New Sizes, Website For Nitto Touring Line
Nitto Tire U.S.A. has added six new sizes for its luxury-touring tyre, the NT850 Premium. Among the new sizes, Nitto said, are OE replacement sizes for popular sedans, including the Acura TL, BMW 3-Series, Ford Fusion and Infiniti G35. Sold exclusively through American Tire Distributors, the NT850 is backed by a national marketing campaign that includes in-store displays, print and online advertisements, and a newly launched website – www.NT850.com. The six new sizes – all extra load – include 205/55R16 94V, 235/50R17 100V, 225/45ZR18 95W, 225/60R18 104V, 235/50ZR18 101W and 245/45ZR18 100W. All of the new sizes have a UTQG of 500AAA, and are backed by a 30-day consumer satisfaction guarantee and a 50,000-mile limited treadwear warranty. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingFalken Tyre Promotes Key Executive
Falken Tire Corp. has promoted Ron Papcun to vice president of operations. Papcun joined Falken Tire in October 2002 as director of operations, and will now be responsible for managing the company’s distribution centers, logistics, facilities management, customer service and supply chain functions. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingMichelin Extends Current USW Contract
Following a contract extension between Goodyear and the United Steelworkers union, Michelin North America has also agreed with the USW to an extension of the labour agreement with company employees. The two parties, currently in negations over a new master agreement, have given their consent to a four-week extension, which expires on August 15.
Continue ReadingCampaigns Net Thousands of Unsafe Tyres in UAE
According to the Khaleej Times, the use tyre market is alive and kicking in some parts of Abu Dhabi. Healthy demand exists for larger size commercial vehicle tyres, with examples changing hands from between Dh 200 and 700. However the country’s authorities are increasingly voicing their concern over the practice of fitting used tyres to vehicles: According to Colonel Hamad Adeel Al Shamsi, director of the Abu Dhabi Police’s Department of Traffic and Patrols, used tyres were responsible for the death of 13 persons and severe injuries of 16 persons last year. For this reason the department has intensified its inspection of substandard and worn out tyres and launched campaigns to educate motorists about the importance of safety of tyres.
Continue ReadingNigeria Moves to Ban ‘Tokunbo’ Tyres
Lawmakers in Nigeria are acting to ban the importation of ‘tokunbo’, or used tyres, into the country. A committee attached to Nigeria’s House of Representatives is said to be working on legislation that would prohibit the entry of tyres more than three years old – a move intended to ensure that tyres sold and used in Nigeria meet international standards. Tokunbo tyres are typically sold with around 40 per cent of their original thread remaining. Initiator of the legislation, Ekperikpe Ekpo, noted that 80 per cent of road accidents were caused by burst tyres and not less than 60 per cent of vehicles, especially commercial vehicles, use either sub-standard or tokunbo tyres.
Continue ReadingATS Euromaster Opens Galashiels Centre
ATS Euromaster opened a new “flagship fast-fit centre” in Huddersfield Street, Galashiels, following investment of more than £800,000. The new centre, which opened in May, is located 200 yards from the previous site, which is being demolished to make way for the A7 trunk road extension. Situated directly opposite the Gala Water Retail Park, the new facility boasts five vehicle work bays, including one dedicated to commercial vehicles, and is equipped to provide a complete range of fast-fit services for motorists including tyres, brakes, batteries, shock absorbers, exhausts and oil. Open six days a week, it is manned by a team of six highly skilled technicians.
Continue ReadingBosch Extends its ‘ESPerience’ Website
Bosch has enhanced and extended its Electronic Stability Program (ESP) consumer website. Introduced by Bosch in 1995, ESP is a vehicle active chassis braking safety system that can prevent a vehicle going into a potential skidding situation. ESP is, comments Bosch, three chassis system technologies in one - Antilock Braking (ABS), Traction Control (TCS) and ESP. Visitors to www.bosch-esperience.co.uk can gain access to all the information on this proven life-saving vehicle technology and view on-track driving demonstrations and animations of how the technology works.
Continue ReadingReport Shows Real Cost of Scrappage Schemes
With our own scrappage scheme now underway, it is perhaps timely to look at the experiences of our European neighbours. It is estimated that some 3.6 million new cars will be sold in Germany this year, around 800,000 more that would have been the case without the country’s 2,500 euro scrapping incentive, which owners of vehicles more than nine years old are eligible to take advantage of. However a report from the German website ‘Kfz-Betrieb Online’, based on a study conducted by automotive industry business intelligence provider Eurotax-Schwacke indicates that government incentives to scrap old cars are no silver bullet. “The premium doesn’t rescue the [automotive] sector, it only defers the problem,” stated Eurotax Schwacke managing director Michael Bergmann.
