Honesty is the best policy
As in life, when it comes to tyre testing, honesty is the best policy. Nokian Tyres’ “worst day ever” happened at the end of February – with the Finnish manufacturer and well-known winter tyre specialist accused of manipulating tyre test results for a decade and then apologising for “mistakes” relating to tyre tests. The two quickest responses to the story were from Nokian Tyres itself and – more surprisingly – Michelin, which deftly pre-empted the widening of questions relating to tyre testing by putting out a statement of its own. As a result, both Nokian and Michelin have adopted exactly the right approach, from a communications perspective at least. Looking at the story through this lens we can see practical examples of the golden rules of PR in action – control the narrative, take initiative and tell the truth.
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ADAC tyre test: Why Pirelli’s results were missing
This year’s ADAC test of 15-inch tyres for small and compact cars included the comment that a Pirelli tyre took part in the test, but was not included in the final results table as the testers noticed “marked variations” in performance for a number of test criteria. This caused a few raised eyebrows, given its publication on the very day that allegations of tyre test rigging by Nokian Tyres surfaced, so Tyrepress.com contacted the ADAC to find out more.
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Nokian accused of rigging tyre test results for a decade
Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti has accused Nokian Tyres of making bespoke tyres for tyre testers in order to improve its test results. And what’s worse the paper says it has been going on for 10 years. Kauppalehti cites internal Nokian emails it has seen as being evidence supporting its story. Following the publication of this story, Nokian Tyres has issued a statement saying it regrets any mistakes it made in the way it handled magazine tyre tests.
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Budget tyres declared a “high risk” in GTÜ summer tyre test
As a way of introducing its 2016 summer tyre test, German vehicle inspection organisation GTÜ poses the question: Is expensive really better when purchasing tyres? To provide an answer, GTÜ – together with car magazine Auto Zeitung – evaluated 14 size 225/45 R 17 summer tyres that ranged in price between €210 and €430 per set. The test candidates included recent releases from Dunlop, Goodyear, Falken and GT Radial, as well as several products described as “budget tyres from the Far East.”
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Cooper Tire’s Roy Armes to retire
Roy V. Armes, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Cooper Tire & Rubber, has announced his intention to retire on 31 August 2016. According to the company’s succession plan, the Cooper Board of Directors will appoint incumbent chief operating officer Bradley E. Hughes to the roles of president and chief executive officer effective upon Armes’ retirement, and Hughes is also expected to join the Board of Directors at that time. Thomas P. Capo, who is now lead independent director, is expected to become the Board’s non-executive chairman upon Armes’ retirement.
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GfK: UK still amongst largest and fastest growing SUV tyre markets
The UK is still one of the largest and fastest growing 4x4/SUV tyre markets in Europe. In fact, according to the latest data compiled by market research specialists GfK Automotive, the UK is the second largest in Europe with sales of 1.157 million 4x4 tyres in 2015. Speaking with GfK Automotive account director Kevin Glynn, Tyres & Accessories learnt that only Italy’s annual sales of 1.4 million 4x4 tyres last year was bigger.
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Fire at Goodyear Dunlop’s UK headquarters site
Goodyear Dunlop’s UK headquarters at Tyre Fort in Birmingham have been damaged by fire. According to West Midlands Fire Service, a fire broke out at the Wingfoot Way site yesterday evening and spread through the building’s ventilation system. Crews were called to the scene just after 7pm. The Fire Service announced shortly before midnight that the fire had been extinguished.
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Dmack said to be looking at UK production
At present, all Dmack tyres are manufactured in China. However if news published today by the News&Star is correct, Dmack production may begin in the UK within the next two years. The publication writes that “plans have been unveiled for a £200 million factory in Carlisle.” Tyrepress.com has reached out to Dmack for further details about this project and will publish them when they become available.
