The cat’s out of the bag: Continental, Semperit all-season tyres are on their way
What differentiates those who work in marketing within the tyre industry from those employed in a technical capacity? The latter tend not to mince words, and are more likely to say what they think rather than slip into jargon and PR-speak. We can learn a lot from this direct approach.
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Falken tyre compound technology wins Tire Technology of the Year Award
Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ global brand Falken has won the Tire Technology of the Year Award at the annual awards for innovation and excellence. An independent panel of 27 international tyre industry experts presented the brand’s Advanced 4D Nano Design technology, the latest development of the pioneering work debuted by SRI in 2014, with the accolade on 15 February 2017 at the Tire Technology Expo in Hannover, Germany.
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Kwik Fit: Many Mail on Sunday statements inaccurate
The Mail on Sunday has engaged in a spot of sleuthing, and claims that Kwik Fit charged its undercover reporters for car parts that were never changed and urged them to consent to certain repairs it says were unnecessary. In response, a spokesperson for the vehicle repair and fast-fit chain states that the Mail on Sunday article “focused on a small number of allegations with which we fundamentally disagree.”
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‘Only efficiency will save tyre distributors’ – Top 5 European tyre wholesaler Fintyre
In response to a contracting market in 2013 and 2014, Italian wholesale giant Fintyre underwent a reorganisation, involving relocation north from Empoli to Seriate, Bergamo and a staff reduction of 60 employees. The overhaul of the company structure did not end there; it started a process in 2015, completed in late 2016, which has changed the face of Fintyre. This, it states, has consolidated its position as the leader of the Italian market with a share of around 25 per cent. In 2015, British investment firm BlueGem Capital Partners, which at that point held a 90 per cent share in Fintyre after its original 2009 investment, was recapitalised following a major financing agreement with GSO Capital Partners. The company then made two major acquisitions – Pneusmarket and Franco Gomme – which have helped to increase turnover from 255 million in 2014 to an estimate of more than 400 million euros in 2016.
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Trending? Tyres and economic trends
The UK economy grew 0.6 per cent in the October-to-December period. Taking the year as a whole, the economy grew 2 per cent, 10 per cent slower than the growth of 2.2 per cent achieved in 2015. Good news, I hear you say. But, as with many things in life, the details tell a more complicated story. Many sources, such as the BBC, contend that this better-than-expected growth is because of increased consumer spending during the last quarter of the year. However, it is also worth pointing out that UK car production achieved a 17-year high in 2016, according to the latest figures published by SMMT. This comes at the same time that the motor manufacturer’s association reported new car registrations of just under 2.7 million for the year – itself another record. This being the case, it is worth taking a closet look at the figures and the messages give us in the inextricably linked tyre sector as well as the economy as a whole.
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Autosport 2017: Where the motorsport industry and tyre trade meet
Tyre firms present included Pirelli, Yokohama, Toyo, Landsail, MRF and Davanti In addition, the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) welcomed Mark Garnier MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department of International Trade (DIT), to the annual global motorsport showcase at the show. Garnier, who is also MP for Wyre Forest, leads on high value export […]
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On the up? Pricing trends in the UK car tyre aftermarket
With raw material prices reaching the sky-rocket part of their lifecycle, as well as realisation by some Chinese tyremakers that unrealistically low prices can’t go on forever, all in the presence of the now ubiquitous post-Brexit vote uncertainty, many industry observers have suggested that tyre prices – including those for passenger car applications – are likely to rise during 2017. Tyres & Accessories spoke with Encircle Marketing’s resident industry analysts David Myers and Jason Cunningham in order to find out more.
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Disreputable traders, illegal tyres – association shares part-worn experiences
Although the National Tyre Distributors’ Association would like to see them banned and TyreSafe implores motorists not to buy these products, around 4.5 million part-worn tyres are sold in the UK each year. The Local Government Association (LGA) has now also highlighted some of its members’ experiences with the sellers of used tyres, and cautions motorists to exercise caution when buying.
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From boss to spectator – Ecclestone out as F1 changes hands
Formula One has a new owner, and while Liberty Media’s acquisition of the championship means business as usual for tyre supplier Pirelli for the time being, another familiar fixture left the stage yesterday. News of the acquisition’s completion was accompanied by the announcement that Bernie Ecclestone has stepped down as F1’s chief executive officer after 40 years in the job.
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UK management team to lead Michelin solutions in northern Europe
Michelin solutions UK commercial director Paul Davey and sales manager Richard Dale have expanded their roles to include functional support to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, in addition to their existing responsibilities within the UK and Ireland.
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Micheldever management comment on Sumitomo sale
On 5 January, Micheldever announced that it was being purchased by Sumitomo Rubber Industries of Japan (the company behind Falken, one of Micheldever’s key exclusive brands). While it was no surprise that the business had been sold, the idea that Sumitomo would be the successful bidder was not widely foreseen. With Micheldever having grown into a leading position in the UK wholesale sector with a multi-brand, independent retailer-focused strategy, the acquisition raises many questions for the business’s staff, suppliers and customers. With this in mind, a week after Sumitomo’s purchase Tyres & Accessories met with Micheldever managing director, Duncan Wilkes; wholesale director, Alan Baldwin; and wholesale marketing manager Rory Carlin to find out more about the background to the deal.
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UK to leave European single market
Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated that Britain is headed for what might be called a hard Brexit in her most direct speech on the subject since the EU referendum on 23 June 2016. She also announced that Parliament would vote on the final Brexit agreement between the UK and the EU.
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Michelin demonstrates benefits of Ultraflex tyres, central tyre inflation in Aberdeenshire
The pressure to produce higher yields at lower prices is a theme common to most aspects of the agricultural industry; dealing with that pressure is, both literally and figuratively, the task of tyres fitted to the larger, more powerful machinery designed to deliver on this goal. For tyre manufacturers, field tests and demonstrations with the farmers’ and contractors’ own equipment provide the best opportunity to show how their particular products and solutions can help them to achieve increased productivity. It also allows those brands who work most closely with original equipment manufacturers to demonstrate their tyres’ interaction with agricultural machinery and components such as central tyre inflation systems. Tyres & Accessories recently visited Maxwell Farms, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, to see Michelin conduct such a demonstration.
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Giti Tire bringing its flagship car tyre brand to Europe
The company supplying as many as a fifth of all car tyres fitted to new vehicles manufactured and sold in China is preparing for the European launch of its flagship brand, and has its sights on both the original equipment and replacement markets in our region. With its new, designed-for-Europe Giti range, Giti Tire aims to become “an established original equipment supplier and recognised technology partner in Europe.” Three product lines will be introduced into a key initial market in the coming months ahead of a wider European rollout.
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Bartec Auto ID targets greater European prominence with aftermarket product range
Bartec Auto ID is currently an example of a company and brand more famous outside its domestic market than within it, though a recent behind-the-scenes event at the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and automotive diagnostic equipment manufacturer’s headquarters near Barnsley, South Yorkshire showed how managing director Colin Webb and his team plan to raise the profile of this British manufacturing success story. In the TPMS sector, growing globally with the support of legislation, Bartec claims a market share of more than 80 per cent of car plant installations in Europe and North America, achieved since its first installation for Renault in 1998, and a similar proportion of aftermarket TPMS tools coverage, with 95,000 TPMS devices in North America – including 96 of the 100 largest tyre retail chains – and 28,000 in Europe. The company supplies OEM tools to marques such as Mercedes, Ford and Volkswagen, while manufacturing tools for aftermarket brands like Snap On (TPMS2), Mac Tools (TPR), Schrader (Exp’Air and Activ’air), and Bosch (TPA200).
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