New Westlake distributor for Greece
Al Dobowi Group company Eskay Tyres has announced the selection of Agripan SA as the authorised Westlake distributor for Greece.
Al Dobowi Group company Eskay Tyres has announced the selection of Agripan SA as the authorised Westlake distributor for Greece.
Under a new partnership agreement, T. Hansen Gruppen A/S will take on responsibility for distributing the Westlake passenger car tyre range in Denmark. The Danish tyre, automotive spare part, rim and camping equipment specialist is one of the country’s largest consumer market suppliers and sells its products through online portals, mail order and nearly ninety retail outlets. The company employs approximately 700 people.
Infinity Tyres and Westlake Tyres will exhibit at Madrid’s aftermarket automotive parts, equipment and services trade show Motortec Automechanika Ibérica. Infinity’s range will be displayed in conjunction with its authorised distributors in the region, Euro Tyre, while Eskay Tyres – Westlake distributor in the UK and certain other European markets – will take a stand to show the Hangzhou Zhongce brand’s passenger and truck and bus ranges.
Al Dobowi representatives recently shared details of the company’s plans to expand its European commercial team. During the opening months of 2013, Al Dobowi plans to strengthen customer-facing areas at its European head office in London through the appointment of new personnel with particular focus on sales, marketing and customer service.
Viking Wholesale Tyres and Equipment, part of the Axle Group and the UK distributor for Westlake Tyres, recently hosted an annual Viking Dealer Division Trip to Dubai.
The Al Dobowi Group’s Eskay Tyres distributes the Westlake brand in several European markets, including the UK, and the company used the occasion of Brityrex to endorse personally the recently sealed distribution agreement with Vacu-Lug, the Lincolnshire-based retread tyre manufacturer. Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of Al Dobowi Group and Tim Hercock, managing director of Vacu-Lug, met with their respective teams over lunch during the show. The deal is intended to expand the sales of the Westlake truck tyre brand throughout UK and Ireland (see Fleet Business for more details). At the show itself, Eskay staff introduced the latest Westlake passenger car fitments for the H and V rated RP26 and the high performance SA07.
Axle Group Holdings company, Viking Wholesale Tyres and Equipment operates from eight strategically located warehouses, serving customers across Britain. In addition to supplying a range of premium brands, Viking launched its exclusive distribution deal for Westlake PCR to light truck tyres earlier in 2012, with an internal event to highlight the patterns and sizes available in the UK and to emphasise the substantial investment made at Westlake manufacturer Hangzhou Zhongce.
The Westlake tyre brand will be distributed in Spain by Don Tyre SL following the completion of an agreement with Eskay Tyres. The company, part of the Al Dobowi Group, distributes the Westlake brand in several key European markets and says the latest move is intended to expand the brand in Spain through several strategic alliances with key players in the sector. Unlike the deal in the UK, under which Axle Group Holdings company Viking Wholesale Tyres distributes the brand exclusively, Eskay has chosen a strategy involving several distribution partners for Westlake in Spain.
The Al Dobowi Group has announced that it is to sponsor Virginia Espejo; a 23-year old rising star in the sport of golf. The company says that it was impressed by the potential of Virginia, who immediately became hooked on golf after starting to play alongside her father at the age of twelve.
Hangzhou ZhongCe Rubber has reported the tragic death of Werner Portugal, founder and managing director of Qingdao Diamond Tire Ltd. Details are still unclear, however it appears that Mr. Portugal was killed in an accident in China on 22 June. The tyre maker expresses its sympathies at the painful loss experienced by Mr. Portugal’s family, friends and colleagues.
At a gala dinner held during the week of the Reifen 2012 show, Ge Gurong, vice-president of ZhongCe Rubber, unveiled the tyre maker’s short-term plans for the Westlake brand. Mr. Ge told European Westlake dealers the decision has been made “with immediate effect” to end pattern sharing amongst Hangzhou ZhongCe’s different tyre brands, and from this time forward Westlake will be promoted as the company’s flagship brand.
American comedian Dan Nainan will perform at the 2012 NTDA-Westlake Golf Day gala dinner, to be held at the world famous The Belfry on 2 August 2012. According to the event’s sponsors, the event has proved so popular that it has nearly sold out already. The event will take place at the prestigious Belfry Golf Club, which has been host of the Ryder Cup four times.
Viking Wholesale Tyres has launched the Westlake brand in an internal event with its sales team. Viking parent company, Axle Group Holdings became the UK’s authorised distributor of Westlake PCR, 4X4, UHP and LT tyres in September 2011, and Westlake says this latest meeting was used to highlight the patterns and sizes available in the UK and to emphasise the substantial investment made at Westlake manufacturer Hangzhou Zhongce.
At the end of February the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) announced that it had appointed a new national chairman to its board of executive officers. The incumbent is Stephen Callow, managing director of Callow Car Care Ltd., who takes over from David White formerly of Kwik Fit. White, who announced that he was stepping down as Kwik Fit Group customer services director in November 2011, said at the time that he was planning to leave the company to “explore opportunities outside the business.” This decision was set to take effect at the end of March 2012 and naturally led to the appointment of a new chairman. Tyres & Accessories met with the new NTDA chairman in mid-March to offer congratulations and get an impression of the association’s direction from here on in.
Senior managers from Westlake Tyres, which are manufactured by ZC Rubber in Hangzhou, China, are visiting Europe in a move intended to bring the company closer to its customers. Among others, the visiting committee will include import and export manager Johnson Su, European and Oceania regional manager Nick Zhou and representatives from the factory’s tyre engineers.
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