2009 - Page 62 of 205 - Tyrepress

Pana-Pacific and Advantage PressurePro in Distribution Partnership

Advantage PressurePro, LLC and Pana-Pacific (a division of The Brix Group, Inc.) have signed a distribution partnership. Pana-Pacific has a long history of being the go-to distribution house for heavy-duty truck manufacturers to provide world-class products for their vehicles that live up to the standards required by users of their vehicles. Similarly, PressurePro remains a noted pioneer of TPMS technology, known for providing reliable, durable, accurate TPMS products.

9th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

GfK: Japanese Tyre Makers Control 70% of Major Indonesian Replacement Markets

A GfK Indonesia retail audit, covering the area of Jakarta and Surabaya, of passenger car tyres in July 2009 reported close to 110,000 units of car tyres traded in retail level, with sales worth more than $6.75 million. According to the retail census, there are currently a total of 435 shops retailing car tyres which consist of: 300 Car Tyre Specialists, 110 Car Garages and 25 Fast Fitters. Car Tyre Specialists made up the bulk of the passenger car tyre retail sales with 85 per cent of units sold through this core channel. These results clearly show consumers’ preference to “specialised” shops when replacing tyres.

9th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Truck Tyre Replacement Market is Weathering the Storm

In the midst of some of the worst falls in Europe truck tyre production in a decade, opinions about the short and medium term prognosis for the segment remain divided. But while the research available fails to offer conclusive answers to the question of whether or not the truck tyre market has yet “bottomed out”; and fails to clearly indicate whether or not it is yet in recovery mode, there are signs that the worst is over. Looking at the SMMT’s UK commercial vehicle registration figures is a depressing place to start, but it reflects how bad the situation has been up till now. This data shows that there were just 309 3.5 – 6 tonne truck registrations (-35.89 per cent) in August; 7,531 3.5 tonne van registrations (-34.56 per cent); and 1546 heavy truck registrations (-46.49 per cent). Year-to-date registrations aren’t any better and are currently -43.88 per cent, -21.79 per cent and -44.59 per cent for each of those three segments at 203,117; 5,669 and 32,263 registrations respectively. According to SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt, not only are the truck and van markets “dogged by weak demand,” but the outlook is that “van and truck registrations will stabilise at around 45 per cent down” compared with 2008.

9th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Auto Express Publishes Annual Top Tyre Sellers Test

This week’s Auto Express contains the results of the automotive weekly’s annual product test for 12 of the United Kingdom’s top-selling tyres. With less than 2 percentage points separating the top seven products in the overall rankings, it is fair to say that standards were high when tests were carried out at Continental’s Uvalde, Texas testing facility, but it was Conti’s PremiumContact 2 (speed rated H) and Goodyear’s OptiGrip (V) that led the way in first and second place. However, Auto Express mentions several times throughout the article, which appears on pages 39-48 of the 9-15 September, 2009 issue, that each tyre had its strengths in different categories, presenting percentage-based rankings for each category.

9th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Klarius "Dragons'" Recruitment "Den" Offers Trials to Graduates

One of Europe’s largest automotive aftermarket manufacturers, Klarius has held a recruitment day inspired by the BBC television series, ‘Dragon’s Den’, in which promising graduates are given the opportunity to “pitch” themselves directly to the company’s board of directors. The day offered a variety of UK and European trial positions – which could potentially become permanent – for the successful candidates.

9th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Tire Invests 230 million euros in Hungary Factory

Hankook Tire is to invest 230 million euros in its Hungary tyre production plant over the next 2 years in a bid to double production output from 5 to 10 million tyres a year by 2011. The latest injection of funds means the company has invested 550 million euros in the project. An official statement from the company said the latest move to ramp up production in Europe was a reflection of increasing demand there. Hankook’s decision to build a manufacturing facility in Hungary has been key to reducing customer delivery times from one month previously to just five days for the Europe-made Hankook tyres. However, the move also positions Hankook for increasing amounts of OE business, with the company openly bidding for the attention of “Audi-level” customers. Last year the company’s Hungary site began supplying OE customers in Europe, first Hyundai’s Czech factory (with tyres destined for the i30-compact car) then to Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge in Germany for the popular VW T5.

