.
The 2021 Tyre Industry Conference is underway in Birmingham today after the pandemic caused a temporary break from the in-person event in 2020. Proceedings began with NTDA chief executive, Stefan Hay introducing the event and speakers via a wide-ranging introductory speech covering: key worker lobbying, the importance of training and technicians and more.
The 7th Tyre Industry Conference to be held at the ICC in Birmingham on Thursday 7 October 2021 (sponsored by GB Tyre UK Ltd in association with Linglong Tyres) will close-out with rugby union referee Nigel Owens speaking. According to the NTDA, Nigel Owens MBE is widely acknowledged as the best referee in rugby union. “His decision-making, approach to dealing with players, knowledge and interpretation of the rules is universally acclaimed by players, coaches and commentators”, the association stated in its announcement, adding: “He is also the sport’s only openly-gay official.”
The fourth session of the virtual Tyre Industry Conference centred on tyre recycling and the circular economy in the year of coronavirus. Joined by the Tyre Recovery Association’s secretary general Peter Taylor OBE and Mark Murfitt, the managing director of the UK’s largest tyre recycler, Murfitts Industries, our discussion focused on issues affecting collection and processing of end of life tyres in the UK, the impact of the pandemic, the damage caused by non-compliance, and future developments in tyre recycling. The UK’s tyre recycling sector witnessed a number of investments in 2020 from companies such as the newly formed Norwegian outfit Wastefront’s intention to build a pyrolysis facility in Sunderland and the UK’s Powerhouse Energy Group’s Cheshire DMG syngas plant. So noticeable was this trend that Tyrepress published its first ever Digital Feature based largely on the trend – a magazine-style online feature collecting the latest news from the segment in one place. The interest in this unglamorous but vital segment would perhaps represent a surprise to some, but several developments led to this flurry of activity.
Following what was generally regarded as an insightful presentation on the impact of coronavirus on global, European and UK tyre markets, the panel for our “New Tyres in Corona-World” Virtual Tyre Industry Conference 2020 session (James Ward, senior insight manager, GfK; Andrea Manenti, VP north region, Bridgestone; and Pravesh Amtha, Sales General Manager Consumer UK&I, Goodyear) moved into a discussion relating to how manufacturers are working on creatively supporting the tyre trade in the face of the second lockdown and ongoing pandemic- and economy-related complications.
5 November saw the inaugural virtual Tyre Industry Conference, with Tyres & Accessories bringing the traditional annual conference into the virtual arena due to Covid-19 restrictions. Produced in association with the NTDA and supported by Cam Systems, our expert panel was comprised of James Ward, senior insight manager, GfK; Andrea Manenti, VP north region, Bridgestone; and Pravesh Amtha, sales general manager Consumer UK&I, Goodyear. The wide-ranging 45-minute conversation covered a lot of bases, but the first session, which was designed to focus on the new tyre market’s recent trends and statistics began with a presentation from James Ward.
Our virtual Tyre Industry Conference, in association with the National Tyre Distributors Association and supported by CAM, is available now. Click here to go to our conference page. The conference comprises four videos on Tyre Market Data, Tyre Standards, end of Life Tyres, and Tyre Recycling. If you would like to comment on any of the contents, use our social media pages and the hashtag #TIC2020, or email theeditor@tyrepress.com.
The NTDA has cancelled the 2020 Tyre Industry Conference, Annual Dinner and Tyre Industry Awards. The event was scheduled for Thursday 5 November at the VOX Conference Centre Birmingham. It is the first time the annual dinner has been cancelled since its first edition in 1930. NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay said that the decision had not been taken lightly. It was initially hoped that the event would go ahead as per the government’s scheduled restart date for business events of 1 October, and is a reminder that the Covid-19 situation continues to overshadow UK business planning. The 2021 Tyre Industry Conference and Annual Dinner and Awards is scheduled to take place on 7 October in Birmingham.
NTDA wholesaler member GB Tyres UK Ltd in association with Linglong Tyres are sponsoring the 2020 Tyre Industry Conference. Sukhi Singh GB Tyres UK Ltd’s managing director said: “We are very pleased to announce our sponsorship of the prestigious NTDA Tyre Industry Conference and Lunch to be held at the VOX, Birmingham on 5th November.”
The NTDA has welcomed the news that business events and conferences will be permitted to resume from 1 October 2020. Association chief executive Stefan Hay commented: “We really welcome this news which is a very positive move forward for the 2020 NTDA Tyre Industry Conference, Annual Dinner and Tyre Industry Awards which we are currently planning to run on Thursday 5 November at the VOX Conference Centre at Genting Resorts World, Birmingham NEC.
The Reverend Richard Coles will be the closing speaker at the NTDA’s 2019 Tyre Industry Conference (3 October, International Convention Centre (ICC), Birmingham). The broadcaster, writer and Church of England priest is known for a variety of television appearances, including Have I Got News For You, and a memorable run on Strictly Come Dancing. He first found fame as one half of the 1980s band, The Communards, which enjoyed three UK Top 10 hits, including the biggest-selling single of 1986, Don’t Leave Me This Way.
This year Amazon really stepped up its presence in the tyre space, especially in the USA where the company is now dominant across online retail in general. To be specific, a whopping 50 per cent of everything bought online is from Amazon. But these figures are not just an American phenomenon. In the UK, 33 per cent of online retail is conducted through Amazon. This makes Amazon the fifth biggest retailer in the UK, just behind the big supermarkets. The point is that, now we know Amazon is moving into the tyre space, anything that is happening in the US has resonance in the UK market as well.
Quentin Le Hetet, general manager of GiPA UK, presented a whistle-stop tour of current global automotive megatrends at the Tyre Industry Conference 2018, focusing on why tyre businesses need to keep on top of developments, despite the challenge posed by the pace of change.
National Tyre Distributors Association chief executive Stefan Hay and national chairman Prashant Chopra have opened the 2018 Tyre Industry Conference, stating that the annual forum is “more important than ever” given the current business climate. Chopra added that the current period of uncertainty pre-Brexit has seen an increase in numbers for the association’s membership, with core tyre retail businesses such as Morecambe’s Westgate Tyres alongside more tangentially related firms like Banner Batteries having joined the association in the past 12 months.
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