Cooper Tire Europe has launched a new product for van drivers. Called the Cooper Evolution Van All Season, the tyre is approved for year-round usage in countries with seasonal tyre regulations and bears the 3PMSF snowflake within a three-peaked mountain logo on the sidewall as evidence of this.
Continental has introduced its latest all-season van tyre. The new VanContact A/S Ultra is available from December 2021 in four dimensions for 16-inch rim diameters and is aimed at vans frequently used for delivery services and trade businesses, such as Mercedes Sprinter, VW Crafter and Fiat Ducato, as well as smaller vans like the Mercedes V-Class and VW T6. Continental will significantly expand the range in 2022 with sizes for 15-, 16- and 17-inch diameters.
Belfast last-mile van fleet FJM Logistics has opted to fit Michelin’s all-season van tyre, the Agilis CrossClimate, across its 37 vans. Michelin says the move will halve the number of tyres fitted over the coming year, as well as offering year-round traction and grip. FJM Logistics delivers up to 5,000 parcels every day, and the intensiveness of its operations led managing director Fraser Orr to take a closer look at the firm’s tyre fitment policy.
With some 22,000 people visiting this year’s NUFAM commercial vehicle trade fair in Germany between 30 September and 3 October, attendance numbers were around 85 per cent of those at the last pre-Covid show in 2019. These visitors met with numerous tyre industry exhibitors, including Prinx Chengshan Tire Europe GmbH, which was there to launch its commercial vehicle tyre portfolio for Europe.
Typically a quiet month like the car market, August 2021 was the second-best on record, with 20,582 new van registrations, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures show. In the year to date the uptake of new vans is up 2.6 per cent on the pre-pandemic five-year average (although down -4.0 per cent on the same period in 2019). Despite a drop in sales in certain sectors of the light commercial vehicle market, vans have largely maintained good figures throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, an effect of booming last-mile delivery and mobile services. Several segments are currently enjoying the market entrance of new zero-emission and specialist models. Despite this buoyancy, the SMMT warned that the semi-conductor shortage is looming over the sector and is already affecting production and throttling new van sales.
Next week the Commercial Vehicle Show returns to the NEC in Birmingham after a year’s absence, and Hankook Tire will be present as an exhibitor. The tyre maker will debut two new products for European markets during the show, the Hankook SmartFlex AH51 and DH51 steer and drive tyres.
Royal Mail is embarking on six- to nine-month trial of Enso Tyres’ electric van-orientated tyres. The trial, a partnership between Royal Mail, Transport for London (TfL) and Enso, aims to make “Electric Vehicles (EVs) even cleaner to further improve air quality”, according to the stakeholders. According, to Tyres & Accessories’s 2021 survey of public tyre fleets, Royal Mail is the second-largest fleet in the UK.
Davanti Tyres and automotive design house Sterling Automotive Design will mark their Commercial Vehicle Show debut on its return this year (Stand 5D95, Birmingham NEC, 31 August – 2 September) with the unveiling of Davanti’s new all-season van tyre. The Vantoura 4-Seasons will join Davanti’s Protoura Sport, which has sizes suitable for van conversions, the DX440 van tyre, and Terratoura A/T tyre for commercial pickups. It is the first time Davanti will exhibit its entire commercial vehicle tyre range together.
The UK light commercial vehicle tyre market had a relatively dynamic year in 2020, with value and volume changes in certain sub-segments driven by an increase in higher rim diameter tyre sizes, as well as increased demand for all-season – and even winter – performance. According to GfK panelmarket data, which tracks points of sale, comparing the calendar year 2020 to 2019, these growth subsegments supported a 2020 light commercial vehicle tyre market value change across all rim sizes of 0 per cent, while volume was down only -2 per cent. While LCV operators were not entirely immune to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant lockdowns, these figures show how the essential services supported by van operators, such as last mile delivery resulting from booming e-commerce, allowed LCV tyres to achieve results within touching distance of pre-pandemic norms.
The light commercial vehicle (LCV) market saw its first decline since December 2020 as July registrations fell -14.8 per cent, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Supply issues – most notably of semiconductors – has meant only 23,606 vans were registered during the month. Despite this challenge, the month’s performance was only a moderate -4.0 per cent decline compared to the pre-pandemic five-year average.
Kevin Burke Tyres (KBT) has signed an initial three-year distribution partnership with Groupe Michelin brand BFGoodrich. The wholesaler will supply BFGoodrich tyres across the whole of Ireland until at least mid-2024 with the option to extend for a further two years. The deal covers BFGoodrich car, van, SUV and 4×4 tyres, all of which will be stocked for next-day delivery at KBT’s warehouse facility in Athenry, County Galway. The company has stocked “large quantities” of BFGoodrich tyres since 2015, it said, with the new deal representing the latest step in its developing relationship with the brand. The deal follows news from Great Britain that newly appointed UK BFGoodrich 4×4 wholesaler Micheldever Tyre Services has almost doubled its sales of the brand in the last year.
The handling, comfort and longevity when fully laden offered by Davanti’s DX440 van tyre helped the brand to become the original equipment specified tyre for London Electric Vehicle Company’s VN5 electric commercial van. The company said it developed the range with the driver at the centre. “It’s important to remember that, if a van is getting new tyres, that could be a sole trader losing money or a fleet unable to respond to as many calls in a day,” said Sean Maddocks, Davanti Tyres’ sales director for the UK and Ireland. “The DX440 is designed to last longer – reducing the number of times van drivers need to replace their tyres. The tread design and compound achieves that without losing sharpness or control – even under full load.”
SD International now offers four van and light commercial tyre patterns for the UK and European tyre market via its Pace and Toledo private brands. Three van patterns are available from the Pace brand – the PC18, Active Power 4S and Antartica 8 – representing the summer, all-season and winter segments respectively; the TL 5000 covers light commercial applications for the Toledo brand.
SD International now offers four van and light commercial tyre patterns for the UK and European tyre market via its Pace and Toledo private brands. Three van patterns are available from the Pace brand – the PC18, Active Power 4S and Antartica 8 – representing the summer, all-season and winter segments respectively; the TL 5000 covers light commercial applications for the Toledo brand.
The buoyancy of the British van market post-lockdown is demonstrated by the swift rise in new van registrations in 2021. While certain goods and service industries have supported business continuity for van fleets during the pandemic – such as home delivery and mobile vehicle servicing – the rise in new van purchases demonstrates both confidence in the market and demand for newer, more efficient van technologies. This is good news for UK van tyre suppliers, with original equipment sales supported well in the short-term, and continuity of demand for the latest tyre models to suit new van technologies in the replacement stream, notably including electric vans.
SMMT
Royal Mail
Sterling Automotive
SMMT