Michelin Sets Firm India Plant Plans
Groupe Michelin has formally committed to building its first tyre plant in India, to be located in Chennai. An agreement on the deal was signed December 6 during the visit of French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
Groupe Michelin has formally committed to building its first tyre plant in India, to be located in Chennai. An agreement on the deal was signed December 6 during the visit of French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
ATS Euromaster has issued the following comment in response to reports of insurance companies charging drivers a premium for fitting cold weather tyres to their cars / vans:
Based on the principles of the need for quick and efficient tyre servicing, especially in the peak seasons of spring and autumn; the variety of staff experience used in workshops to deal with the high turnover and any customer inquires; and the ability to deal with increasingly popular runflat and ultra high performance tyres, Beissbarth says that the market is now placing increased quality demands on the tyre fitting process. At Automechanika in Frankfurt, the company showcased three new tyre changers and two new balancers for tyre service and contracted workshops, which it says fulfil all of the requirements for quick and easy tyre service. All three changers are certified for fitting RFT and UHP tyres by the Trade Association of the German Rubber Industry (WDK).
Hofmann Megaplan has given away one of its megamount Smart lever-less tyre changers to Mill Tyres of Boston, Lincolnshire, the latter having won the company’s Brityrex 2010 prize-draw. The Smart can handle rims up to 30” in diameter, and is specifically targeted at “tough rim and tyre combinations”, including runflats, according to Hofmann Megaplan.
Snap-on Equipment has recently introduced new entry-level tyre changers and wheel balancers, which it believes will help workshops access greater wheel service revenue. Available under the Hofmann and John Bean brands, Snap-on offers offer a two-year warranty on the machines, which it says are “robustly built”. Installation and training are also provided as standard. Chris Behan, general manager, Snap-on Equipment, comments: “Our new entry-level tyre changers and wheel balancers are ideal for workshops seeking to expand their business into the tyre market, without compromising on quality or technology.”
Leading wheel alignment and wheel service equipment specialist Pro-Align is offering an advanced wheel balancer and tyre changer combination designed to solve the most difficult wheel vibration issues. “The majority of difficult vibration issues occur as a result of stiff spots within the tyre wall,” explains Paul Beaurain, managing director, Pro-Align. “These variations mean the tyre does not roll in a uniform manner and vibrations occur. However, as the stiff spots can only be detected under load, they cannot be identified on traditional wheel balancers. This means technicians rely on luck rather than correct diagnosis to solve issues.”
According to Jay Kunkel, president of Continental’s Asia region, the German tyre and automotive component supplier intends to have sales within Asia account for 25 per cent of the company’s global total by 2013. Growth in the key market of China and throughout the region is already occurring and in response the company has established a new facility for the production of electronic brake and powertrain systems and interior electronics products.
Car maker Volvo reports sales of more than a thousand winter tyres since its Winter Tyre Programme was launched in the UK in October. “Interest in the Volvo winter tyres has far exceeded our expectations, with Scotland, the North of England and London seeing the greatest number of inquires and sales,” stated Lee Berrell, Aftersales manager for Volvo Car UK. “While some are struggling with supply, we pre-ordered a large number of tyres to ensure all Volvo customers can be catered for, even into the New Year."
This year, notes Yokohama Tire Corporation, has been a good one for Gary Nash. The 45-year tyre industry veteran was promoted to vice president of Yokohama’s OTR department in the US in 2010 and was elected to the Tire Industry Association’s (TIA) Hall of Fame. In an interview released by the tyre maker, Nash discusses the fluctuations that have taken place in the OTR market, why the bottom dropped out in 2009 and how it bounced back strongly in 2010, and what the market will look like in 2011.
HiQ fast reports that Stockport entrepreneur Leslie Brady has become the latest franchisee to join its fast fit network. Brady has opened a HiQ forecourt venture, known as Fleet Care Maintenance, in the Conway Centre. The newly re-branded site offers MOT and servicing and in addition to selling and fitting tyres, the centre boasts new wheel diagnostic technology that HiQ says will help vehicles last the harsh and often expensive winter months.
As well as rolling out a new website at the start of next year, Maxxis International is taking of smartphones to promote its brand. In the new year the company will launch a mobile phone app developed for Apple, Android, and Blackberry devices. This Maxxis app will enable people to research Maxxis products and get the latest news about the Maxxis Babes and Maxxis- sponsored sports events teams and drivers and its calendar of performance/tuning shows.
Tyre fanatics now have a winning justification for purchasing an iPhone – Continental has announced that the first tyre race game for the darling of the smartphone world is now available for free downloading from the iTunes Store. Called the ContiTireRace, the aim of the game is to take the racetrack with ContiWinterContact TS 830 as quickly as possible, along the way collecting points that give the rolling tyres additional speed and thus better lap times. The app is available in English and German.
DSV, a global organisation that offers total logistic solutions across a wide range of industrial and commercial sectors, has re-signed an additional 12 month contract with Bridgestone. The majority of DSV’s fleet of 7500 trucks is fitted with Bridgestone Bandag 385/65R22.5.
French tyre giant Michelin has launched the company’s latest tyre for the ultra high-performance segment, the Pilot Super Sport, at an event in Dubai. Attending the launch alongside Michelin representatives were spokespeople from Porsche and TÜV SÜD; Michelin said it had “worked closely” alongside the auto manufacturer – as well as with BMW M and Ferrari – in developing the Pilot Super Sport, meeting its “challenging original equipment specifications”, while the testing organisation has recently produced a comparative study of the tyre and its competitors, determining it as “the fastest tyre on the market”. The Pilot Super Sport will be available from January 2011. The tyre will go on the market priced at the same level as its predecessor, the Pilot Sport 2, an important point of comparison considering the PS2’s more than 200 OE certifications. The Pilot Super Sport achieved a wet braking distance 3m shorter than its predecessor (80-10kmh) in TÜV SÜD tests.
A man in the US state of Alabama has been contacted by Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s legal department after using the tyre maker’s logo on billboards celebrating the defeat of Democrats around the country in the November 2 election. Tire Review reports that Ronnie Holmes, who is listed on the Alabama secretary of state’s website as the incorporating agent, president and secretary of Tuscaloosa Tire and Service Center – which operates three Goodyear stores in Tuscaloosa and one in Northport – created the signs using the Goodyear logo without permission.
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