August CV production falls
UK commercial vehicle production fell by 1,642 units in August as the 2014 calendar saw some plants take additional shutdown, compared to last year, for retooling according to SMMT figures.
UK commercial vehicle production fell by 1,642 units in August as the 2014 calendar saw some plants take additional shutdown, compared to last year, for retooling according to SMMT figures.
A new National Travel Survey reveals that 64 per cent of all travel in the UK is done by road, confirming the British love of motoring. In fact, car and van trips account for 77 per cent of the distance travelled on an average year, in a survey of 6,830 UK households. Whether it’s city slicking or cruising through the countryside, Europcar, the leader in car hire services in Europe, helps Brits get out on the road and enjoy stress-free travel, all year round with a vehicle to suit every budget and every traveller.
The SMMT’s new car registration figures for September show that sales were up 5.6 per cent; the biggest September since 2004. The new ‘64’ number plate boosted volumes, with September marking the 31st consecutive month of growth in the new car market.
Mark down 7 to 9 October 2014 in your diary – ECI International, the organiser behind the UK’s only dedicated tyre industry trade show, gives word that Brityrex 2014 will be held on these three days. Brityrex returns to Manchester’s EventCity, where it was held in 2012. EventCity offers 28,000 square metres of space, extensive free […]
Small and medium-size truck tyre suppliers are well aware that a complete portfolio must also include corresponding retreading products. These days, for either economic or environmental reasons, a large percentage of customers within the transport sector expect further use from their tyre casings following the first tyre life. As shown during a visit to Reifen Pinke in Germany, tyre dealers with their own retreading production can particularly profit from this.
After focusing heavily in recent years on expanding exports to Eastern Europe and Russia, RuLa and its subsidiary the Berliner Runderneuerungswerk (BRW, or Berlin Retreading Plant) is now concentrating primarily upon the German domestic market and specifically upon further developing its mould cure retreading and logistical capabilities. To achieve this, investments are being made in the company’s Königs Wusterhausen-Zernsdorf site south of Berlin. At the same time, company owner Detlev Biermann and his firm continue to develop their presence in Eastern Europe and very recently acquired a large, modern pre-cure retreading facility in Poland. As Tyres & Accessories learned when visiting the company, both of these investments should ‘weather proof’ RuLa, one of Germany’s largest retreaders, against further structural changes in the sector.
A new retread factory that is reported to have the largest capacity in Latin America has opened in Campina Grande do Sul, Paraná, Brazil.
Operated by retread tyre manufacturer Ivo Recap, the facility is part of the Vipal authorised network and has a production capacity of 20,000 retreaded tyres per month. Production will include retreaded tyres for cargo transport, agricultural, off-the-road, and industrial applications.
CPA, established in 1995, employs 120 people in 12 branches serving Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey. It has a delivery fleet of 60 vehicles and a turnover approaching £12 million. The acquisition was completed on Friday 26 September with CPA’s Managing Director Keith Anderson and other CPA leaders continuing with the autoparts distributor. CPA becomes part of the Eastern Alliance of HgCapital-owned businesses within The Parts Alliance, the others being Allparts Automotive and SC Motor Factors.
Using Pirelli tyres, Steve Perez dominated the Trackrod Forest Stages rally in Yorkshire to put himself firmly in contention for the 2014 BTRDA Rally Series title.
The Chesterfield driver, whose ex-Marcus Gronholm Ford Focus WRC07 ran on Pirelli rubber, put his stamp on the Pickering-based event where main title rival Paul Bird finished second, just 3.4 seconds behind.
Michelin North America and the municipality of the County of Kings, Nova Scotia, have agreed the sale of about 50 acres of land in Waterville to the tyre manufacturer for a reported sum of nearly $1.9 million.
Chinese tyre manufacturer Qingdao Sentury Tire has commissioned Finnish robotics company Cimcorp to deliver a new material handling solution for passenger car green tyre production. Plans are that the system will be fully operational next year, and the stated aims are to increase plant productivity and improve product quality.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) will employ a dedicated person to promote a career in the motor industry to school leavers.
The national campaign will see the IGA’s Trade & Local Authority Liaison Officer aiming to change the consumer perception of the garage trade and show pupils the diverse career opportunities the industry offers.
Goodyear has broadened its G741 mixed-service tyre line with a new size and retread for applications requiring an extreme traction drive tyre.
It is reported that China-based Guangzhou Fengli Tyre and Rubber has started work on a project at its plant in Conghua, Guangdon Province, to install annual capacity for 10 million eco-friendly, high-performance tyres.
Super-fast broadband is now commonplace across the UK. According to the telecoms regulator Ofcom, the average speed in the UK is now 18.7mbps. Even in rural areas they are generally getting speeds of 13.6mbps. To put this in perspective, the UK average five years ago was 4.1mbps and at that time many places were not getting speeds as high. But what’s all this got to do with tyres? The specific answer is that this month we are covering the “Online Tyre Business” in some detail. But the more general answer is because it is increasingly prominent part of our culture and therefore tyre-buying consumer behaviour. But first another statistic.
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