9th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Euromaster ‘Reviewing’ 80 Branches

ATS Euromaster is embarking on a consultation exercise “reviewing” as many as 80 of its UK centres. According to a company spokesperson, the tyre retail chain currently runs 456 centres, but is looking into the viability of continuing to run some in their present format. Therefore mergers, redundancies and some degree of reorganisation are all being discussed. However the company is apparently not currently looking into the sale of branches.

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Prepares Medium GP2 Compound for “Fastest Track”

The penultimate round of the 2009 Bridgestone-supported GP2 Series will be held at Monza on 11-13 September as part of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, where the medium compound GP2 tyres will be used. The circuit is one of only three on this year’s GP2 calendar that remains with the same compound of slick tyres as in 2008. Known as the ‘Autodromo Nazionale di Monza’ the circuit is the fastest that GP2 drivers experience during the year. Maintaining tyre durability and employing more aerodynamically efficient car set-ups will be the key to a successful weekend.

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Emilio Bolla Takes Over at Marangoni China.

Emilio Bolla has been appointed general manager of Marangoni Group’s Shanghai branch. Marcello Gambarini, who held this position throughout the company’s initial exploration, will now return to Italy, where he will continue to supervise activities in China and follow the group’s development in Asia. According to a company statement, Bolla previously worked as a project product manager, a sales & marketing manager and as a general manager, acquiring “profound knowledge of the Chinese market.”

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis-backed Japspeed Sweeps Podium at Norfolk Arena

Round Four of the British Drift Championship belonged firmly to Team Japspeed as its drivers, Danny Eyles, Shane Lynch and Steve Biagioni took to the podium having drifted successfully around the Norfolk Arena.

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Russian Tyre Exports Down 8.6% in 1H 2009

International News

Russian tyre manufacturers appear to have been offering significant discounts in the first half of 2009 with unit export figures falling far slower than export values. The latest data compiled by the Russian Discovery Research Group Russian tyre shows exports totalled 3,259,440 in the first half of 2009, down from 3,566,469 in the first half of 2008 (-8.6 per cent). Passenger-car tyre exports fell 7.1 per cent in the period, with truck tyre exports down 14.9 per cent. However, exports of light truck tyres countered the trend by growing 40 per cent.

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Debica Increases Truck Tyre Production 17%

In the midst of a downturn that has hit the European truck tyre segment as hard as any market in the world, Goodyear’s TC Debica S.A. has announced that it is re-starting truck tyre production by increasing output 17 per centfrom its current position. According to local news sources, the company is reducing passenger car and light-commercial tyre production by 8 per cent at the same time, with agricultural tyre output being reduced 7 per cent. Polskie Radio Rzeszow reported that the move is due to "The effect of the situation in the automotive market and reduced demand for certain products.”

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to Increase India Plant Production 40%

Bridgestone Corp. is reportedly going to increase production at its Pithampur, Indore Madhya Pradesh factory by 40 per cent. WheelsUnplugged.com reported that Bridgestone has invested 2.59 billion rupees (£32.32 million; 37 million; US$53.48 million) in the project, which will create an additional 300 jobs. Bridgestone India started its operations in 1996, by March 1998, it had set up its manufacturing facility in Kheda, Madhya Pradesh.

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

XPart Trebles Battery Range with New Applications

Parts distribution specialist XPart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Logistics Services UK Ltd, has increased its battery range 280 per cent, offering batteries for motorcycle, commercial vehicle, leisure and marine applications. The expansion of the “competitively priced range” will also include nearly 50 percent more car batteries, and will be available to order from all XPart wholesalers and AutoService centres, with same day delivery.

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Opens Czech Warehouse for UK-bound Simex Tyres

Following Continental Tyre Group’s decision to start marketing to start marketing Simex Tyres back in June, news sources are now reporting that the company has opened a warehouse in the Czech Republic to stock the Malaysian-built tyres closer to the UK and Irish markets the materials handling and earthmoving tyres are destined for. According to the Contract Journal, will be positioned above “the cheapest on the market” and will be marketed through existing distributors such as ATS Euromaster and OTR.

8th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

« Previous 1 … 60 61 62 63 64 … 205 Next »