Continue ReadingIdled Dunlop India Workers Declare Hunger Strike
Operations at Dunlop India’s Sahagunj facility have remained idle since last November, and in an attempt to coerce company management to resume production some fifty employees and their families commenced a hunger strike on July 16. “Fifty workers will continue the relay hunger strike till July 20. From July 22 the workers, accompanied by their family members, will go on a fast unto death. Our demand is that the plant has to be opened and production started immediately,” spokesperson Bidyut Raut said.
Continue ReadingJK Tyre Achieves “Excellent Performance” in Quarter
During the first quarter of the current financial year JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. recorded “an excellent performance,” the company’s vice-chairman and managing director, Dr. Raghupati Singhania, noted. According to Dr. Singhania, this positive performance took the form of “all round cost reduction measures, better operating efficiencies, productivity and richer product mix.” During the three months from April to June, the company achieved nets sales of Rs 8.98 billion (£112.4 million) and operating profit of Rs 1.07 billion (£13.4 million). The unaudited results show pre-tax profit to be Rs 620 million (£7.76 million).
Continue ReadingMichelin to Launch First 295/60R22.5 Multi-Purpose Tyre
In August 2009, Michelin will introduce the market’s first 295/60R22.5-size multi-purpose tyre – the Michelin X MultiWay XD for truck drive axles. With the new tyre, comments Michelin, drivers of large-capacity commercial vehicles in Europe will be able to travel safely on all types of road and in all weather conditions. The tyres that equip large-capacity and car-carrier trucks are confronted with a range of challenges, the French tyre major notes. They must be able to travel thousands of kilometres on motorways in summer and winter, access loading areas on national and smaller roads, and sometimes make city deliveries on traffic-congested streets. At the same time, trucking companies need to be able to carry heavier loads, reduce delivery times and optimise costs, while maintaining superior safety performance.
Continue ReadingMidnight Fire Guts London Tyre Centre
A tyre business in Honeypot Lane in Queensbury, London was gutted by a blaze that was spotted shortly before midnight last night. The alarm was raised by workers at a nearby supermarket, who dialled 999 after hearing a loud explosion. A crew from Stanmore Fire Station was first on the scene and they quickly realised that more firefighters were needed to combat the blaze. At the height of the incident, the fire was tackled by 90 firefighters, with three aerial appliances and 15 fire engines. Apart from quantities of acrid, black smoke, the firefighters were worried that the premises might contain propane gas cylinders and police closed nearby roads. The blaze was finally brought under control at 7am and nobody was hurt in the incident.
Continue ReadingWebsite “Offers Peace Of Mind To Consumers”
From today, motorists can be confident of receiving fair and honest services from the automotive sector, says Motor Codes Limited. Announcing the launch of its new comprehensive website www.motorindustrycodes.co.uk and the addition of another Code to bolster its armoury of consumer protection, Motor Codes Limited aims at providing a robust method of delivering ever-increasingly high levels of customer service to motorists. The website, which is now the central source of advice and information for motorists who need help and advice on a whole range of subjects - not just Codes of Practice - is supplemented by a freephone advice line 0800 692 0825 for when the motorist needs to talk to the experts.
Continue ReadingKinforest Tyre: Putting On A Show
Kinforest Tyre is one of Chinas ever-growing legion of tyre manufacturers. Although the company Kinforest Tyre Co. Ltd was set up only at the end of 2007, the organisations history goes back to 2000, when it bought tyre-making technology from Firestone. In 2006/2007, there was co-operation with Continental until the establishment of Kinforest Tyre at the end of the year. The Kinforest factory employs around 2,500 workers, producing passenger, UHP, light truck and winter tyres under the brand names Kinforest, Mayrun and Starlake. The tyres comply with a number of test requirements, including DOT, ECE, NOM, INMTRO, SABSAND and GCC. Kinforest also says that it was the first Chinese tyre manufacturer to achieve the ECE rolling sound certification.
Continue ReadingOntario Announces Incentives to Buy, Drive Electric Cars
The Ontario government has reportedly announced rebates of up to $10,000 to people who buy plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles after 1 July 2010. Premier Dalton McGuinty said his government aims to have one out of every 20 vehicles driven in Ontario electrically powered by 2020. The size of the rebate will depend on the vehicles battery capacity. Local news sources quote automotive analyst Dennis DesRosiers said the incentive plan isnt well thought through: The fact they are offering such a high upfront incentive is an admission that there is high risk for this technology, Mr. DesRosiers said. Years before the vehicles are available theyre putting a bribe of $10,000 in the market place and the only reason they do that is because they anticipate they arent going to sell. DesRosiers said the government would have been further ahead if it followed the lead of the U.S., which has invested $25-billion in a fund to promote electric battery technology. (Tire Review/Akron)
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