MAHA UK MD on pandemic and Brexit: We prepared, adapted and business is strong as a result
Despite some businesses being forced to lock their doors, garage equipment and testing equipment supplier MAHA remained open in-line with lockdown rules and while admitting the early stages of the pandemic caused uncertainty, the managing director of the UK subsidiary of the German-based company, Neil Ebbs, said trading figures had “exceeded expectations”.
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AO fit Giti GTR955 Combi Road on new Tiger Trailers fleet
The online electricals retailer AO will fit Giti GTR955 Combi Road tyres on its new fleet of 50 Tiger Moving Double Deck trailers. The Giti Group has supplied tyres exclusively to AO’s wholly owned logistics fleet of 2,000 units, trailers and vans since the relationship was established 18 months ago. Tyres already in operation across AO’s fleet include the Giti GSR225 Combi Road steer axle tyre, and the Giti GDL617 drive axle tyre. The new, bespoke designed units run on size 215/75R17.5. They have a kerb weight of 15,000kg, with a gross vehicle weight of 39,000kg.
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UK will have Europe’s largest electric bus fleet by 2024
The UK is set to have the largest electric bus fleet in Europe by 2024, with the number of buses projected to grow by close to 180 per cent from approximately 1,000 to 2,800 vehicles, according to forecasts by Accuracy, the global independent advisory firm. Poland currently has the second-largest fleet of Zero Emission (ZE) buses in Europe with around 800 ZE buses. The Netherlands and Italy have the third and fourth largest fleets with around 600 buses each. Germany only has 550 in its urban fleet, the fifth largest in Europe. France is currently in sixth place with around 500, around half the number of ZE buses in the UK currently.
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Cooper Tire Europe launches new dealer portal
Cooper Tire Europe has launched a dealer portal for its customers. The new website combines and enhances the tyre manufacturer’s existing digital tools, presenting dealers with a single point of contact for various customer-facing functions. From the portal dealers will be able to access brand assets, news and newsletters, and Cooper’s E-University for contactless product training on demand – all with a single login. Cooper said the portal marks “an important step” in its efforts to become “the most user-friendly customer and consumer facing tyre manufacturer to work with.”
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Soltyre opens first English branch
Scotland-based Soltyre Ltd has expanded into the Northern English market with the opening of a new branch in Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire. Soltyre currently runs its tyre operations from eight locations in Scotland (Aidrie, Aberdeen, Brechin, Dundee, Dumfries and Edinburgh). News of the new Sowerby Bridge location brings the company’s branch total up to nine.
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Despite a YoY decrease, the UK performance exceeded expectations
Following the unprecedented storm that shook the UK aftermarket in 2020, GiPA created a quarterly aftermarket activity report called Aftermarket Pulse. The objective is simple: assess the state of recovery of the aftermarket in 2021 on a quarterly basis. Last week GiPA delivered the Q1 results. Whilst the aftermarket suffered massively from the lack of mileage due to the third national lockdown from January to March 2021, the impact on UK workshops turnover was not as bleak as anticipated.
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Edd Cobley returns to off-road racing on Davanti Terratoura A/T tyres
Off-road rally legend Edd Cobley will compete in the British Cross Country Championships in June on Davanti Terratoura A/T tyres. Cobley will pilot his new custom-built Land Rover 110 doublecab, Skippy 2.0 in the four-round national series. The three-time Land Rover Defender Rally Champion and Hill Rally Championship winner is one of the faces of Davanti’s Make It Happen campaign. The tyre brand will follow his exploits on its social media channels and website.
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Nationwide Fleet Services wins Tower Hamlets fleet servicing business
Nationwide Fleet Services (NFS) was awarded the tyre servicing contract for Tower Hamlets Borough Council in March 2021. According to a Freedom of Information request answered in 2019, the Tower Hamlets Council fleet consist of 192 vehicles and – as you might expect – is mainly made up of transit-sized vans and minibuses.
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Michelin adds Redpath Tyres to list of Quality-Approved Centres
Michelin continues to expand its network of approved dealers north of the border, with the addition of Redpath Tyres to its Quality-Approved Centres list. Specialising in commercial, agricultural and earthmover tyres, the family-run business has grown substantially since it was founded in the Scottish Borders by Peter Redpath in 1974.
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Hankook continues Supercar Fest partnership
Hankook Tyre UK is the official tyre sponsor at Supercar Fest for a second year. After the event’s successful debut in 2019 at Shelsley Walsh, event organisers will be hosting two events in 2021. Supercar Fest: The Runway will take place on 30 May at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire, which will see the supercars go head-to-head on a one kilometre runway whilst Supercar Fest: The Hill Climb will be returning to the historic Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, in the heart of the picturesque Worcestershire countryside on 29 August 2021. Both events will offer exclusive supercar, classic car and motorsport demo runs, trade stands, live music, and close-up experiences in ‘The Paddock’.
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TRA supports West Mercia Police tyre-tagging scheme
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) is supporting a West Mercia Police anti tyre fly-tipping initiative. The campaign, which involves retailers and others handling waste tyres, offers special marker pens to identify the origin of tyre. TRA-branded handouts and posters promoting the campaign will also be available.
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Over £3000 raised in memory of Simon Davies
Friends and colleagues from the tyre industry have raised over £3000 in memory of Simon Davies who died of brain cancer recently. Those mourning his loss repeatedly referred to him as a true “gentlemen” who they came to know through his last 12 years as a national account manager for Bridgestone – a role that brought him into close connection with Kwik Fit, Stapletons, Micheldever and Bond International – as well as nearly a decade as a key accounts manager at Goodyear before that. Those wanting to support the Compton Hospice in memory of Simon Davies, can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simon-davies1958
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Procon Readymix opts for Wheely-Safe protection
Procon Readymix has become one of the first operators in the UK to protect its vehicles with the latest generation Wheely-Safe technology – combining intelligent tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS), wheel loss and brake temperature sensing systems with walkaround checkers to help drivers complete daily inspections. The London-based concrete supplier has installed the products onto two of its 32-tonne DAF multi-wheelers, with a view to rolling it out across the rest of its 18-strong fleet over the coming months.
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New van market records highest-ever April registrations
The light commercial vehicle market recorded its busiest ever April as 30,440 new vans were registered, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). All vehicle segments saw artificially inflated growth rates relative to April 2020, when Covid restrictions shut down much of the economy, with an eight-fold increase in total units. Registrations were also well ahead of the five-year average, with April 2021 up by 23.2 per cent. With some 127,796 vans registered so far in 2021, uptake levels have returned to levels last seen in 2019.
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Showroom reopenings offer glimmer of hope in April new car registrations
April saw an artificial 30-fold increase of UK new car registrations compared to the same month last year, but volumes still remained -12.9 per cent lower than the 10-year average at just 141,583 new units, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This year’s monthly total dwarfed that recorded in April 2020, when the first national lockdown effectively shut the country, and just 4,321 cars were registered.
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