Tag: UK
Richard Lyons appointed Trelleborg Wheel Systems UK MD
Trelleborg Wheel Systems has announced that Richard Lyons has been appointed as managing director UK and Ireland for Trelleborg Wheel Systems effective 1 January 2020.
First Stop joins NTDA
Bridgestone tyre retail network First Stop has announced that, as of 2020, First Stop UK has joined the NTDA in its own right. It is the first time First Stop UK has joined the NTDA. As a result of its membership, First Stop is including NTDA membership as part of its new value proposition.
NFDA, DWF, KPMG, Global Data and SMMT reactions to 2019 car registration figures
While the 2019 UK car registration figures are clear that the market declined last year, various sources gave differing views as to what are the most important trends and what should be done.
UK car registrations fall to 2013 levels
The UK new car market declined in 2019, with annual registrations falling for the third consecutive year. According to figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 2,311,140 units were registered in 2019, representing a -2.4 per cent decline. The market fell -6.8 per cent in 2018 and -5.7 per cent in 2017. This means the 2019 market is the lowest since 2013 when 2,264,737 were registered (see diagram). Representatives from industry associations and market analysts said the turbulent market reacted to weak business and consumer confidence, general political and economic instability and confusion over clean air zones.
ETRMA welcomes the provisional agreement on European Tyre Labelling Regulation review
In mid-November, the Green Party in the EU Parliament put out a statement on twitter saying: “tyres release more than 500,000 tonnes of microplastics into the environment?”. Stating that this means it is “time to reinvent the wheel”, the green party added: “Yesterday [13 November] we fought hard and we managed to convince the EU to label tyre abrasion in order to tackle plastic pollution”. With this in mind, Tyres & Accessories asked ETRMA what the pan-European tyre industry is adding to the discussion.
Going global together: Auto Express & Auto Bild announce licensing partnership
The team at Tyrepress.com view independent tyre tests as an invaluable consumer purchasing tool. We will therefore follow the new licensing partnership between Auto Express and Auto Bild with interest, particularly in regards to how it influences both publications’ approach to tyre testing.
DVSA clarifies MOT rules
Last month we published a news item about MOT failure trends. The article, “DVSA, DfT Data reveals Britain’s MOT failure hotspots and top 10 reasons why” shared DVSA and DfT in order to highlight MOT failure hotspots.
Synthomer acquisition values Omnova at £654 million
Essex-based Synthomer plc, one of the world's major suppliers of aqueous polymers, has agreed to buy Omnova Solutions Inc., which develops, manufactures and markets polymers, dispersions, elastomers and other speciality chemicals, at a price of US$10.15 per Omnova share. The acquisition values Omnova's entire issued and to be issued share capital at US$473 million (approximately £375 million), with an implied enterprise value of US$824 million (approximately £654 million). The move is now subject to regulatory approval. This is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2019 or the first quarter of 2020.
Toyo partnering Tough Mudder in Italy
Toyo Tires has partnered Tough Mudder in Germany and Great Britain since 2018. Now the tyre manufacturer has announced that it is expanding its partnership with Tough Mudder by extending its 2019 deal into Italy. As a result, Toyo will be an official partner for both of the inaugural Italian events on September 14/15 in Milan as well as on October 26/27 in Rome.
Tyre dominance in overall aftermarket beginning to diminish
The value of the United Kingdom (UK) automotive aftermarket grew by 4.9 per cent during the course of 2018. According to MarketLine, which produces its data in US-dollars across all markets worldwide, this means the UK automotive aftermarket was and is worth $28.5 billion (£22.53 billion) a year. However, the same research suggests that the value of the UK automotive aftermarket sector is increasing and in 2023 is forecast to be worth $34.4 billion (£27.2 billion), up 20.7 per cent compared with 2018.
Mufitts supply FC Barcelona pitch
Murfitts Industries has supplied a football pitch made from recycled tyres for Spanish champions FC Barcelona. The pitch material, called PRO-gran, is being used across four continents since its launch in 2017. The artificial grass is said to ‘last a lifetime’ and is compliant with strict chemical legislation (REACH).
Northvolt raises US$1 billion for Europe’s first gigafactories
Northvolt has raised US$1 billion of capital to build Europe’s first homegrown gigafactory for lithium-ion battery cells - Northvolt Ett, in Skellefteå, Sweden. At the same time, in cooperation with the Volkswagen Group, the company also announced plans to establish a second gigafactory with an intended location in Lower Saxony, Germany. The news of both factories was announced on 12 June 2019.
Have the truck tyre import tariffs ‘worked’?
The size of the UK truck tyre market by sell-out unit volume fell 9.8 per cent in 2018 set against the backdrop of European import tariffs, according to GfK data presented at Autopromotec 2019. But what do the tell us about the effectiveness of the tariffs?
Growth and stability amongst leading UK tyre retailers
6 - 10 stability, but battle for ninth position Outside of the top five, there is a certain degree of stability amongst the remaining five companies. Those in sixth, seventh and eighth position (McConechy’s, The Tyre Group and Lodge) appear to have remained stable in terms of branch count, with 61, 58 and 40 branches respectively. However, it is worth considering all this in the context of ULM Services Ltd the fleet-orientated cooperation Universal, Lodge and McConechy’s set up during 2017. Put those three partners together and we have 119 branches and another strong contender for fifth position on the table.
New chapter in politics parallels new chapter in UK automotive manufacturing
As we all now know, Boris Johnson became the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister on 24 July. The first thing he did was replace almost the entire cabinet, with a reshuffle of unprecedented proportions. Next, he gave his maiden speech on the steps of 10 Downing Street, with an address that sought to build a platform for economic and political optimism against the recent backdrop of Brexit stagnation. Not only will we leave the EU by 31 October, we are going to do it in style, he effectively said. In doing so, Boris – as he is affectionately known – revealed as much about the changing nature of the automotive manufacturing industry and its suppliers as he did about British politics.
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