Posts
Hilllhead 2022 ready for blast-off
HillheadThe organisers of Hillhead 2022, a frequent meeting point for OTR tyre suppliers, have signalled the start of the countdown to the 21-23 June event with a bang. Carried out by EPC-UK, two sections of the quarry face in the Demonstration area at the north end of the site were recently drilled and blasted to produce around 30,000 tonnes of run-of-quarry stone for equipment demonstration purposes at this year’s show.
GT Radial celebrates Champions Hockey League partnership
Göran StrandGT Radial hosted distributors and customers at the finale of its first season as Official Tyre Partner of the Champions Hockey League. The 1 March game at the home of Swedish finalists Rögle Ängelholm marked the culmination of its eight-month campaign. The Giti Tire brand used “Europe’s greatest ice hockey competition” to boost brand awareness of its winter portfolio across the continent.
Kwik Fit raises £300,000 for Prostate Cancer UK
Despite the impact that pandemic restrictions have placed on face-to-face fundraising, over the last year Kwik Fit raised more than £300,000 for its charity partner Prostate Cancer UK. With Covid-19 restricting the options for fundraising, the programme has placed a greater focus on online activity and staff participating in virtual and individual events. These included a team of employees from the company’s Fleet and Mobile division completing a “round the world” trip – walking, running and cycling a total of 25,734 miles and raising over £18,000.
Bridgestone: 20% of OE deals EV tyres by 2024
The past two years have given plenty of reason to be optimistic about the speed of the electrification of the car parc. In the UK plug-in electric vehicle sales have grown market share quickly, rising to 18.5 per cent of new car registrations in the UK in 2021, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Add in hybrids, and this figure was over a quarter (27.5 per cent) last year. The new car market has faced severe headwinds with component shortages and other effects of the pandemic, leading to only one percent growth compared to the year of the most severe pandemic restrictions in 2020. Meanwhile EVs have benefitted from favourable consumer perception and government-backed schemes, leading to growth where other segments have faltered. With schemes due to expire and bottlenecking in the rollout of chargepoints, there could be more turbulence for new EV sales coming, yet current projections show that confidence in the EV segment is relatively high.
Bridgestone inaugurates new wet handling track at European Proving Ground
BridgestoneBridgestone has inaugurated a new state-of-the-art wet handling track at its European Proving Ground (EUPG) near Rome. The tyre manufacturer says the track was designed to provide suitable testing for “both traditional vehicle manufacturers and new EV players” in a variety of weather conditions. Designed within a virtual environment ahead of construction, the project received an investment of approximately 3 million euros.
GFG Style designing Omni’s Radar tyre range
Singapore-based tyre firm Omni United has commenced a partnership with GFG Style, an Italian automotive design house founded in 2015 upon the design experience of Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro. Under the partnership, GFG takes on the remit of designing Omni’s flagship brand, Radar Tyres. Omni anticipates that GFG’s influence will “take Radar’s product offering to the next level” and enhance the brand’s consumer appeal.
Bryan Adams takes Pirelli Calendar ‘On the Road’
The Pirelli Calendar 2022, featuring photography by Canadian guitarist Bryan Adams and presented in a vinyl LP sleeve, has launched with an online event. Adams’s images celebrate stars of popular music, including historical icons Cher and Iggy Pop. As well as a self-portrait, the first time the photographer has been included as a calendar subject in its 48th edition, Adams has written a song using the calendar’s title, ‘On the Road’, which will feature on his next album. Pirelli says the calendar’s launch represents a landmark for the company, as it marks a return after the pandemic crisis interrupted its annual publication schedule and because it coincides with Pirelli’s 150th anniversary.
Brembo celebrates 60th anniversary by planting forest
Brake systems specialist Brembo is marking its 60th anniversary by planting a forest of more than 14,000 trees and donating them to employees around the world. The Brembo Forest will rise in Kenya, near Lake Victoria, where Brembo will work in partnership with web platform Treedom – the first system that allows trees to be planted remotely and their stories followed online.
Autogem’s TPMS tool, expertise and aftermarket strength rewarded
Aftermarket supplier Autogem is bringing its product range to life in front of hundreds of garage businesses at Mechanex 2021, energised by its maiden victory in the NTDA’s Aftermarket Supplier of the Year Tyre Industry Awards category. The company said that it will showcase its solutions to a host of key decision makers and centre owners at the 9-10 November event. While making its name as a one-stop shop for all sorts of garage consumables, Autogem is also a specialist in TPMS, built around its investment in the I-sensor Pro handheld tool. The tool offers instant, personalised tyre pressure reporting with a completely integrated tread-depth measuring device to give technicians a full picture of the condition of each tyre they are tending to on an easy-to-read colour screen.
Pyrum to supply Continental from expanded pyrolysis plant
German end-of-life tyre recycling specialist Pyrum Innovations AG has started expanding production capacity within the pyrolysis plant at its headquarters site in Dillingen, Saarland. The expansion will add two further production lines to the single line that’s been operating since May 2020 and has to date produced pyrolysis oil, recovered carbon black (rCB) and pyrolysis gas from more than 7,000 tonnes of waste tyres.
Racing vlogger Broadbent takes wheel of GT Radial Fun Cup car
The GT Radial 2021 Fun Cup Endurance Championship car was piloted by vlogger and esports gamer Jimmy Broadbent and director at Tegiwa Imports, Luke Sedzikowski at Oulton Park. The pair finished 10th in the one-hour sprint race, but exited the four-hour race after an hour and 34 minutes due to gearbox failure in the penultimate rounds of the 2021 championship. Nevertheless, Broadbent’s 25-minute video detailing his participation at the event has racked up more than 135,000 views so far, demonstrating the Giti brand’s social media strategy for the series.
Vredestein brand debuts in India
In a move intended to further strengthen its product offering at home, Apollo Tyres Ltd. has launched its 2009-aquired Vredestein marque in India. Products sold in India bearing this long-established European brand name will be manufactured locally, and Apollo Tyres is initially offering a line-up of car and SUV tyres that will “cater to the premium and luxury segment” as well as motorcycle tyres for the “growing superbiking segment in India.”
Subscription vehicle drivers still need to check their tyres, says Wagonex
Vehicle subscription specialist Wagonex is writing to all its subscribers – even those on the shortest one-month arrangements – to urge them to check their tyres regularly. The move is part of Wagonex’s support of TyreSafe’s annual Tyre Safety Month, which this year stresses the importance of regular inspections.
