Announcing a second partnership in as many weeks, Kenda and official UK importer Cambrian Tyres are pleased to confirm the brand’s status as official tyre of the Mick Extance Off-Road Experience Centre. As part of the new arrangement, Cambrian will supply the centre with Kenda motocross and enduro tyres.
Ron Austin, owner of A&A Tyres & Auto Services First Stop, was greeting customers on Monday November 14 in his inimitably jovial manner, only to pass away two days later. Austin, who was well-known to motorists in the Cardiff area and beyond died at the age of 89, having worked until his final days. He was believed to be the oldest garage owner in the UK.
Jason Clarke has joined retail network ETB’s wholesale department, heading a list of structural changes at the company. The Welsh tyre trade expert has 25 years’ industry experience, including positions at Cooper Avon, United Tyres, Malvern Tyres, and King David Tyres. Other changes at ETB include Dave Isles’ promotion to operations director, overseeing all ETB wholesale warehouses, and sales manager Ashley Harford, who now runs the sales team from the company’s Blackpole office. Finally, Gemma Ivill will shortly take up a role of supporting ETB’s margin improvement plan to help with its continuing and ambitious expansion programme.
Llanelli-based Tuf Treads was founded in 1979 on a different location to where the retreading facility can now be found. Back then, current owner Mike Rees joined William Lloyd in the establishment of a new venture focusing on retreading tyres in four sizes according to the Peters system. Much more recently, the firm’s current Cross Hands retreading factory took delivery of a new Marangoni nail-hole detector to upgrade its quality control procedure, something that is just the latest in a history of steady development at the company. Tyres & Accessories visited Tuf Treads to find out more about the company’s past, present and future.
Davanti Tyres has become back-of-shirt sponsor of JD Cymru Premier side Bala Town. Bala have enjoyed two decades of success to reach the pinnacle of Welsh football. It hopes the new partnership can help the club build on this summer’s foray into the UEFA European Conference League. Davanti said North Wales independent tyre retailers have “strongly supported the brand” since its 2015 launch, adding that the region has been “a cornerstone” as it expanded its network across the UK and into more than 70 countries. The sponsorship shows how Davanti is investing in raising its brand profile with Bala Town to actively support local retailers through its Make It Happen partnership programme. The brand, headquartered in the North-West of England is also the official tyre partner of Everton FC.
Japanese Ambassador to the UK, Hayashi Hajime, visited global battery manufacturer GS Yuasa’s factory in Ebbw Vale on Friday 9 July as part of an official two-day visit to Wales to celebrate the strong connections between the two countries. During the visit, Hayashi Hajime toured the plant, which is owned by the Japanese based corporation and celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this year, seeing first-hand how industrial batteries are produced by the 360-strong workforce.
The media might have picked up on the rhetoric of “freedom day”, but the NTDA’s recent “Keeping Tyre Centres Safe” report highlights the fact that businesses will still be required to take responsibility for managing health and safety risks: “All employers will continue to have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from a risk to their health and safety and have a legal duty to consult workers on health and safety matters.” Here, Tyrepress.com takes a close look at the responsibility and choices facing tyre retailers.
GS Yuasa is using Welsh Government funding of up to £2.5 million to form part of a multi-million pound investment by the Japanese based corporation in its production plant in Ebbw Vale. As a result, 105 new jobs and a further 360 positions are protected.
The Petrol Retailers and Car Wash Associations represent the 5,350 independent forecourt operators and specialist car wash companies across the UK. This covers 65 per cent of the total fuel outlets (PFS). Many of these sites have Automated Car Washes (ACW). The PRA does not represent the standalone Hand Car Washes (HCW), which on occasion may breach Covid-19 regulations as well as ones covering tax, employment and the environment.
Britishvolt, which is purportedly making one of the UK’s largest-ever industrial investments, has announced the appointment of Ray Macera as project director for the construction of Britain’s first battery gigaplant. The new gigaplant is being designed by leading Italian design experts Pininfarina. It is set to be sited on a former RAF base in Bro Tathan, South Wales and will house Britishvolt’s manufacturing and research and development facilities.
Britishvolt has shortlisted Bro Tathan in South Wales and one other site for the UK’s first 30 plus GWh Gigafactory. Britishvolt eliminated 40 other proposals in the process. When the project is finalised, the company says the initial wave of £1.2 billion of investment into the site will eventually lead to around 3,500 jobs.
Saracens Tyres has put any plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary on hold to focus its efforts on helping its customers stay fully operational throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The Michelin Quality Centre-approved dealer is keeping its doors open during the UK’s lockdown period to support key workers in the transport and agricultural industries who are working around the clock to help keep essential supplies, including food, moving.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service will fit Michelin tyres across its 100 heavy fire appliances, in the service’s first major tyre policy change in 20-plus years. Its vehicles are used to respond to around 3,200 fires, 500 road traffic collisions and 500 other emergency incidents annually. The new tyre policy mirrors that operated by the two other Fire and Rescue Authorities in Wales. The Michelin X Multi Z all-position tyres will be supplied and fitted by Tructyre ATS, with a small amount of fitment work undertaken by the service’s own in-house workshops, on a predominantly 15-tonne Volvo truck fleet.
Huw Lewis Tyres has become the first Michelin Auto Professional (MAP) dealer to benefit from bespoke new training. Michelin is delivering custom on-site coaching in a ‘real-world’ environment to help advocate dealers enhance customer offer and boost sales. The new training is available to the MAP network in the UK and Ireland during 2019, with the local Michelin territory business manager working closely with owners to focus training where it can have the biggest impact.
Pontypool based, windscreen wiper blade manufacturer, Trico will again sponsor the Swansea University Ladies’ Hockey Team at this year’s annual Welsh Varsity game, on Wednesday 10 April.
ETB
NTDA
Yuasa
Northvolt
Saracens Tyres