TyreSafe: 10 million illegal tyres on British roads
Yesterday, 9 July 2015, TyreSafe held its annual industry briefing at the National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull. During the event TyreSafe announced the fun, shall we say “suggestive” theme for this year’s Tyre Safety Month and presented case studies of previous Tyre Safety Month activities alongside an update from Highways England’s Stuart Lovatt. However, as interesting as this was, the results of TyreSafe’s most recent tread depth survey, showing that there are potentially up to 10 million illegal and dangerous tyres on Britain’s roads – around 27 per cent of the whole market – really stood out.
Continue Reading
Manufacturers taking ‘various directions’ in all-season tyre development
All-season tyres are presented as an alternative to the fitment of separate summer and winter tyres, and this product segment is gaining popularity with British motorists who don’t consider a dedicated winter solution necessary but nevertheless like the idea of extra security when the mercury drops. Yet, as is the case with many things in life, the situation with all-season tyres isn’t as straightforward as it appears at first glance.
Continue Reading
BFGoodrich strengthens 4×4 portfolio with European launch of ‘best ever’ all-terrain tyre
Every summer, thousands of Land Rover enthusiasts throughout France make their way to the Auvergne region and pay homage to the esteemed off-road brand. Over a three-day period they test their vehicles’ mettle on a series of rugged courses, and when not traversing rocks, steep slopes and mud they can be found shooting the breeze with other like-minded devotees. Tyres & Accessories was present at the 2015 edition of ‘Landrauvergne’ during the first weekend in July, and in addition to being treated to the rare sight of our French neighbours flying the union flag and celebrating all things British (and least when it comes to off-road motoring), we gained the opportunity to experience the successor to BFGoodrich’s pioneering All-Terrain T/A KO in action.
Continue Reading
Regulation changes approach as TRA, tyre associations issue rallying cry
The Tyre Recovery Association’s (TRA) Recycling Day, a one-day conference and dinner organised in partnership with the Retread Manufacturers Association, was held at the Ardencote Manor, Warwickshire on Friday, 19 June. Attended by representatives of the tyre and waste recycling industries, the conference included presentations covering the key themes of regulations and enforcement, best practise and innovation, and common causes and issues facing the industry. The unity of the various trade bodies struck a particularly strong note throughout the day, not just through the joint organisation of the event between the Retread Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the TRA, but with strong backing given to the event by association directors representing the whole of the UK tyre industry. The Recycling Day also marked an occasion for celebration, as the TRA celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Continue Reading
MAM buys Origin Software Solutions
MAM Software has announced the acquisition of Origin Software Solutions Ltd (Origin), a UK-based provider of e-commerce solutions for the automotive aftermarket.
Continue Reading
CITExpo 2015 to bid farewell to Everbright with largest edition projected
Already possessing a convincing claim to being China’s biggest tyre show, the 13th CITExpo on 7-9 September 2015 will be the last at the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Centre. Having expanded to include an extra hall in 2014, exhibition organiser, Reliable International Exhibition Services will, in 2016, transfer the show to the modern surroundings of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (SWEECC), built in the centre of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo site. The move highlights the strong growth of CITExpo, whose move to a modern, world-class facility caps many years of apparent exhibitor and visitor growth.
Continue Reading
Cooper ready to support World RX and RX Lites Swedish ‘carnival’
The popular FIA World Rallycross Championship and RX Lites series, both racing on Cooper tyres, return to Sweden this weekend, in Höljes on 3-5 July. Previewing one of the most demanding rallycross circuits in Europe, Paul Coates, general manager – motorsport, Cooper Tire Europe, said: “The Swedish round at Höljes places some extreme forces on the tyres, with a sixth gear straight and quick changes from gravel to asphalt, plus the jumps.
Continue Reading
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK MD on proposed closure of Wolverhampton plant
Following Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK’s proposal to close its Wolverhampton mixing and retreading facility, Tyrepress spoke to the managing director of Goodyear Dunlop UK, Erich Fric, who explained the business reasons for the decision. “We’ve taken the decision to put this proposal forward based on the economic environment, and in order to keep our companies competitive in the long term,” Fric said.
Continue Reading
Crescent Motoring is Motor Codes’ UK Garage of the Year
The UK Garage of the Year Award was presented at the prestigious Auto Express Car of the Year Awards in London on June 30th. Motor Codes, the government-approved garage scheme revealed that Crescent Motoring from Burton on Trent in Staffordshire had scooped the prestigious award.
Continue Reading
Micheldever: TyreClick addresses market pressures and online competition
Following on from Micheldever Tyre Services’ announcement last year that its TyreClick online platform was in use by over 1000 UK tyre dealers, the well-known wholesaler is promoting its online sales platform as an antidote to the increasingly professional competition emerging online. With this in mind, Tyres & Accessories met up with wholesaler sales director Alan Baldwin at the company’s Walsall warehouse and office site just outside Birmingham at the end of June.
Continue Reading
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany to relocate remaining Wittlich PCR production
Another of Goodyear Dunlop’s European plants has today announced plans to cease a portion of its production in addition to the planned withdrawal from Wolverhampton. Tyrepress sister site Reifenpresse.de reports that Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany informed its employees of its intention to relocate remaining car tyre production from Wittlich to other plants within the region EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). PCR production has been shifted away from the plant gradually for several years, with the latest announcement completing cessation of Wittlich’s production of these products.
Continue Reading
Goodyear Dunlop Wolverhampton retread plant closure: history and reaction
The proposed closure of Goodyear Dunlop’s Wolverhampton retread plant will bring to an end 90 years of tyre production in the city. The factory was part of the first Goodyear factory outside USA, when the manufacturer first started producing new tyres in the city in response to post-World War One import tariffs designed to boost British industry. At its peak, the manufacturer’s operations in Wolverhampton were estimated to have provided more than 7,000 jobs, making it one of the most significant players in the local economy. This role diminished throughout the 2000s, as Wolverhampton job losses became a regular occurrence.
Continue Reading Goodyear Dunlop to close Wolverhampton retread plant
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK has announced a proposal to close its Wolverhampton mixing and retreading facility. Under the proposal, the company would move its compound mixing activities and the production of commercial retreads to other existing sites across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. It has been reported that the process of transferring operations would be completed over the next two years under the closure proposal.
Continue Reading
Iranian tyre industry aiming to double in size by 2025
Iran’s geographical location means it is ideally positioned to connect Eastern and Western Middle Eastern countries. With this in mind, a new paper produced by R&D and manufacturing management executives at Tehran-based Pars Tire Company highlights the countries current willingness to receive outside investment and identifies recent market trends – including some that sound surprisingly similar to mature markets such as Europe and the US…
Continue Reading
First Stop accepted by Foxy Lady’s female friendly Tyre Services Register
First Stop’s 76 branches will join a list of female-friendly garages, accident repairers and car dealers when it is accepted onto the Foxy Lady Approved Tyre Services Register. The Register identifies businesses that meet the female drivers club’s quality standards. Each member of the list has signed a Foxy Lady Promise to “never overcharge, patronise or sell women services they dont need.” The new tyre-based register, “monitored by regular female feedback” like Foxy Ladys other automotive industry registers, was started to build upon the club’s TyreSafe Online and Social Media Award in 2014, which recognised its work in promoting tyre safety using its Twitter and Facebook pages. The club is also a TyreSafe member.
Continue Reading