Following the news that Wales-based garage equipment firm Oakmain Ltd’s sales manager was prosecuted for providing fraudulent solicitors letters to some garages applying to become MOT test centres, it has emerged that the historically “long-time” Garage Equipment Association (GEA) member company have been “struck off” from membership.
A survey commissioned by Apollo Tyres has found that only six per cent of motorists in the UK are able to correctly identify a tyre’s load rating. Worse still, it turns out we’re only half as good at accomplishing this task as the Germans are. Thankfully, younger Brits give hope that this may change in future.
Debbie Barnes has been promoted to managing director of Liqui Moly’s UK subsidiary, responsible for national operations. She intends to continue the successful development of the lubricant company in the United Kingdom. Barnes has been part of the Liqui Moly team for seven years and was most recently regional sales manager and national key account manager at Liqui Moly UK. In her new position as managing director, she is now responsible for the operational business of the Liqui Moly subsidiary. She strengthens the management team, which has included Dr Uli Weller, managing director of the parent company, and Salvatore Coniglio, Liqui Moly export director, since the company was founded.
First Stop Tyres & Car Services has confirmed that Brenden Marais has been appointed as the new national franchise manager for First Stop in the UK and Ireland. He will also act as the country manager for the First Stop network in Ireland.
During lockdown, one popular meme said: A key worker, someone whose work is overlooked and undervalued until a crisis, well that’s the clean version. As far as tyre technicians are concerned. their uniquely important role in keeping essential services running both during crises and in more normal times has definitely been overlooked by many. However, the latest Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) data suggests that’s beginning to change.
The UK’s used car market fell for the second consecutive quarter this year, with the SMMT reporting a 12.2% decline over the three months of July to September. Some 1,785,447 vehicles changed hands, the first time that quarter three transactions have dipped below two million since 2015, as semiconductor shortages impacted supply of stock. Year to date sales are now down 9.7% to 5,319,482.
Following the news that Point S has broken through the 300-branch mark in terms of its UK tyre retail growth, Tyres & Accessories engaged with the experience of two of the network’s members. Here, Point S Tyre & Autocare Network members Gary Benwell and Russell Parker discuss how the network’s strategy of future-proofing tyre retail has boosted the profitability of their businesses.
Following the recent opening of its Advanced Manufacturing Centre in Derby, performance exhaust manufacturer Milltek Sport is working on a new facility in the USA as part of a major, five-year strategic expansion in that market. Newly created subsidiary Milltek Corporation has set up warehousing and offices in Alcoa, Tennessee and will install an on-site manufacturing and R&D facility at the site within the next 12 to 18 months. In total, the company will invest a further $8 million over the coming five years.
In the commercial vehicle (CV) sector, production rose 92.9 per cent to 6,132 units, according to the latest SMMT figures, marking the best August since 2012 and the eighth consecutive month of growth. Overseas demand was up 78.4 per cent, while production for UK operators more than doubled year-on-year, rising 119.3 per cent. Year-to-date CV output is up 50.3 per cent at 64,828 units in the best year-to-date since 2012.
Halfords Autocentres’ recent expansion into the top-table of tyre retail is indicative of a wider move towards mechanical work in tyre-orientated garages. Now, many fast fits generate somewhere around 50 per cent of their income from non-tyre business.
According to the latest SMMT data, the UK aftermarket turns over an annual £21.1 billion – making it the ninth largest in the world. And what’s more there are said to be north of 40,000 points of sale in the UK, which means the wider tyre business’s recent shift towards more mechanical work means that aftermarket space is as competitive as ever. Still, the ongoing outlook is good and the aforementioned growth figures are increasing at the same rate as the UK’s growing car parc. As a result, SMMT projections suggest the UK aftermarket sector’s value is set to rise to £28 billion by 2022.
Independent garages are embracing online parts supply in greater numbers as they look to access a wider range of available products from leading brands, according to one online automotive parts distributor. PartsInMotion.co.uk says that garages are “switching on” in greater numbers and accessing high quality parts online from distributors instead of, for example, going to the dealership. Demand for quality braking, clutch, steering and suspension as well as exhaust systems are said to be particularly high.
If you design your products in Germany and manufacture them in Serbia, in what sense are they Chinese tyres? A question anyone interested in Linglong’s Hubtrac tyre brand must address. During the recent Tire Cologne exhibition, Tyres & Accessories spoke with Hubtrac UK general manager Dr Edward Xu in order to engage with that particular question and find out more about Linglong’s progress in Europe and beyond.
Netherlands based, family-owned OTR tyre manufacturer Magna Tyres returned to the Tire Cologne show last month with a determined agenda to meet once more with their growing worldwide customer base.
Stephan van Leeuwen, Magna’s sales director (Original Equipment), with additional responsibility for the Italian, UK and Eire markets commented: “We have always considered international tyre shows as a strong priority to meet new companies and obtain new sales leads so being at a ‘live’ show’ once more is a very positive move forward again.”
Liqui Moly
First Stop
Tekton; Unsplash
BookMyGarage
SMMT
Point S
Artem Podrez; Pexels
PartsInMotion.co.uk
Continental
Chris Anthony; Tyre Industry Publications Ltd
Magna Tyres