French go easy on breathalyser offenders
Fines for drivers of all motor vehicles - including motorcyclists, - who are caught without a breathalyser kit, will be implemented in France from March 2013, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists. The fines were due to be enforced from 1 November 2012.
Continue ReadingKwik Fit name heading to Russia
Japan’s Itochu Corporation, which purchased Kwik Fit Group for £637 million early last year, reportedly plans to adopt the fast-fit network’s name for its Russian operation – a business that may significantly expand. In an interview with The Telegraph, Kwik Fit managing director Kenji Murai explained that Itochu already has a presence in Russia’s tyre retail and wholesale sectors and operates its business there under different brand names. These will adopt the British fast-fit network’s brand name as “Kwik Fit is an Itochu leader brand now.” Murai added that Itochu currently has 15 outlets in Russia but the firm intends to grow this; the company’s network there “could easily” hit the 200 to 250 mark, he said.
Continue ReadingHow direct TPMS manufacturers are preparing for the mass market
Everyone’s talking about the introduction of tyre labelling in November. But we should also be aware that at the same time that the so-called fridge labels are being mandatorily applied to tyres, another rule stipulating that all new cars must fit TPMS is being implemented. The law stipulates that all models homologated since July 2012 have to be manufactured with an appropriate Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). From 2014 it will be broadened to include all cars being sold into the market in order to cover any cars not yet mandated. What both dates mean is that there are going to be lots of TPMS equipped cars on the road very soon and tyre retailers need to be ready to service them professionally and take advantage of this business opportunities this provides. It also means that direct TPMS manufacturers are ramping up production in order to meet increased demand from both the OE and replacement markets.
Continue ReadingSailun details Kapodistrias Cyprus partnership
Sailun Tyres appointed Chr. Kapodistrias & Sons Limited as its sole distributor of passenger car and radial truck tyres in Cyprus earlier in the year. The company is the largest automotive parts company in Cyprus. Sailun says the companies will pursue a number of brand awareness and marketing communication initiatives to stimulate sales and growth for Sailun in Cyprus. These will include radio commercials; press advertisements; leaflet distribution; participation in a local automotive exhibition; an appearance on rally and racing cars and events; and an event evening in Nicosia with a joint presentation and cocktail party for key, existing and potential new customers.
Continue ReadingAnalysts: US wholesalers de-stocking ahead of Chinese import tariff end
The latest figures from the US light vehicle replacement tyre wholesale markets suggest shipments declined 1.9 per cent in August, according to the RMA. However, financial analysts from Deutsche Bank believe there are “several factors contributing to temporary weakness in the market” and that wholesalers are currently inclined towards de-stocking (due to recent raw material cost declines, and the nearing end of Chinese tyre import tariffs. As a result many anticipate lower prices in the months ahead.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Laying off 55 Danville workers
Some 55 hourly employees at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s plant in Danville, Va., are being laid off, according to local reports. In an article on DoDanRiver.com, Goodyear currently has about 2,300 employees. The layoff is happening across all departments, rather than affecting a single product line.
Continue ReadingBest Choice launches Mazzini TBR tyre range
Beijing based Best Choice International Trade Co., Ltd. launched the Mazzini radial truck tyre brand in August. Labelling tests have already taken place and the 315/80 R22.5 MZ266 product is said to be rated C in fuel efficiency and D in wet grip.
Continue ReadingTriangle talks investment during visit to Russia
Triangle Tyre reports that between 24 July and 1 August an eleven-person company delegation, led by Triangle president and chairman Ding Yuhua, visited several regions of Russia on a fact-finding mission. Topics of focus during the visit were issues regarding investment and related policy, Russia’s tyre market and vehicle manufacturers. Triangle says the group was warmly welcomed by government departments and officials.
Continue ReadingLabelling and truck tyres – ‘Trickery’ won’t be forgiven
No, Continental’s Herbert Mensching and Dr. Frank Walloch cannot conceive that a tyre maker could solely focus its development on label-related areas just to achieve sales through high ratings. The two men, respectively managing director sales and marketing at Continental’s Commercial Vehicle Tires unit and director of product development for commercial vehicle tyres in the EMEA region, believe a one-sided preference for specific development priorities will evaporate after around nine months at the very latest, as professional truck tyre users are competent at evaluating these products. Instead of placing a focus on criteria such as wet braking or rolling resistance, what is of key importance for commercial vehicle tyres, most likely more than in the passenger car tyre segment, is balanced product development in which other criteria – such as mileage and retreadability – will rank high on the list of priorities.
Continue ReadingBrazil studying proposals for new tyre regulation
Brazil’s government has carried out a public consultation to determine regulations for tyres sold in the country in preparation for legislations towards greener tyres. Chemicals manufacturer Lanxess reports that the consultation was performed last month and the government is now analysing the suggestions it received; these will be published before the end of the year.
Continue Reading‘Tyre man’ toppled
Generations of Australians growing up in Sydney’s north have fond memories of the “tyre man” who sat perched on the hill above the beachside suburb of Manly. The tyre man, a dummy atop a pole ringed by close to 100 tyres, maintained his vigil over Manly for more than 80 years; local newspaper the Manly Daily reports that the tyre man is, alas, no more.
Continue ReadingDes Collins to lead Conti’s new public liaison office
Continental has appointed ex-Bridgestone Europe communications vice-president Des Collins head of its new Liaison Office for Public Affairs in Brussels, Belgium. This new office in the European Union’s political capital opened on 1 August, and Collins takes responsibility for representing the legislative and regulatory interests of both Continental’s Rubber and Automotive Groups.
Continue ReadingFiege to operate Toyo B2B e-commerce platform
Supported by German logistics provider Fiege, Toyo Tires Europe is now distributing tyres to its business clientele via an internet-based B2B platform. The platform has already been rolled out in Germany, Italy, the Benelux countries and, most recently, the UK.
Continue ReadingNew investors expected to restart GTEA production
Production at Tanzanian tyre maker General Tyre East Africa will reportedly resume within a year. Last year management of the company – which hasn’t produced a tyre since 2007 – was placed in the hands of Tanzania’s National Development Corporation, and the corporation’s corporate affairs manager now says that investors from China, Malaysia and South Africa have shown interest in the getting the company up and running again.
Continue ReadingApollo enters Nigerian market
Apollo Tyres has rolled out its product range in the Nigerian market and the tyre maker has appointed the Stallion Group, a conglomerate that already boasts partnerships with several global vehicle manufacturers, as its representative within the country.
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