Snap-On launches Apollo-D8 diagnostic tool, training module
Snap-on launched its latest diagnostic scan tool – the Apollo-d8 – back in July. Now, the well-known garage equipment supplier has also released free training modules for it too.
Continue ReadingWheel-maker GKN launches new website
GKN Structures, the Telford-based industrial wheel manufacturer, has launched a new website. The site’s new URL - www.gknstructures.com - is designed to help with google searches.
Continue ReadingSecond Automechanika webinar focuses on aftermarket digitalisation
Andrew Rowson, co-founder and Head of Services at ecommotors is joining the panel at the next the Automotive Aftermarket Webinar Series, ‘Digitalisation; Accelerating the recovery of the aftermarket,’ which will take place on 29 September.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Farm Tires launches agricultural photography contest
Goodyear Farm Tires has launched a photography competition for the agricultural community. The manufacturer wants farmers to submit eye-catching photography in three different categories, Farming Landscapes, Farming Family Life and My Tractor and Machinery Running on Goodyear Farm Tires, at its website before the closing date on 12 October. Wining entries will be featured in the company’s 2021 marketing material, viewed by tens of thousands of people across the UK. The winners will also receive a share of a prize fund of more than £2,000 worth of merchandise and product.
Continue ReadingEA allows portside tyre shred storage, updates advice
On 3 July 2020 the UK government issued advice on the port-side storage of tyre shred via a time-limited Environment Agency Regulatory Position Statement (RPS 238). RPS 238 was updated on 15 September 2020 and lasts until 30 June 2021.
Continue ReadingCould continuous pyrolysis deliver savings for tyre manufacturers?
Waste rubber generated by tyre manufacturing could deliver increased energy savings and business opportunities according to IRR Waste 2 Energy. The company’s continuous pyrolysis technology, which is fully commissioned and in operation at its parent company Carlton Forest Group’s Worksop headquarters, has delivered “tangible results” in both “energy generation and the production of by-products such as pyrolysis oil and carbon char,” the company states. These materials can be refined further to produce high grade engine oil and recovered carbon black (RcB).
Continue ReadingFace coverings mandated for UK dealers
With yet another raft of measures to curb the spread of Covid 19 being introduced by government, the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK, has intervened in an attempt to clarify the situation vis-à-vis car dealerships.
Continue ReadingUK could lose out to Europe in battery recycling market
The UK is at risk of losing out to the rest of Europe when it comes to the automotive lithium ion battery recycling market, according to a new research report published this week by WMG at the University of Warwick and backed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Faraday Battery Challenge at Innovate UK.
Continue ReadingMichelin gives family crane business a lift
John Sutch Cranes has confirmed it will specify Michelin tyres across its fleet of mobile cranes, tractor units, trailers and rigid trucks, after a trial set of Michelins covered more than twice the distance normally seen from the firm’s previous tyre of choice. The family business compared the performance of the 445/95 R25 Michelin X-Crane + tyres fitted to one of its three-axle Liebherr cranes, versus an identical crane doing similar work, but running on the same size tyres from another premium brand.
Continue ReadingIt’s an ill wind…
Much has been written about the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown and it is fair to say that, in general, these effects are perceived as negative. However, not everyone are wringing their hands and moaning about how awful it all is – auction houses have been reporting a strong market in used vans during the month of September, with demand exceeding supply, thus pushing up used van values past last year’s levels.
Continue ReadingItochu sold 26 Kwik-Fit freeholds in the first half of 2020
While speculation continues relating to the apparent sale of the Kwik-Fit tyre retail business, we do know that the Itochu-owned enterprise sold the freeholds to 26 of its branches in a double-digit million-pound series of transactions during the first half of 2020.
Continue ReadingStrong used car market and busy aftersales, latest franchised dealers’ survey reveals
The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK, has published the findings of the latest ‘post-lockdown automotive retail’ survey. Through the findings, NFDA aims to assess the implications of COVID-19 on the automotive retail sector and understand how the industry is now recovering.
Continue ReadingAddressing the EV ‘charging anxiety’ problem
We are continually being told that electric vehicles are the future – indeed, petrol and diesel-engined vehicles are scheduled to be phased out in the UK market; the original deadline was 2040, but this was brought forward to 2035, and there is talk of possibly introducing the ban in 2030. This last date is regarded by many as unachievable – when the deadline was brought forward to 2035, Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, described the situation as “extremely concerning” and accused the Government of “moving the goalposts.”
Continue ReadingDriveRightData partners with Bridgestone on Mobox project
DriveRightData is partnering with Bridgestone, providing tyre identification and product matching capabilities data for the tyre manufacturer’s recently-launched Mobox monthly tyre and car maintenance subscription service. DriveRightData information supplied includes brand name, product name, description, tyre and tread images, tyre size, pressure, rim size, load and speed index, run-flat capability, EU required labelling information and barcodes.
Continue ReadingKwik Fit owner Itochu prepares for sale scenario
The UK’s largest tyre retailer, Kwik Fit, is being prepared for a sale. The Japanese Itochu group, which owns the European Tyre Enterprises Ltd (ETEL) holding company that controls both Kwik Fit and its wholesale counterpart Stapleton’s Tyre Services, has appointed investment bankers Nomura to advise on strategic options for the company, according to Sky News, with insiders suggesting a sale is very likely.
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