Tyre wear particles – minor problem for the industry or potential ‘tyregate’?
The UK government identifies tyres as potentially responsible for up to ten per cent of the microplastics in the world’s oceans, and some research conducted abroad suggests this proportion could be much higher. A study from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicates that 28.3 per cent of all primary microplastics may come from tyre/road wear (this figure rises to 46.2 per cent when the IUCN includes both natural and synthetic rubber in its scenario), and earlier this year a marine biologist from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research singled out tyres as a “major influence” upon the presence of microplastics in our oceans. Taking such research at face value, it is feasible that the ‘dieselgate’ scandal could be followed at some stage by ‘tyregate’. Yet the tyre industry asserts that tyre/road wear isn’t the environmental and health risk some claim it to be. Continental’s Nikolai Setzer recently discussed this side of the argument.
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Bridgestone buys ETB, Britannia Tyres
Bridgestone has bought all the shares of ETB. ETB – otherwise known as Exhaust Tyres Batteries and Britannia Tyres – runs 32 different locations, with 265 employees assisting more than 10,000 customers a month. The news follows the sale of Bridgestone’s Kingsway tyre retail business in the East England to Lodge Tyre in September 2017. More widely, Bridgestone has been behind a series of high-profile tyre retail acquisitions across the major European tyre markets. Both ETB and Britannia Tyres will continue operating under their current identities and with their current team, with founder Charles Ivill continuing to direct operations from the ETB company headquarters in Worcester.
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WLTP impacting tyre markets
Introduction of the new vehicle emissions and fuel consumption test protocol, the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) is already having an impact on what wheels and tyres are available in the market. Of course, the size of vehicle wheels and consequently tyres is hugely influential in vehicle carbon dioxide (CO2) and fuel consumption (miles per gallon – MPG) performance and in recent years there has been a trend by motor manufacturers to fit larger wheels to vehicles, including even larger rim sizes as options.
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Budget truck tyres still gaining on premium, despite import tariffs
2018 has been an important year for the European and UK truck tyre markets. With anti Chinese-produced truck tyre tariffs having been introduced in May, some sources – especially those focusing on retreading – are already reporting a positive uptick in demand as a result of reduced numbers of Chinese-produced tyres. But how does this translate into the new tyre market? Here Tyres & Accessories considers the latest data from market research specialists GfK, with a particular focus on the UK new truck tyre replacement market.
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Is there danger lurking under your gloves?
People often refer to fast-fit and garage work as the kind of trade where you get your hands dirty. However, the same people are usually less conscious of what this means in practice. Fewer still are aware of what can be done about it.
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The four steps of the Bandvulc/Conti integration
Retreading has always been a key part of Continental’s truck offer to achieve what it refers to as Lowest Overall Driving Costs (LODC), but this was further enhanced when the company announced the purchase of Bandvulc, (located in Lee Mill, Ivybridge) in the UK in July 2016. Bandvulc had been producing Continental’s hot retread ContiRe for over 20 years to support fleet business in the UK, so it was a natural progression to bring Bandvulc into the Conti family – but how has the Devon-based retailer been integrated?
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Yongtai Group enters administration
The Chinese Yongtai Group, which once ranked as the 32nd largest tyre manufacturer in the world and which used to produce World Rally Championship tyres for DMack as well as the well-known Durun budget brand, is bankrupt. Shandong Yongtai Group Co., Ltd. officially entered administration on 16 July 2018. On 4 August 2018 Shandong Dongying Intermediate Peoples Court published documents showing that Guangrao County-based Caijin Asset Management Co., Ltd.’s application for Yongtai to enter administration had been accepted. The Beijing-based Dacheng (Jinan) law firm was appointed as the administrator of Yongtai Group.
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August 2018
Click on the CONTINUE READING button to view the August 2018 issue of Tyres & Accessories
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Electric vehicle battery industry could be worth £2.7 billion for UK chemical companies
A report published by E4TechA shows that UK companies are well-placed to supply valuable materials needed for batteries to be built in UK, representing a potential £2.7 billion per year business opportunity. The report was commissioned by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick, was launched to the Chemical Industry Association at the Chemistry Growth Partnership meeting in London, chaired by Steve Foots, chief executive of Croda, and attended by Richard Harrington MP.
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Bickers helps dealers power up their battery knowledge
Lead-acid battery units have been the technology of choice for automotive SLI (Starting, Lighting and Ignition) applications for the past 150 years. Thanks to their long development process, they have gained trust among consumers. Their popularity also stems from a high tolerance to abuse and overcharging, as well as a low-price tag and a wide diversity of sizes and capacities available.
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Batteries landscape changing – Ecobat
Figures released by Ecobat Battery Technologies’ (EBT) long term battery partner, Varta, almost 90 per cent of the cars manufactured this year will feature start-stop technology, meaning that more than 30 per cent of all vehicles entering the independent workshop will be equipped with this feature by 2020. These vehicles use batteries specifically designed for these systems, without which they will malfunction and potentially fail.
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Zhongce Rubber enters global top ten tyre manufacturers
China’s largest tyre manufacturer, Zhongce Rubber, has entered the global top ten, research published today by Tyrepress shows. Best known in Europe for its Westlake brand, the company has pushed up in the rankings past Giti Tire – manufacturer of GT Radial – which did not supply 2017 figures before the deadline, Toyo Tires, and Cooper Tire & Rubber, which fell three places. Competition in the lower quarter of the top ten places is fierce, with turnovers for tyres between 2.4 billion euros (Cooper in 13th) and 3.2 billion euros (Maxxis in ninth).
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NTDA: EC anti-subsidy decision ‘no great surprise’
Following decisions on the part of the European Commission (EC) to review its Chinese truck tyre anti-dumping tariffs and to decide against implementing anti-subsidy remedies against Chinese-produced tyres for the time being, the industry itself has been responding to the news. For its part, the UK’s National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) was not shocked by the news that the EC is not planning to implement anti-subsidy (otherwise known as counter-veiling duties) and highlighted difficulties associated with their implementation.
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All-season tyre prices continue to grow, winter prices flatten
Earlier research based on point of sales system-based sell-out data shows that mid-range all-season tyres are leading market growth, followed by premium tyres (see “Mid-range all-season tyres lead market growth” for more on this). At the same time 4x4 and SUV tyres specifically appear to be driving growth. Both facts point to the hypothesis that market growth is being driven by high-value products, which makes both all-season tyres in general and SUV/4x4 all-season tyres in particular attractive parts of the tyre business to engage in. But what evidence is there that this thesis is supported by sell-out pricing?
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Mid-range all-season tyres lead market growth
There are signs of significant growth at the top end of the all-season tyre segment, with volume and value skyrocketing in the ultra-high performance tyre segment. According to GfK Panelmarket data comparing figures from July 2016 to June 2017 with the period between July 2017 to June 2018, sales of all-season tyres are up a healthy 9 per cent overall.
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