GSF Car Parts to reintroduce Bendix brakes to UK with exclusive distribution deal
The Parts Alliance has secured a long-term exclusive Western European distribution agreement to sell the Bendix brand of braking products. The agreement covers a full range of light vehicle aftermarket product categories. The company will initially focus on friction material products used in braking systems. GSF Car Parts, a subsidiary of The Parts Alliance, has a long history selling Bendix braking products in the UK. The new marketing programme will highlight Bendix’s historical reputation for quality, and the benefits of increasing quality options for the consumer in deciding between replacement parts.
Continue ReadingKenda buys Starco
Taiwan-based tyre manufacturer Kenda has purchased Starco Europe. Announced on 2 October, the move is described by Kenda as “a good cultural, organizational and strategic fit” for which both companies see “significant long-term opportunities”. Kenda has been a Starco supplier since 1982. Over the last 12 months a series of meetings determined a clear willingness from both Kenda and Starco to take the partnership to another level. Starco does not plan any organizational changes or redundancies related to the acquisition.
Continue ReadingHaynesPro buys E3 Technical boosting UK tech data business
E3 Technical, software and staff supplier to online automotive reference company Carweb, has been acquired by HaynesPro, the professional data solutions business of Haynes Publishing Group plc. (Haynes). The move will strengthen Haynes’ online technical data presence in the UK, according to the company. HaynesPro is the European market leader for online automotive workshop data for the automotive aftermarket. Serving more than 50,000 workshops through its European partners, it has been collaborating with Carweb since 2009. Darryl Watts, formerly E3 technical sales director, has become the new managing director of HaynesPro UK.
Continue ReadingMagna supplying heavy-duty OTR tyres around the world
Magna Tyres Group has supplied new tyres to a variety of projects on three continents. In Portugal, the company is providing its 17.5R25 MA05 for a tunnelling project on a Wagner/Atlas Copco Underground Loader, after previously proving a low cost price per hour and durability in past contracts.
Continue ReadingApollo Tyres ‘has no intention’ of entering Kumho acquisition race
Apollo Tyres has denied reports published in India’s Economic Times suggesting that it is about to enter the race to acquire Kumho Tire. An Apollo spokesperson told Tyres & Accessories: “Apollo Tyres strongly denies the story headlined Apollo Back in Kumho Race as Geopolitics Sours China Deal’ that appeared in the print edition of The Economic Times on 2 October, 2017.
Continue ReadingNew WRC gravel tyre heralds ‘new era’ for Dmack
Dmack has unveiled its first new gravel tread pattern for WRC cars in the FIA World Rally Championship in five years. The DMG+2 has been used since 2012, helping it into the lead in five WRC events and to win 47 gravel stages. It makes way for the new DMG+22 at Rally RACC - Rally de España, where Dmack tyres won their first WRC stage in 2012. The new DMG+22 tyre features the same tread pattern which has been used successfully in WRC 2 and WRC 3 this season. Dmack states the tyre should be more suited to the final three events remaining this year.
Continue ReadingFirestone launches third Battle of the Bands contest for unsigned UK musicians
Firestone has launched its 2017 Battle of the Bands competition, with Orange Amplification and Wolf Alice bassist Theo Ellis. The contest provides hundreds of acts the opportunity to showcase their music, as well as win more than £2,000 worth of Orange Amplification equipment, studio time worth around £1,500, and support towards the creation of an EP.
Continue ReadingBridgestone sells Kingsway to Lodge Tyres
Following an extensive period of negotiations with Lodge Tyres, Bridgestone has agreed to sell its share capital in Kingsway Tyres. Lodge has completed the acquisition of the Kingsway retail business, which operates from 15 depots, predominantly in the east of England. Indeed the Kingsway website already features Lodge Group branding and refers to 16 depots, suggesting some degree of reorganising and/or re-branding has already taken place.
Continue ReadingDunlop’s global motorsport family unites to help Macmillan
The global Dunlop Motorsport organisation has taken part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning – dubbed Dunlop’s Fastest Coffee Morning in recognition of the participation of sporting stars – to raise funds and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support, the brand’s corporate charity. The events taking place today (Friday 29 September) included contributions from Drivers and team members from the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series.
Continue ReadingNokian Tyres on DJSI World sustainability index
Nokian Tyres has been selected for Dow Jones’ DJSI World sustainability index. With a total sustainability score nearly twice as high as the industry average, Nokian Tyres significantly improved its results in the 2017 assessment. Nokian Tyres’ score of 78 points was only one point behind the industry’s best company globally.
Continue ReadingSuperbike World Championship extends Pirelli official tyre supplier contract to 2020
Pirelli’s contract with promoter-organiser Doma and the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) to be the official tyre supplier to the Superbike World Championship for all classes has been extended by two years to cover the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The technical partnership between the Italian tyre manufacturer and the production bike based series, which started in 2004, is the longest running control tyre supply deal in international motorsport history. The previous contract was due to expire at the end of the 2018 season.
Continue ReadingHankook Tyre UK extends courtesy car scheme
Hankook Tyre UK has extended its courtesy car scheme with the introduction of a larger fleet of branded Hyundai i10s offered to a selection of supportive dealers across its UK retail network. The scheme, set up in 2015, is designed to incentivise supportive dealers with 25 new 67-plate Hankook-liveried Hyundai i10s. The car was selected for its low running costs, and has been supplied to a selection of retailers around the UK over a two-and-a-half-year period as a courtesy car.
Continue ReadingTrico increases Redditch United support with player sponsorship
Trico has made Redditch United midfielder Arjun Jung its football ambassador, strengthening the link between the Evo-Stik League’s Southern Premier club and the stadium sponsor. Jung will assist Trico and its guests throughout this season’s campaign, to ensure they receive the full match day experience. In his role, he will also represent Trico during other selected company events.
Continue ReadingMichelin tops online brand prominence table
Michelin has taken first place in Tyres & Accessories annual online brand prominence table, conducted in association with analysts NetNames. Following the news that Michelin is the strong online brand in terms of social media equity both in the UK and globally, the French tyre maker is no doubt delight to continue its historically strong showing. However, for the second year in a row, Continental overtook Michelin in terms of brand sentiment. And when you consider that Continental is also Michelin’s main contender in terms of social media equity, it now appears that pole position in the online space is a two horse race between Michelin and Continental. That’s said, at the other end of the spectrum mid-range and economy brands have registered some significant increases in online brand prominence during the last 12 months.
Continue ReadingBarry Shaddick upscales from e-jobsheet with CAM’s UniSerV platform
Commercial service provider Barry Shaddick has moved from stand-alone e-jobsheet user to a fully integrated solution based on CAM’s UniSerV platform. The company, located in the south-west of the UK, has invested as the next step in its systems development to provide greater professionalism and connectivity in support of its tyre service work across its commercial depots.
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