Julian Woods named president GEA
Julian Woods, of Snap-on UK, has been appointed as president of the Garage Equipment Association (GEA), at the association’s recent AGM, which was held at the GEA offices in Daventry on 14 April 2016.
Continue ReadingAutogem MD appointed NTDA vice chairman
At its 87th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Wednesday 11 May 2016, the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) executive council elected Autogem managing director Prashant Chopra as vice chairman of the association.
Continue ReadingPrinx Chengshan adds new European marketing and sales executives
Prinx Chengshan reports that it has added two big hitters to its European team. Jan Strban has joined, taking on the position of senior product marketing manager and Adrian Costache has taken on the role of area sales manager. Jan Strban joins from Continental Slovakia, where he most recently held the position of head of product management. He brings with him experience as a member of international teams, involved in a large number of Conti’s projects over the last 15 years.
Continue ReadingFirst Line unveils management changes, new sales structure
First Line has announced a new level of sales management. The firm opted to add a new tier of top level management within the company’s sales division to support the current board of directors and global sales teams. The company adds that the new level is being implemented to strengthen the business, offering greater autonomy and direction to grow and develop as the company continues to expand.
Continue ReadingOmni appoints Brett Martin as US president
Omni United has appointed Brett Martin as the president of its distribution division, US-based subsidiary Omni United USA Inc. This makes Brett Martin responsible for Omni Uniteds distribution business in the USA. Brett Martin comes with over 36 years of experience including 23 years of handling various roles in the distribution sector. His last position was senior vice president of Distribution, TCI, where he had oversight of 85 distribution centres in the US. He has been associated with TCI, a subsidiary of Michelin North America for many years, and has previously held numerous positions including regional director west coast and distribution centre manager. Martin also has experience in tyre retail.
Continue ReadingFrancesco Gori appointed non-exec chairman of Benetton
At its Shareholders’ Meeting on 9 May, Italy’s Benetton Group Srl appointed former Pirelli Tyre COO Francesco Gori the non-executive chairman of its Board of Directors. Gori takes on this role in addition to his positions as non-executive director of Apollo Tyres Ltd, Snam SpA and Messaggerie Italiane SpA, and industrial advisor to Idea Capital Funds SGR (the De Agostini Group).
Continue ReadingNew managing director at Vintage Tyres
Vintage Tyres has appointed Ben Field, who joined the company last June, as its new managing director. Field takes over from longstanding MD Chris Marchant who, rather than taking full retirement, will become technical director. Ben Field brings with him 25 years’ experience in the classic vehicle industry as a restorer, road tester and journalist.
Continue ReadingNFDA concerned about living wage effects on business
“The NFDA is concerned with the new National Living Wage and the impacts that it might have on businesses”, said Sue Robinson, director of the National Franchised Dealers Association which represents commercial vehicle and franchised car retailers across the UK.
Continue ReadingRMI opens new MOT training centre
The RMI opened its Academy of Automotive Skills today (Friday 6 May) in Southam, Warwickshire. The brand new, state of the art training facility set up by the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), will act as a an industry resource for MOT tester training, and in time will offer wider automotive technical training. Courses will include: New MOT Tester Training; New Motorcycle Tester Training; MOT Manager Training; ATA L3 Light Vehicle Inspection; CPD/Annual Assessment; and F-GAS.
Continue ReadingTitan appoints new SVP, North America president and interim CFO
Titan International, Inc has moved John Hrudicka from his current position as chief financial officer (CFO) to the operational side of the business. Effective 2 May 2016, Hrudickas new position is senior vice president of North American Tire.
Continue ReadingParts Alliance CEO shortlisted for entrepreneur award
Peter Sephton, chief executive of The Parts Alliance, has been shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. He is one of 34 leaders from businesses across the Midlands who will compete in the regional final on Tuesday, 14 June, at Birmingham Council House.
Continue ReadingJan Heuver retires at wholesaler’s 50th anniversary celebration
This year Heuver Tyrewholesale celebrates its 50th birthday, and at the same time another person of significance to the company celebrates an important birthday milestone. Jan Heuver has turned 65 and reached the Netherland’s official retirement age, and therefore is stepping down as a director of Heuver Tyrewholesale. He was honoured by Heuver Tyrewholesale employees at an internal function held to mark the company’s half-century, and his retirement was further observed by the establishment of ‘Jan!’, the Jan Heuver Foundation, a surprise farewell gift the wholesaler believes a fitting one for the public-minded director.
Continue ReadingNew head of Continental’s APAC truck tyre business
Patrick Haarmann is now head of Continental’s Asia Pacific (APAC) Truck Tire business. He began in this role on 1 March, succeeding Benoit Henry, who now works for Continental in Mexico. Haarmann is located in Continental’s APAC headquarters in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia and is responsible for the region’s replacement truck tyre business. He reports directly to Dr Andreas Esser, executive vice-president at Continental and head of the company’s Commercial Vehicle Tires business unit.
Continue ReadingThe right direction: Bridgestone North Region MD, Robin Shaw one year on
Roughly a year after Tyres & Accessories met Bridgestone North Europe region managing director Robin Shaw, just a few weeks after he took on the role, progress at the Warwick, UK-based part of the global company is said to have been “really good”. More than 12 months after our last interview, Shaw’s perspective on the tyre industry – previously he led Bosch’s UK operations UK – has deepened significantly as has his influence in the industry. “The direction is good, but we always want to be further on than we are,” Shaw told Tyres & Accessories. Of course when you ask how business is at multi-segmented, multinational like Bridgestone, there is no simple answer to that question. Rather there are multiple variables, the importance of which differs from segment to segment. However, the general synopsis is that all segments are doing well, with some doing particularly well.
Continue ReadingOmsk Carbon Europe appoints new MD
Tomasz Celka is the new managing director of Omsk Carbon Europe GmbH (OCE) effective immediately. Celka has more than 15 years of chemical industry experience. He was previously responsible for the development of Omsk Carbon Group in Eastern Europe. His new priorities include: implementing the OCE development strategy and coordinating sales and distribution in the European market.
Continue Reading