TMD Friction Hartlepool strikes off after revised pay deal
Strike action by more than 180 Hartlepool workers employed at TMD Friction, which make brakes for OEMs, has ended after Unite secured a two-year 11 per cent pay deal.
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Tyrenet celebrates 20th anniversary
Tyrenet launched on 9 January 2004. Initially located in Sutton Business Park in St Helens, Tyrenet’s journey began from humble beginnings. Founded by Mike Riley 20 years ago, the fleet service support business now handles 300 calls daily and delivers over 200 jobs both emergency and routine fleet maintenance, throughout the UK. After an impressive 57 years in the tyre business, managing director Mike Riley retired in July 2023.
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Michelin Connected Fleet partners Scottish Water in EV transition
Michelin Connected Fleet has signed a four-year partnership with Scottish Water to help boost the performance of the utility’s 2,000-strong mixed fleet and accelerate the firm’s move to electric vehicles (EV). Scottish Water is rolling out Michelin Connected Fleet across its 1,300 vans, 200-plus trucks and trailers, and 500 specialist pieces of plant, over the next six months.
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Goodyear TruckForce Award for McConechy’s
McConechy’s Tyres Coatbridge has gained a Goodyear TruckForce Award, an accolade that “recognises the exceptional service provided by TruckForce partners on a quarterly basis.” Goodyear honoured McConechy’s, which is part of Halfords Commercial Fleet Services, for its dedication and professionalism.
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Tyre News in Numbers – January 2024
Tyres & Accessories monthly Tyres News in Numbers column boils down the latest tyre industry news to the most important statistics of the month. This month we look at the big numbers from December 2023. £300 million The estimated worth of the total market for UK-produced and imported alloy wheels
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Bridgestone building consumer tyre sector position thanks to Turanza range
With the recent launch of the Bridgestone Turanza 6, the manufacturer presented a touring summer tyre built on its Enliten technology platform that offered maximum applicability to the general motorist market. Succeeding the award winning Turanza T005 and the T001 Evo before it, the Turanza 6 incorporates electric vehicle-readiness and is presented in a wide range of sizes for both passenger cars and on-road SUVs, whether they are internal combustion engine, hybrids, or EVs. The tyre meets the demands of both general driving and the specific requirements of electric vehicles such as improving energy efficiency, maximising battery range, and accommodating the increased weight and torque of EVs.
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Budget tier tyres continue to gain ground in UK car tyre market – GfK
The UK is nearing half a decade removed from general economic conditions resembling normality, four years since Brexit was (arguably) completed, nearly the same amount of time since the start of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, heralding the world’s descent into an age of militarisation, and the continual flux of UK politics. Tyres & Accessories’ regular February Car Tyre feature has presented an overview charting the progress of the car tyre market over these years – readers can now access the preceding years’ issues in the T&A digital archive, hosted by Tyrepress. While change has remained reassuringly slow compared to the economic and political context, the latest panelmarket data from market analyst GfK – which uses point of sales tracking of sell-out tyres to produce an overall picture of the whole replacement market in the calendar year 2023 – demonstrates the ship-like progress of various trends since the relatively major disruption of 2020.
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BTMA and NTDA to push for review of MOT tread depth advisories
The news that the government is maintaining annual MOTs in the present 3-1-1 regime was universally welcomed by the industry. But tyre retailers up and down the country continue to highlight the appalling reality that many tyres are changed past the legal limit and in shocking states of disrepair. For many motorists, the MOT is an annual driving sanity check, reminding them to change their tyres and other safety-critical car parts. That reality and the increasing prevalence of electric vehicle and ADAS technology have prompted calls for an upgraded MOT – not least from the BTMA and the NTDA.
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Vaculug names Stevens to head of field operations
Vaculug has promoted Kelly Stevens to the role of head of fleet operations. Stevens has been a key member of the Vaculug team for nearly four years following a combined total of 15 years at Tructyre and ATS Euromaster.
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Halfords confirms Viking and McConechy’s Warrington warehouse sale
Following the news that Bond International is set to acquire the Viking tyre wholesale business, Halfords Group executives have confirmed to Tyres & Accessories that, Bond will indeed acquire the Viking and Birkenshaw tyre wholesale businesses. At the same time, Halfords Group commercial director/director Halfords Commercial Fleet Services, Robin Shaw clarified that the Bond acquisitions only include the McConechy’s warehouse in Warrington which came into the Halfords group as part of its McConechy’s acquisition in 2019. Meanwhile, Halfords continues to invest in its Commercial Fleet Services operations which have grown out of Halfords’s acquisitions of the members of ULM – Universal, Lodge and McConechy’s.
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Remember This? – January 2024
Our monthly magazine column looks back at the biggest news events from the tyre industry five, 10, 15 and 20 years ago. This months edition looks back to January issues from 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019 for some of the biggest tyre industry news of those months. Click the month and year to access the digital edition of the relevant issue of the magazine from Tyres & Accessories’ expanding digital archive.
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Could Red Sea shipping issues be catalyst for UK to increase circular economy capacity utilisation?
The UK’s exportation of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) is coming under further scrutiny considering the current crisis in the Red Sea, which is disrupting shipments to the Indian subcontinent, a typical route for many the country’s ELT arisings. Research reveals that this might total as much as 300,000 tonnes of ELTs. With the economic feasibility of these exports under threat, the Tyre Recovery Association is asking for governmental support in promoting the utilisation of currently dormant capacity to process ELTs within the country. The positive case for this is that useful materials can be extracted from ELTs, supporting the country’s circular economy with the residual value offered by proper processing. Meanwhile, the TRA adds, the country would also be doing the right thing in not allowing ELTs to become a highly pollutive issue for authorities in the Indian subcontinent, where UK waste supports unethical, dangerous, and illegal businesses.
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Bond International buys Viking and McConechey’s fleet
Well-known tyre wholesale business Bond International was growing fast before the latest acquisitions were announced, but now the company has agreed to purchase Stepgrades Motor Accessories Limited trading as Viking Wholesale Tyres, Birkenshaw Distributors Limited and McConechey’s Commercial Fleet Services, growth will be considerably faster. All three Stepgrades businesses have been acquired from Halfords Group Plc as part of a deal which will see Bond International partner with Halfords to distribute tyres to all of their network. Moving forward, company representatives suggested that there will “further announcements” as the company looks to expand its operation in Scotland, where the business previously had limited exposure.
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ETRMA members’ replacement tyre sales continue negative trend in Q4 2023
The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) has published details of its members’ European replacement market sales for the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures show a year-on-year decline in all market segments.
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DVSA staff striking during February
The Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) has confirmed that the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has served DVSA notice of strike action on 8 and 9 February as well as 10 and 11 February 2024. This means that up to 2000 staff from 270 centres across the country will strike.
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