Releasing its figures on commercial vehicle registrations for December, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders described 2012 as "a tough year", during which the market dropped by -5.9 per cent to 285,343 units.
After a year of steady sales increases in 2012, Conti says it is ready to ‘Attack’ in 2013 and is looking to maintain the company’s position as the UK’s fastest growing motorcycle tyre brand. UK Product mix demand has changed dramatically in the last few years and Continental believes its product range is well suited to the wide variety of tyres now being purchased.
Pirelli says it is “going greener” with rice husks. In 2012, the Italian company stated it had investigated the properties of silica produced from rice husks and was calculating the carbon footprint for this product; now on its company Facebook page, the tyre maker refers to a text published by The Economist, which reports that rice husk-derived silica could provide a third of Pirelli’s silica requirements in Brazil within the next two years.
Nine times world champion Valentino Rossi has extended his agreement with Bridgestone Europe to act as motorcycle tyre development adviser. As under the previous agreement, Rossi and the tyre maker will work together to, in Bridgestone’s words, “promote the passion of motorcycling to bikers and enthusiasts throughout Europe, directly supporting the Bridgestone ‘track to street’ concept.” Rossi will act alone as a professional rider; his MotoGP team and sponsors are not involved in the deal.
The fact that Matteuzzi Srl has always been focused on international markets means that the company has no fear of the current financial crisis. While many Italian companies have pursued internationalisation in recent years as a lifeline out of the difficulties of the internal and European markets, Matteuzzi has been working this way since the early 1970s, making it a key part of its business. Today, with communications even easier thanks to the internet, the Bologna-based company exports 95 per cent of its production and offers customers an English-language website.
Indonesian tyre maker PT Multistrada Arah Sarana Tbk has entered into a three and a half year partnership with globally renowned football club Manchester United. Neither Multistrada nor Manchester United have disclosed specific details of the deal beyond confirming that Multistrada is now the official tyre partner of Manchester United; no figures regarding the deal’s value have been released.
In its more than four decades in the business, family-run Cambrian tyres says it has always taken pride in the quality and speed of the service it offers and the friendliness of its approach. This service is provided by a team that boasts an impressive 225 years of combined experience in the motorcycle and tyre industries. Cambrian says its team’s experience gives it a “massive lead” over its competitors when it comes to tyre, motorcycle, technical and industry knowledge; several of the company’s staff have worked at senior levels at motorcycle tyre manufacturers.
Stapleton’s Tyre Services shares that its iPad promotion has received glowing praise from Primewell Key Dealers. Over the last three months, any Primewell Key Dealer who ordered at least 12 tyres during a single week from the brand’s UHP, high performance, comfort and van tyre ranges were entered into a weekly draw to win the coveted prize. Overall there were 11 weekly winners.
Treadsetters (part of the TIA Group) was listed in The Sunday Times 2012 Fast Track 100 Companies, which is jointly sponsored by The Sunday Times and Sir Richard Branson. Treadsetters is placed in 76th position having achieved a 60.51 per cent sales growth since the beginning of the recession in 2008 and are the only tyre company to be named in the report.
Following approval by the antitrust authorities, Bosch completed its acquisition of SPX Service Solutions, a US automotive diagnostics specialist at the beginning of December 2012. The agreement to purchase the company was signed the preceding January. SPX Service Solutions develops, manufactures, and sells service equipment, repair-shop accessories, and software for the global automotive market. Based in Canton, MI (USA), SPX Service Solutions generated sales of some US$920 million (some 660 million euros) in 2011. The diagnostics specialist employs 2,800 associates in 17 countries, and has manufacturing sites in the US, Germany, France, and China. The purchase price was $1.15 billion (885 million euros).
As tyre pressure monitoring systems become obligatory at the OE level throughout Europe, Tech Europe reports that it is offering what it says is “the most comprehensive range of TPMS products in Europe today, and a TPMS programme recently nominated for the ‘Product Innovation’ award at the annual NTDA TAFF Awards.”
UK new car registrations rose 5.3 per cent in 2012 to 2,044,609 units, boosted by strong consumer demand. The latest data released by the SMMT on 7 January shows that annual the volume was highest since 2008 and recorded largest percentage increase since 2001. However, the new car market was still 14.9 per cent below the 2007 pre-recession level of 2.4 million units. According to the data, the market ended 2012 with a 3.7 per cent rise in December to 123,557 units.
Sales of new cars in the UK in 2012 topped more than two million, giving the best sales figures since 2008. Commenting on the SMMT's car registration figures Sue Robinson, director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers across the UK, said: "Retail demand drove the UK car market in 2012 whilst fleet sales were flat."
Paul Kinkead, Head of Environment and Protection at Michelin’s truck tyre plant in Ballymena, has been awarded an OBE in The New Year’s Honours List for services to environmental protection in Northern Ireland.
A past pupil of Royal School Dungannon and a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, Paul Kinkead is a Chartered Chemical Engineer and has worked at Michelin’s Ballymena site since 1986. In 2011, he was appointed to the senior management team with specific responsibility for managing the Environment and Protection Department for the site. He is also the Michelin UK Country Manager for Industrial Hygiene and Chemical Safety.
Yokohama HPT Ltd, the UK distributor for the Japanese tyre brand, as well as TSW replacement alloy wheels and marque-specific alloy wheels for BMW, Mercedes and Porsche, will exhibit at this week's Autosport International show at the Birmingham NEC. The company says the focal point of its stand will be the race-specification Aerial Atom, designed for the one-make Atom Cup race series and using Yokohama control tyres.
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