Snap-on Incorporated of the USA has acquired Pro-Cut International, Inc. the world’s leading manufacturer of on-car brake disc lathes. Pro-Cut’s lathes are widely used in brake servicing by car repair workshops of all types. In the UK, Pro-Cut lathes are distributed by Haweka UK of Toddington, Gloucestershire.
Varga gives Kenda tyre Middle East debut at Automechanika Dubai
Hot on the heels of Kenda’s Reifen show stand in Essen, Germany, Varga Trading Company is using Automechanika Dubai as the platform to showcase the Middle East debut of the new KR-50 from Kenda. The KR 50 will be positioned as a fuel-efficient tyre for Crossover Utility Vehicles (CUVs) with special features like extreme siping and four wide circumferential grooves for improved braking performance, a solid centre rib for better flexibility and will better comfort at high speeds.
Michael Dunlop has confirmed he will use Dunlop tyres in this years Isle of Man TT races. Michael Dunlop was a four-time winner at last years Isle of Man TT on Dunlop tyres, but since moving to BMW this year has competed on a different tyre brand. By switching back to his namesake brand of tyre on the eve of the Islands big races, he hopes to boost his record of seven TT wins.
Part worn tyres on Trading Standards conference agenda
Dangerous and illegally sold part worn tyres will be one of the topics of conversation at this year’s national Trading Standards conference, after safety campaign group TyreSafe confirmed its participation in the event.
Running for three days from 30 June at the Harrogate International Centre, the event is the biggest gathering of trading standards officers and enforcement professionals in the UK. With its main theme of ‘changing behaviour’, TyreSafe sees the event as an ideal platform to continue its ongoing education and awareness activities designed to reduce the number of part worn tyres being illegally sold in the UK.
BlueSky Pensions to sponsor NTDA Tyre Manufacturer of the Year Award
The NTDA has announced that leading pension provider BlueSky Pensions is to sponsor the prestigious Tyre Manufacturer of the Year Award at the Association’s 2014 Tyre Industry Awards.
BlueSky Pensions, which is an affinity partner to the NTDA, is at the forefront of pension provision in the UK and operates a variety of products and systems to ensure quality employers meet all of their legislative responsibilities and employees are provided with a highly governed qualifying workplace pension scheme.
Car rental company Hertz UK has recorded a 23 per cent drop in its average tyre spend per vehicle, two years after adopting a Michelin tyre policy. Latest figures show the average total cost of ownership of tyres per vehicle has dropped by almost a quarter since 2010.
When using generic tyres in 2011 the cost of tyres per vehicle dropped by two per cent compared to the previous year. After the business adopted a Michelin tyre policy in 2012 the average cost initially increased by three per cent compared to the 2010 figure. A year later the average total cost of ownership of tyres per vehicle had dropped by 23 per cent compared to 2010.
Bridgestone dismisses 500 tyre retail branch acquisition reports
Bridgestone representatives have dismissed reports that the company is considering acquiring up to 500 tyre depots in the UK in a bid to go head-to-head with the leading tyre retailer in the UK, Kwik-Fit. According to the reports, which surfaced over the weekend in The Telegraph, Bridgestone “is seeking to buy eight to 10 regional automotive retail groups within a year and merge them into one brand.”
Chequered flag waved on Fort Dunlop motorsport tyre manufacture
Tyre production at Fort Dunlop, a site that was Europe’s largest tyre manufacturing facility as recently as the 1970s, has ended as Dunlop Motorsport transfers its motorsport capacity to facilities in France and Germany. A total of 241 manufacturing jobs vanished as the final shift left the factory on the afternoon of 30 May; local MP Jack Dromey, who had fought to retain Dunlop motorsport manufacturing in Birmingham since Goodyear Dunlop first announced plans to leave the site a year ago, referred to the end of production as “a day of shame”.
Pirelli offers condolences to Jim Clark Rally victims
Pirelli has expressed its condolences to those affected by two accidents at Saturday’s Jim Clark Rally, which was the second round of the British Rally Championship. Three people were killed and one injured when a race vehicle veered into a crowd at around 4pm, while five people were injured in a similar incident two hours earlier.
Police forces across Britain are warning companies about the high number of catalytic converter thefts, which are causing a considerable cost to UK businesses. With precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium increasingly being used in catalytic converters, the current trend for rising metal prices is increasing thefts of these valuable components. However, the […]
The IAAF is urging its members, garages and parts distributors, to take advantage of an opportunity to give the European competition authorities a first-hand view of the difficulties encountered in accessing technical and cataloguing data from the vehicle assemblers. Following the IAAF’s survey of vehicle assemblers at the start of 2014, the European Commission have […]
Unipart Automotive has introduced a time-saving Quote Finder tool for the first time. The Quote Finder allows motorists to enter their vehicle registration and mileage when visiting www.uccc.co.uk, before selecting which job they require. Unipart Automotive currently has a network of more than 700 Unipart Car Care Centres, and the new online service will help motorists identify their nearest five garages and every cost associated with their initial request.
Bridgestone supports White Helmets with Extance training
Members of the historic motorcycle skill display team, White Helmets are to train with Enduro and Dakar legend Mick Extance, courtesy of Bridgestone. The tyre manufacturer is backing The Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team with equipment and tyres for 2014, and has put the group in touch with the seven times Dakar Rally competitor’s off-road school in Powys, in an attempt to improve each soldier’s riding ability.
The British Battery Industry Federation (BBIF) has announced two moves designed to help the public when buying batteries for their vehicles. For motorists owning vehicle operating ‘start/stop’ systems, fitting the correct replacement battery is an important topic.
Dunlop has launched a tribute pack to celebrate its return as ‘official tyre partner’ to the 2014 Tourist Trophy races. The pack, signed by John McGuinness, includes a specially minted Isle of Man 50p coin, three Isle of Man postage stamps showing McGuinness in full throttle and a piece of the ‘Morecambe Missile’s 2013 race winning tyre as used in laps five and six of the Senior TT.
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