Valeo introduce specialist switches for Mercedes models
Valeo Service UK has launched 14 new steering column switches and four clockspring and steering angle sensors specifically designed for Mercedes models.
Valeo Service UK has launched 14 new steering column switches and four clockspring and steering angle sensors specifically designed for Mercedes models.
The Federation of Engine Re-manufacturers (FER) has announced details of its Southern Regional Meeting that will be held on Thursday 8 February at Reigate Manor Hotel in Surrey, commencing 19:30. As the meeting is of a technical nature, certificates of attendance will be issued to members.
Valeo Service UK has launched HydroConnect, a new wiper blade range providing 96 per cent original equipment flatblade car parc coverage with 42 part numbers.
Jared Nelson has recently joined Maxxis, taking on the role of digital marketing executive. Within this role, 27-year-old Nelson will handle the company’s digital platforms; focussing on strategy creation, communications development, social media, SEO and more.
Yokohama Tire Corporation will increase prices by up to 7 per cent on all of its tyres sold in the US, including consumer, commercial and off-the-road (OTR). The price hike becomes effective 1 April.
Michelin has designated mytyres.co.uk as a “Michelin Approved Website”. By doing so, Michelin confirms that mytyres.co.uk meets all the quality standards established by the tyre manufacturer for products, services, and the sale of its tyres. The seal is awarded by TÜV Rheinland on the basis of an annual test.
In response to a contracting market in 2013 and 2014, Italian wholesale giant Fintyre underwent a reorganisation, involving relocation north from Empoli to Seriate, Bergamo and a staff reduction of 60 employees. The overhaul of the company structure did not end there; it started a process in 2015, completed in late 2016, which has changed the face of Fintyre. This, it states, has consolidated its position as the leader of the Italian market with a share of around 25 per cent. In 2015, British investment firm BlueGem Capital Partners, which at that point held a 90 per cent share in Fintyre after its original 2009 investment, was recapitalised following a major financing agreement with GSO Capital Partners. The company then made two major acquisitions – Pneusmarket and Franco Gomme – which have helped to increase turnover from 255 million in 2014 to an estimate of more than 400 million euros in 2016.
In its year-end 2016 report, Sweden’s Trelleborg AB states that its Board of Directors has “decided to make a major investment” in Trelleborg Wheel Systems’ tyre operation in Serbia in order to improve the facility’s footprint and increase production capacity to accommodate additional future sales.
The UK economy grew 0.6 per cent in the October-to-December period. Taking the year as a whole, the economy grew 2 per cent, 10 per cent slower than the growth of 2.2 per cent achieved in 2015. Good news, I hear you say. But, as with many things in life, the details tell a more complicated story.
Many sources, such as the BBC, contend that this better-than-expected growth is because of increased consumer spending during the last quarter of the year. However, it is also worth pointing out that UK car production achieved a 17-year high in 2016, according to the latest figures published by SMMT. This comes at the same time that the motor manufacturer’s association reported new car registrations of just under 2.7 million for the year – itself another record. This being the case, it is worth taking a closet look at the figures and the messages give us in the inextricably linked tyre sector as well as the economy as a whole.
The world premiere of the latest Mitas agricultural tyre, the metre-wide 1000/50 R 25 SFT, will take place at the SIMA show in Paris later this month. The tyre is designed for use on high-horsepower agricultural machinery such as potato harvesters and self-propelled spreaders, and offers flexibility when it comes to load and inflation pressure.
The Trelleborg Wheels Systems facility in Liepaja, Latvia, has been awarded the State Environmental Service’s (SES) ‘Green Excellence Award’, an accolade that not only acknowledges high environmental standards, but also ensures Trelleborg will hold SES environmental certification for a further three years. The award was given by Kaspars Gerhards, Latvia’s Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, and Inga Koļegova, Director General of the SES.
The annual Momo Tires calendar represents a change of direction. While images were previously taken from the archive of wildlife photographer Ricardo Cisneros, the tyre brand said it would, in cooperation with Momo Italy, explore new options with different naturalist photographers in future editions. The 2017 version features avian images by Stefano Ronchi, which Momo calls “sophisticated and elegant”.
Mike Lawton has been appointed head of communications for Europe North at Michelin Tyre. Lawton joined Michelin as UK customer services manager in 1999 after stints at ceramics giant Wedgwood and fashion brand Austin Reed. For the last five years, he has been commercial director for Michelin Tyre’s agriculture and construction division, a position which was been taken up by Martyn Pointer.
Australia’s JAX Tyres is now entirely owned by Hankook Tire. On 23 January, the South Korean firm acquired a 100 per cent stake in the franchise network of tyre retailers from its principal shareholder, company chairman Fred Hurrell, and others. The deal covers 83 outlets in the eastern states of Australia. While Hankook Tire hasn’t disclosed the sum it paid for JAX Tyres, Pulse shares that market observers estimate a KRW 100 billion (£68.8 million) price tag for the transaction.
The Board of Directors of Apollo Tyres Ltd today approved the company’s unaudited results for the third quarter of the company’s 2016-17 financial year. Consolidated revenue in the three months to 31 December 2016 amounted to Rs 34.35 billion (£404.8 million), a year-on-year rise of 17 per cent, while operating rose slightly to Rs 5.37 billion (£63.3 million) and net profit increased by six per cent year-on-year to Rs 2.96 billion (£34.9 million). The tyre maker states that it witnessed good volume growth in both its Indian and European operations in the third quarter, led by the passenger car tyre segment.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.