Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
A survey of 1,500 British road users conducted by the website Flexed.co.uk has identified the top causes of the nation’s road rage. As drivers, we all have our pet peeves; according to the survey responses, most drivers can identify something that grinds their gears – and it appears to be everything.
Exol Lubricants’ new commercial vehicle engine oil has shown that it can provide long term savings on a typical fleet operator’s fuel bill. Tested at the Millbrook vehicle test and development facility, the fully synthetic Taurus Euro FE 5W-30 engine oil was used in two types of bus; a Cummins ISB4.5 powered 2013 Wrightbus Streetlife and, a Volvo D7 powered 2005 Volvo B7RLE. Both vehicles were put through lengthy and varied driving cycles designed to mimic urban and rural environments with both stop-start and constant speed conditions.
Kings Road Tyres (KRT) has appointed Fred Carroll as its new senior sales executive for Ireland, based at its Dublin sales and distribution centre. His recruitment represents a restructuring of the distributor’s sales operation in Ireland, reflecting a renewed focus on growing sales in the country. Carroll, 41, brings more than 18 years tyre industry experience to his new position, joining from a similar role with Mileage Tyres. Prior to that, he worked with Kirkby Tyres in Dublin and KwikFit in both Athlone and Dublin.
As we reach the end of 2014, we think it’s a great idea for tyre dealers to find a way to celebrate. One dealer’s decoration in the north east caught Micheldever wholesale director, Alan Baldwin’s eye; he sent a picture of Grande Tyres’ Christmas Tree made of various types of tyre to Tyrepress.
In addition to the Dealer Locator app for smartphones announced today, Trelleborg has launched its Tyre Selector. The online tool is designed to help farming professionals select the right tyres for individual applications, including agriculture, forestry, agro-industrial and light service.
Trelleborg has optimised its Dealer Locator app for iOS and Android smartphones, adding the details of more than 5,000 professional agricultural tyre and machine dealers. Already available on tablets, the Trelleborg Dealer Locator is offered in five languages and identifies the Trelleborg tyre dealer nearest to a selected location. The manufacturer has been expanding its suite of mobile device applications throughout 2014, having identified this area as a valuable service for its customers. It has introduced updated Load Calculator, Tire Efficiency, and Tire Book apps, in addition to innovating its marketing approach through a video game.
The Parts Alliance has been recognised for providing the ‘Best UK Automotive Transactions in 2014’ in Deal Feed International’s inaugural Sector Success Awards. The website’s new business awards examine mergers and acquisitions across the globe, asking a panel of financial professionals and writers to judge award winners across various segments. The Parts Alliance’s victory comes on the back of “the group’s rapid growth and financial performance as well as other key strengths such as customer service, employee development and overall strategy,” according to the Alliance’s statement.
Having made its public debut at Autosport International 2014, Zenos Cars will return to January’s show with the launch of its second lightweight sports car. The Zenos E10 S has been developed over the last 12 months, featuring a 250bhp turbocharged, 2.0-litre Ford EcoBoost engine and windscreen, the car will run on Avon’s ZZR tyres in sizes 195/50 ZR16 (front) and 225/45 ZR17 (rear).
The Coventry MotoFest will make the city the first in the UK to stage competitive motorsport on public roads, and Sumitomo global brand Falken has added its support to the event. The manufacturer’s drift team has become the first to announce that it will perform at MotoFest on 29-31 May 2015.
Kings Road Tyres (KRT) will support its portfolio of specialist agricultural tyres by exhibiting at two leading end-user shows in 2015. The wholesaler, which specialises in agricultural and industrial tyres will present exclusive brands such as Taurus and Maxam as highlights of KRT’s product offer first to dedicated farming and agricultural customers at Lamma, 21-22 January, East of England Showground, Peterborough. Lamma is the UK’s largest farm machinery, equipment and agricultural services show, which attracts upwards of 40,000 visitors.
Landsail Tyres has confirmed its sponsorship of the 2015 Performance Car Show, in association with Autocar and PistonHeads.com. The leading UK exhibition dedicated to enthusiasts of sports and performance cars, held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, on 8-11 January 2015. The brand, manufactured by Qingdao’s Sentury Tire and distributed in the UK by Grouptyre member Oak Tyres, will communicate with visitors about the depth and breadth of its range, with high performance, ultra high performance, and SUV fitments. The manufacturer, founded in 2009, has been moving to differentiate itself in a populous field of Chinese tyre brands selling into the UK. At the beginning of December it stated that it would offer tyres for magazine testing to prove the quality of its products, having presented some eye-catching European tyre labels at its Reifen debut.
This is a short extract. Tyrepress and Tyres & Accessories subscribers can log in below to read the full article.
If you are not yet a Tyrepress or Tyres & Accessories subscriber, you can change that here.
Becoming a member has benefits such as:
Increases in freight rates during the last quarter of the year happened earlier than expected, according to Maritime Cargo Services’ Rob Shelley. The freight forwarding company said that the market, led by supply and demand, had seen rates harden due to increased demand for shipping space “earlier than expected”. This ahead of schedule peak season combined with “higher than forecast import volumes” to increase both rates – “in some cases by 150 per cent” – and dockside waiting times.
Having tied up its tyre partnership for the next five years with Bridgestone in April, commercial fleet operator Ryder says that tyre-related breakdowns for its customers have fallen by 28 per cent. The new contract heralded the introduction of a range of initiatives aimed at maximising fleet uptime and lowering running costs, Bridgestone states.
Halfords Autocentres has called 2014 a “record year” for its automotive apprentice programme. 72 new apprentices joined the scheme this year, leading to Halfords’ claim that it is the largest programme in the UK automotive industry. The servicing chain crowned third year NVQ Floyd Ullah (19) from Scunthorpe the winner of its annual apprentice competition, noting that competition for the accolade is growing annually.
Goodyear Dunlop has opened a new winter tyre testing facility, the Arctic Centre, in Ivalo, Finland. Located 300 km north of the Arctic Circle, near the town of Ivalo in North Eastern Finland, the Arctic Centre is one of Europe’s leading winter tyre testing centres, and as of December 2014, will be exclusively used by Goodyear Dunlop. Jean-Pierre Jeusette, general director of Goodyear’s Innovation Centre, Laurent Colantonio, director of global tyre performance prediction and, representing the company‘s Nordic Region, Ludvig Nauckhoff, general manager Nordic were present as the ribbon was cut.
This is a short extract. Tyrepress and Tyres & Accessories subscribers can log in below to read the full article.
If you are not yet a Tyrepress or Tyres & Accessories subscriber, you can change that here.
Becoming a member has benefits such as:
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.
