B&J Extends Repair Program
Swiss company B&J has earned a reputation as a key player in the retreading market. As well as the well known Rasp and Carbide tools, for five years B&J has offered tyre patches in all common sizes and the company has also made a name for itself in the area of tyre repair. Up till now, however, there were no B&J products for the fast repair of nail hole and puncture damage in the tyre tread. So-called mushroom plugs are a popular way of repairing these injuries quickly and easily and B&J has added this product to its repair materials program. We now have five different sizes, from 1.5 to 10 mm, under the name Rocket Combi, explains Andreas Müller, Managing Director of B&J Rocket Sales AG in Baar. The commonly used sizes of 6 to 8 mm diameter are also available in different packaging units. Like the existing repair products, Rocket Combi can be obtained via the respective sales outlets and dealers as well as the B&J Online Shop.
Continue ReadingQueen’s Award For Norbar Tools
Norbar Torque Tools in Banbury has been honoured with the Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade for its contribution to UK manufacturing exports. The family-owned business proudly claims to be the worlds top specialist manufacturer of torque tools and this year celebrates 67 successful years. The award highlights a success story in a sector that has generally experienced decline. Norbar equipment is used in diverse industries including manufacturing, sub-sea, aerospace, energy, mining, and oil & gas. In the past six years the Company has almost doubled overseas earnings from its worldwide markets and now exports more than 73 per cent of its output. Norbar has distributors in over 60 countries as well as nine of its own sales and service branches around the world.
Continue ReadingJet Wheel Tyre Benfleet Named Pirelli Performance Centre
Pirelli UK Tyres Ltd has announced that Jet Wheel Tyre Benfleet has been awarded Pirelli Performance Centre (PPC) status. Jet Wheel Tyre Benfleet becomes only the 60th centre in the country to receive this prestigious award. Jet Wheel Tyre Benfleet owner Cliff Crane believes that the recognition gained from becoming a PPC member acknowledges the commitment and hard work shown by the entire team, and went on to say: “We are delighted that Pirelli have recognised Jet Wheel Tyre Benfleet by awarding us with PPC status. Everybody in the trade knows that the Pirelli PPC audit is notoriously difficult to pass and it’s a credit to everybody here that we have managed it.”
Continue ReadingRevolution Motorstore Releases Dare Razor Wheel
Revolution Motorstore is offering a new entry level wheel and tyre package. The Dare Racer is available in 15-inch only, but in practically all 4 stud fitments, covering all core Jap, tuner and modified cars. Pricing, as one might expect from Revolution, is super-sharp - with the wheels weighing in at just £369 including VAT for a full 4 wheel package with “high-performance tyres.”
Continue ReadingAvon Scores Highly at European Rallycross in Kent
Avon Tyres, a brand owned and manufactured by Cooper Tire, dominated the opening round of the 2009 FIA European Rallycross Championship at Lydden circuit, in Kent. In a championship where tyre choice is completely open and where tyres have to provide traction on both asphalt and gravel on every lap, Avon reports that the popularity of its selection has increased over recent seasons. 37 of the 38 drivers who scored at Lydden use Avon Tyres.
Continue ReadingWheels of Middle East Tyre Market “Set to Keep Turning in 2009”
According to the organiser of Automechanika Middle East, the exhibition’s host country retains a strong tyre industry despite the global slowdown. Dubais direct trade in tyres, it says, was valued at more than AED 6.6 billion (US $1.8 billion) in 2008, an increase of 12 per cent from 2007. And organiser EPOC Messe Frankfurt GmbH believes that “even with the economic downturn catching up, wheels of the tyre market in the UAE are set to keep turning in 2009” – and thus it has high hopes for the exhibition, which opens on May 31 and runs until June 2 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Continue ReadingAuto Industry Slump “Left Scars” on Conti’s Performance
Upon announcing its first quarter 2009 results, Continental AG stated that the slump in worldwide vehicle production has “left scars” on the company’s performance, with consolidated sales dropping “sharply.” The company reports its Automotive Group sales decreased in tandem with market developments, while the decline in Rubber Group sales was much less severe as to aftermarket sector sales account for a larger percentage of business. Despite the recent undertaking of the largest cost reduction programme in the company’s history, the highly negative sales trend helped push EBIT performance into the red.
Continue ReadingTyrexpo Africa to Add Industry Conference to 2010 Show
Plans for a tyre industry conference held as part of the next staging of Tyrexpo Africa in Johannesburg in March 2010, have been announced by event organisers ECI International. ECI wants to extend the scope and pulling power of the exhibition and has been encouraged to add a conference session by exhibitors and partners in South Africa. The one day conference will focus on key issues in tyre and rubber manufacturing, tyre retailing, developments in technology and the impact of new legislation. Keynote speakers will be drawn from the South African industry, together with major international players. The third staging of Tyrexpo Africa will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg on 4, 5 and 6 March 2010.
