Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has released the Garage Guide to Working During COVID-19, to help independent garages easily find the guidance they need to support them through the current lockdown. The guide is available to all member and non-member garages and can be downloaded from the ‘COVID-19 Guidance for Independent Garages’ page on the IGA website.
Pirelli’s new rally tyre for snow and ice, which has studs longer than 8mm, will make its first appearance this weekend. Fitted to R5 cars on the Arctic Rally from 15-16 January, the Sottozero Ice WJ debuts at the opening round of the Finnish Rally Championship. Its long titanium-tipped studs are locked into place using Pirelli’s patented vulcanisation process for retention. A new tread pattern design helps the tyre to capitalise on the increased grip supplied by the studs. Pirelli says the new tyre will be available commercially for national championships run in extreme winter conditions, such as those run in the Scandinavian and Baltic regions. It is suitable for R5, R2 and historic rally vehicles.
The rise of diamond turned alloy wheels, which have overtaken traditional painted alloys as the most common product on the market, presents an opportunity for garages and fast-fit operations to diversify, Portsmouth-based innovator, Diamond Cut Refinishing (DCR) says. The refurbishment of these wheels is often reallocated, with significant lead times. However, DCR’s latest machinery for the automotive aftermarket enables depots to offer the restoration service themselves. It says the technology “saves hours of time in repair work” and “opens up a significant new revenue stream worth hundreds of pounds per day.”
The ‘Falken says tanks’ promotional campaign is marking its tenth anniversary by extending into 2021. The tyre brand’s German customers will receive a prepaid card ostensibly for refuelling when they submit online their receipt for Falken winter or all-season tyres. The campaign was recognised with a German Design Award in 2020.
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Apollo Tyres is selling car and two-wheeler tyres direct to customers in its domestic market. The company launched its e-commerce portal in India on 22 December, 2020. The site allows consumers to purchase tyres online and book an appointment with Apollo Tyres’ dealer nearest to their location to get the tyres fitted and serviced. The service is initially available in Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kochi. Apollo plans to expand the service to other cities across the country.
Qingdao Sentury Tire Co., Ltd. has appointed Martin Winter as global technical director OE. Winter has more than 20 years’ experience of working in original equipment tyre development with Continental, Goodyear, and most recently Hankook. Sentury Tire states that Winter will work to establish relationships with leading original equipment manufacturers. Sentury is seeking to “establish and increase a competitive partnership and relationship” with European and global light vehicle makers. Manufacturing from its base in Qingdao, China and in Thailand, Sentury is primarily known for its Landsail brand in the UK and Europe.
Falken customer Kevin Hancock and his Iveco campervan – converted from a former life as a mobile police office – have made a journey of a lifetime from Swansea, Wales to the Arctic Circle. Travelling through temperatures as low as -27 degrees Celsius, snow, and ice, Hankock made the trip on Falken’s regional RI 151 and BI 851 tyres.
A shortage of shipping containers and essential equipment at Chinese ports, exacerbated by fluctuating international trading environments in the Covid pandemic, has meant inflation in international shipping rates. In November, rates for transporting containers between China and the east coast of the USA increased to $4,750 per container, 42 per cent up on July rates, according to RefinitivEikon data. The cost of shipping from China to the US west coast has increased 50 per cent to $3,878 per container. Europe’s Shanghai Container Freight Index (SCFI) spot rate index has risen sharply, with Northern Europe rates up 21 per cent and Mediterranean rates up 23 per cent, rates that have not been seen since the beginning of 2014. According to Trojan, a tyre marketing agent headquartered in Qingdao, China, shortages have worsened recently. This busy period for Chinese exports could see deficits continue to deepen into the New Year, meaning further price increases.
Mark Berry has joined the board of sustainable hydrogen company Powerhouse Energy Group as a non-executive director. A partner at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. Berry specialises in financing energy, infrastructure and process engineering projects. He has particular expertise in the waste to energy (including materials recovery and fuel recovery from waste), transport and mining sectors.
Back in April, Tyres & Accessories spoke to leading supplier of freight forwarding services to the UK tyre sector, Maritime Cargo Services about the perfect storm of circumstances complicating life for tyre importers. Then it was difficult to anticipate the logistical problems the industry would face by the end of the first quarter – at least far enough ahead to sidestep the issues entirely. Even armed with the expectation of disruption, the pressure has built at British ports throughout the year, especially in the last quarter as Covid began to spike again. As a result, Honda UK’s suspension of production became a high-profile symptom of the catalogue of issues causing bottlenecking and ultimately delays in the supply chain. With the end of the Brexit transition coming amidst the second spike of Covid-19 transmissions on 31 December, T&A asked MCS again about what difficulties distribution businesses need to plan for this winter.
Pirelli has created a bespoke new Scorpion Zero All Season SUV tyre as original equipment for the latest Land Rover Defender. The new development reinforces the manufacturer’s partnership with Land Rover. Work on the bespoke tyre was begun at Pirelli’s factories in Carlisle and Milan, with Pirelli engineers working closely with their Land Rover counterparts. Over the full course of the intensive development programme, testing was conducted all over the world in the most extreme conditions possible, Pirelli adds.
Triangle Tyre attended Bauma China in Shanghai on 24-27 November. The Chinese manufacturer is one of the world’s largest in the off-the-road sector, supporting construction, mining and port industries, and showcased the top of its product range from a 120sqm booth. Triangle exhibited its latest product technologies for earthmoving equipment, using its booth as a platform to explain its service capability and commitment to key players in the sector.
Hankook Tyre UK has appointed Jon Cottrell as UK commercial sales manager. He follows on from Paul Emery who was promoted to UK sales director earlier in 2020. Cottrell has a career spanning more than twenty years in the tyre industry, including spells with Bridgestone, Goodyear Dunlop, Mitas, and most recently Apollo Vredestein. Hankook says he will be responsible for the strategic leadership of the commercial sales department within Hankook Tyre UK. This includes the expansion of both the Laufenn and Alphatread ranges, contributing to the overall growth strategy.
Giti Tire has produced its first AA-rated EU label tyre. The GitiSynergyH2 original equipment tyre, produced in size 215/55R17 XL 98H for the bestselling VW Caddy 5 light commercial vehicle, achieved A grades in the EU label’s wet grip and fuel efficiency metrics. The deal follows Giti’s first LCV OE deal with Volkswagen earlier in 2020, for the larger Crafter model. An aftermarket version of the new GitiSynergyH2 will be launched in the aftermarket in March 2021, replacing the GitiSynergyE1 and GitiPremiumH1, both of which were part of the original Giti brand launch into Europe in 2016. Label ratings for the replacement range will be confirmed during the model’s aftermarket launch.
Giti Tire is showcasing its 2020 motorsport achievements in a new video. Despite Covid-19 restrictions, the manufacturer still set tyres on the tarmac in the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race and Endurance Series, the F3 Asian Championship, the British Truck Racing Championship (BTRC), and VW Fun Cup UK, among others. Its longstanding partnerships were joined by a growing Esports team, with 40 international drivers driving 30 different cars in online events around the world.
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