Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
Online parts distributor, PartsInMotion.co.uk, has expanded its range of Schaeffler products, increasing the portfolio from 7,000 to 13,000 references. The company said the expansion would meet market demand for FAG steering and suspension references. Matt Gates, director at PartsInMotion.co.uk comments: “As the trend for more brand choice and availability continues, we strive to offer the best brands in the market to our customers.
With wet autumn weather yielding treacherous driving conditions, road safety charity TyreSafe is urging drivers to remain diligent and prioritise safety on the road. The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings for heavy rainfall mean roads can pose significant challenges for motorists, but quality tyres in good condition can significantly improve safety in deep water. A TyreSafe video, embedded below, demonstrates how well-maintained tyres can help avoid aquaplaning.
Walkenhorst Motorsport’s Advan-liveried #34 BMW M4 GT3 running on Yokohama’s Advan A005 (dry) and A006 (wet) tyres claimed first place in Round 8 of the 2023 Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) on 23 September. Driven by Christian Krognes and Jakub Giermaziak, the team qualified fifth and took the lead around the race’s midpoint, widening the gap with the rest of the field before taking the checkered flag more than two minutes ahead of the second-place car.
Kirkby Tyres’ investment in additional warehousing space at its central site in Speke, Liverpool over the past couple of years was recently completed, further extending its specialist mezzanine flooring facilities. This increase in warehousing footprint brings its total mezzanine facilities to 30,000 sqft. The space has been designed specifically to hold ATV and lawn & turf products. The wholesaler told Tyrepress that this has allowed it to invest in an increasing number of specialist sizes and deeper stock levels. The warehouse expansion project also included several sustainability measures recently recognised by ISO 14001 certification.
Toyo Tires has renewed its partnership with the Japan National Football Team. The tyre manufacturer has supported the “Samurai Blue” since 2021. Toyo has released a TV commercial called “Blue, passionate, run” to mark the renewal. The video will be shown in subways and on television, the company said. Toyo added that it plans to follow the team to the next World Cup in North America in 2026.
Tyre retailer BA Bush & Son has expanded into a new county, opening a new commercial branch on the Bridge Trading Estate in Ipswich, Suffolk. As a result, the expanding company now has sites in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire (North, South and East Riding/ Humberside), County Durham, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The company also has sites in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire through its share of GT Wholesale.
Kirkby Tyres collaborated with leading agronomists Agrovista earlier in the year, attending its Lamport AgX open day on 3-5 July with its Gallileo CupWheel technology. Lamport AgX is a major resource that looks at many aspects of soil health, including demonstrations and trials. The open day presented an opportunity to meet with farmers and introduce the innovative technology, whilst answering questions from attendees.
Bleak economic circumstances generally create brand strategy complications within tyre distribution. Drivers’ demand for lower priced tyres as cost-of-living pressures hit their pockets can alter the dynamics at play in wholesalers’ exclusive brand offerings, which are often pitched as premiumised products with additional benefits that make paying more than a budget price worthwhile. Yet down markets are also a time to build for the future, sowing seeds that will yield benefits when the outlook brightens. In the case of Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS), a new-build warehouse in Scotland to support its business growth north of the border and a newly added exclusive distribution deal with Petlas are two ways in which the company is building for the future and managing the current market situation. Tyres & Accessories asked Graham Mitchell, MTS wholesale director, about its exclusive brands, which also include parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ Falken Tyres, General Tire, and GT Radial, as well as the development of its warehouse in Bellshill, Scotland.
Micheldever Tyre Services’ new Scottish warehouse is being fitted out with a racking solution from the Polish supplier Arcom, continuing a long-standing cooperation between the companies. The facility in Bellshill, Scotland, near Airdrie in the east of Glasgow, is the latest in a series of joint projects between MTS and Arcom; MTS has chosen a proven and versatile rack for vertical, horizontal, and column storage that can be stacked up to 9 metres high. The AR03 MIX is largely suitable for passenger car tyres, while AR04 pallets are being employed as a supplement for storing SUV tyres up to 80cm in diameter. With this combination, the warehouse can be adapted easily to changing goods and the number of stored tyres. In case of no demand for some pallets, they can be easily disassembled, folded, and transported elsewhere.
Continental has opened its 13th training centre in Germany for employees in Gifhorn, between Hanover and Wolfsburg. The opening ceremony on 25 September, 2023, was attended by labour minister Hubertus Heil and the second chairperson of IG Metall, Christiane Benner. The company launched CITT (Continental Institute for Technology and Transformation) in 2019. The institute focuses on retraining and refocusing employees in a transitional economy – or in Conti’s words, “to strengthen the employability of individual employees.” CITT had trained 8,500 participants by the end of 2022, and Conti expects this number to reach 9,500 by the end of 2023.
Tyres fitted to electric vehicles (EVs) face a shortfall in longevity versus those fitted to petrol or diesel cars, new fleet data from epyx suggests. The first tyre change for electric cars is taking place at an average of 17,985 miles and 551 days old, compared to 24,641 miles and 585 days for hybrids, and 24,335 and 670 days for petrol and diesel cars. On average tyres fitted to EVs are lasting 6,350 fewer miles than equivalents on internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles. The data is taken from epyx’s 1link Service Network platform. Car and van fleets totalling more than four million vehicles use 1link to manage and process SMR.
A survey of 2,000 UK car owners conducted online by Research Without Barriers on behalf of Bridgestone generated some damning figures for tyre safety. Of the drivers surveyed, 81 per cent admitted to never checking their tyres, and only 14 per cent described them as the most important safety feature on their cars. Other headline statistics from Bridgestone’s research include 54 per cent not knowing that driving on illegal tyres is an extremely dangerous act, only 31 per cent of motorists admitting to being well informed on road safety matters and just 12 per cent checking their tyre treads once a fortnight, the recommended interval between checks. For more on this story, click through to the consumer tyre advice website from the Tyrepress team, WhatTyre.
The First Stop and ETB Autocentres networks began their Customer Centricity Week on 25 September. Both networks plan to offer a ‘delightful experience’, targeting the generation of more repeat-business and an increase in recommendations. In order to achieve this, they have created a new customer framework to raise standards among staff with three objectives: gaining loyalty and recommendations from customers, to be customer-centric, and to create what it calls “the best customer journey in the automotive retail industry.”
Ducati rider Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) won both the Superpole Race and Race 2 to widen the gap in the World Superbike Championship 2023 standings. There was a double win for Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) with the WorldSSP Championship title becoming closer. The WorldSSP300 victory went to Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki), who also claimed first place in the 300 standings. Tyre supplier Pirelli’s SC1 front and SCX rear were used by almost all the riders on the starting grid
The UK Garage and Bodyshop Event (UKGBE), presented by Automechanika Birmingham, will participate in this year’s Bangers4Ben rally. Its team, dubbed the Dublin Driving Dolls, will travel 1,500 miles across Ireland over four days (7-10 October) alongside other entrants in their very own ‘bangers’, all of which cost less than £750. The rally will cross the Irish Sea from Holyhead to Dublin, hitting the winding roads of Ireland, before completing the tour back in Dublin and the ferry back to Britain. UKGBE has partnered with LKQ Euro Car Parts and established aftermarket business owners Louise Baker and Rachel Murray on its entry.
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