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Closures: Dark clouds over Marangoni’s Rovereto site
Dark clouds currently hang over Via del Garda in Rovereto, Italy. Around 290 workers at the Marangoni Group’s headquarters site have been on strike since yesterday, prompted by a decision taken by their representative union last Friday. The workers are fighting for the future of their jobs and fear for the future of their employer. According to local media, company CEO Massimo de Alessandri has described Marangoni’s situation as “increasingly difficult.” Many of those affected are questioning the company’s future and worry that Marangoni plans to lay off up to 50 per cent of the site’s workforce. Speaking with Tyres & Accessories, de Alessandri stated that such a reduction is a matter “of pure speculation” promoted by insecure workers and unions.
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Premium tyres fight back, yet margins remain headache in e-commerce era
An influx of new vehicle registrations has driven demand for premium car tyres upwards in the UK. Yet somewhat paradoxically, the price of these products has continued to fall, further impacting the margin retailers can make versus what they can expect on lower-priced products. Tyres & Accessories sat down with Micheldever wholesale director Alan Baldwin and wholesale marketing manager Rory Carlin to discuss the premium fightback and its symptoms for dealers. “Premium brands are absolutely in the ascendancy,” Baldwin says.
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Arlanxeo – 1 April launch for Lanxess, Saudi Aramco synthetic rubber firm
State-owned oil company Saudi Aramco and specialty chemicals company Lanxess report that all pertinent authorities have cleared the joint venture agreement signed by the two parties last September, and as a result their joint synthetic rubber company will come into being on 1 April 2016. The 50/50 joint venture will be known as Arlanxeo.
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Davanti completes Idiada benchmarking tests: video
Having launched at Autopromotec in May 2015, the Oak Group’s Davanti Tyres private brand has grown quickly, with the appointments of Sean Maddocks to UK and Ireland sales director, and Andrew Billingham and Andy Kent as regional sales managers. In addition to growing the management team, the brand has undergone a series of benchmarking tests for its current passenger car tyres at the large Applus+ Idiada proving ground near Barcelona, which has grown in stature since 1994 to become what is widely thought of as Europe’s premier independent facility – an opinion backed by the comparatively large number of tyre manufacturers currently testing on site.
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Bridgestone launches the DriveGuard aftermarket runflat
With its new DriveGuard car tyre, Bridgestone has produced a new touring product for the European market that makes the extended safety and mobility of runflat technology accessible and convenient enough to reach a broader range of drivers than ever before. Launched at a well-subscribed event in Monaco, Tyrepress finds the manufacturer rolling the dice on a newly end-user focused strategy. While the DriveGuard branding and concept of a runflat that can be fitted to any TPMS-enabled car were launched in North America two years ago, the manufacturer’s management representatives explained to T&A that the latest tyre has been developed with a newly European focus. But Bridgestone was also prepared to double down on what it considers to be a “game-changing” product. Considering the pre-existence of the runflat technologies contained within the tyre and the DriveGuard brand well before the European iteration’s launch in January’s Monaco-based event, Bridgestone laid its cards on the table when it stated that the new touring tyre would “revolutionise the tyre industry.” This sort of rhetorical gambit is rarely seen in the tyre industry, so Tyrepress was interested to learn how the company would back up these claims, and whether the tyre lives up to its billing.
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Tructyre wins £1.2 million driverless truck funding bid
A consortium initiated by Tructyre has won £1.2 million of funding for its “Pathway to Autonomous Commercial Vehicles” project. This project aims to develop “an innovative solution to monitor key information from the vehicle and predict safety risks based on analytics”. It builds on a prototype which monitors tyre pressures and temperatures in commercial vehicles, combined with always-on network connection.
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What to do about the EU?
The morning we went to press we awoke to the news that David Cameron has almost negotiated an “emergency brake” deal. In other words, the British Prime Minister is working to control the number of migrants entering the country and the amount of benefits the state should have to pay them. Early indications suggest that Cameron will be able to pull the “emergency brake” for up to four years if the UK can prove Britains social and welfare system is under “excessive strain” from immigration. However, all this obscures the wider political debate that is going on within British politics and the conservative party itself. And it belies the fact that parties of all colours are positioning themselves politically ahead of the UK referendum on whether or not to remain a member of the European Union.
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