Continue ReadingDubai Group Voices Interest in Conti’s Clairoix Plant
A Dubai based company has been named as a potential purchaser of Continental’s soon to be closed Clairoix factory in France. Representatives from both the tyre manufacturer and the Moaffaq Al Gaddah (MAG) Group have confirmed talks are already underway between the two parties, although specific details are still under wraps.
Continue ReadingNew Catalogue Released by Auto4
Nottinghamshire-based tyre equipment and consumables supplier Auto4 has published its new catalogue. The distributor says that it aims to offer more than competitive pricing and consistent stock, with a flexible distribution model and the provision of management information also important parts of its core business.
Continue ReadingProjected Yokohama Net Losses Smaller Than Anticipated
It’s not all bad news out there – Yokohama Rubber has announced that its losses in the fiscal year to March 31, 2009, will be smaller than the projections announced on March 24, 2009. Management now projects consolidated operating income of 13.0 billion yen (£92 million), down 60.7 per cent from the previous fiscal year; and a consolidated net loss of 5.5 billion yen (£38.9), down from a consolidated net profit of 21.1 billion yen in the previous fiscal year; on consolidated net sales of 517.0 billion (£3.7 billion), down 6.2 per cent from the previous year. The revised projection for operating income 13.0 per cent higher, the revised projection for net loss 31.3 per cent less, and the revised projection for net sales 0.6 per cent lower than the projections announced on March 24.
Continue ReadingTyres Receive ‘Full Medical’ with New Conti Scanner
Continental is employing a new CT scanner to further improve the testing of prototype tyres. This new piece of equipment is being set up at the company’s research and development centre in Hanover, Germany. According to Conti, the CT scanner greatly reduces the time needed to screen a tyre and enhances the quality of images taken during the process. Individual components of a tyre’s construction can be displayed separately enabling, for example, tests for wear in individual parts of the casing to be undertaken. Around 3,000 tyres are to undergo the testing process annually.
Continue ReadingTeam Maxxis Bike Victorious over Time Attack Impreza
Modified Live, an event held on the weekend of 25 April, 2009 at Oulton Park witnessed saw the Team Maxxis Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike pitched against a modified Subaru Impreza to answer an eternal question: which is faster, four wheels or two. Following an early downpour and a last minute change to the programme, which saw the original car – a Norris Design SWB Mitsubishi Evo – replaced by a Subaru Impreza, driven by 2009 Time Attack Pro Class Champion, Olly Clark, from Roger Clark Motorsport. Under official timed trials, provided by Timing Solutions Limited, Clark was the first to take to the track. He drove his 2009 RCM 850bhp Impreza around three laps of the shorter Island circuit, recording 1:27:588 on his second. Unperturbed by the Impreza’s time, Team Maxxis rider Dave Johnson took to the circuit, and by the start of lap two, felt comfortable enough to open the throttle of the 185 bhp Superbike, finishing his second lap in a time of 1:25:566, 2.022 seconds faster than the RCM Impreza.
Continue ReadingVredestein Launches Ultrac Cento
Dutch tyre manufacturer Vredestein has launched the new Ultrac Cento high performance tyre. At the launch, Vredestein UK managing director, Stuart Jackson explained that the company is aiming its latest tyre at the kind of high mileage, high performance motorists that drive Mercedes, Audis and other 16 to 17-inch 45 to 55 series fitments. The Centro is 20 per cent lighter than its predecessor and has been developed with compliance to the new EU noise, wet grip and rolling resistance regulations that are scheduled for introduction in 2012. Therefore, as you would expect, it includes a –SW (noise and wet grip) mark on its sidewall signifying this. It is Y-rated, indicating that its can cope with speeds up to 300 km/h, and is already available in 13 sizes. This includes two run-flat fitments – 225/50 R17 94Y and 225/45 R17 91Y.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Supports UK Flood Rescue Team
Goodyear UK is to sponsor the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s Flood Rescue Team, funding a raft of specialist training and equipment, synergistically linking the manufacturer’s emphasis on safety with its charity work. The RNLI’s Flood Rescue Team is a uniquely trained arm of the RNLI, able to operate worldwide to assist in rescues in flood hit areas. Having raised money for the charity in the past through tyre sales, Goodyear states that it is pleased to be taking the relationship a step further by supporting this vital service. Goodyear UK brand manager Michelle Fisher said, “Through our previous fundraising for the RNLI we learned about the inland work carried out by the Flood Response Team, and the amazing help that they have given so many people in areas that you wouldn’t necessarily think could be affected by such dangers. There is great synergy between our organisations due to our own commitment to safety – our wet weather specialist tyres are designed to save people’s lives in wet conditions, RNLI volunteer crew members save people at sea around the coasts of UK and ROI every day.”
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