Premium Archives - Page 59 of 112

Karl Naylor joins Kumho as national sales manager

23rd June 2015

Kumho Tyre (UK) Ltd (KTUK) has appointed Karl Naylor to the newly-formed role of national sales manager. Naylor will lead the car tyre sales team in further growing its business within Kumho’s own network of independent retailers, while simultaneously developing new market channels for the brand. The former Grouptyre MD will report to sales director Kevin Peck.

BM Catalysts invests in increasing output

22nd June 2015

BM Catalysts, a UK-based manufacturer of aftermarket Catalytic Converters (Cats), Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) and Front Pipes, has invested over £500,000 in its in-house production facilities, as well as the internal layout of its head office to help improve production processes and create a better environment for its employees.

Michelin supporting Ford’s 2016 return to 24 Hours of Le Mans

19th June 2015

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the 1-2-3 finish achieved by the Ford GT at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and to mark the occasion Ford is returning to the endurance race with an all-new vehicle bearing the Ford GT name. At a recent press conference, Ford shared that it will work towards this goal with Michelin as its exclusive tyre technology partner.

Industrial tyre sector performs well despite raw material and forex complications

18th June 2015

With signs that European economies are improving at the same time logistics and the commercial vehicle tyre market is picking up, you might expect the industrial tyre market to be growing too. But with the euro depreciating against the dollar, most of the major manufacturers have announced price increases of between 8 and 10 per cent, making the situation somewhat more complex. With all this in mind, Tyres & Accessories spoke with Eddy Woolley, a director of UK-based national mobile fitting specialist First Industrial Tyres (FIT), in order to find out more about what this means on the ground.

Michelin submits F1 tyre supply bid

17th June 2015

It appears that Michelin has thrown its hat back into the Formula 1 ring. Michelin Motorsport has retweeted comments its director made to Motorsport.com confirming its submission of a F1 tyre supply bid ahead of the 17 June tender deadline. Pascal Couasnon shared that Michelin decided to enter the running in the hope that the championship would take a new direction in regards to tyres.

Autopromotec considering South American and/or Middle Eastern shows

16th June 2015

For the past few years Autopromotec’s organisers, Promotec Spa, have observed an ongoing “regional versus national trend” in the automotive trade show field. Up till now Promotec executives haven’t shared much about what this means for their shows or what plans they have in response, but now it looks like the goal is to export the successful Autopromotec model to other regions and markets, making the Bologna ‘mother show’ even more of a regional exhibition rather than simply an Italian show. Tyres & Accessories met up with Autopromotec brand manager Emanuele Vicentini during May’s Autopromotec in Bologna and learnt that we could soon be hearing about Autopromotec events in other countries.

Hankook Europa League sponsorship goes into extra time

16th June 2015

Hankook has announced that its sponsorship contract with the UEFA Europa League will continue for another three years. The tyre manufacturer will be an official partner to the prestigious club competition until the end of the 2017/18 season, having started in 2012. Explaining the latest contract extension, Hankook stated that sport sponsorship activities are an integral part of the company’s marketing strategy in the region. It claims this strategy has contributed to 13 and 6 per cent increases in consumers’ awareness of and references to the brand respectively in the European market. Many of the tyre industry’s biggest brands have capitalised on the huge global popularity of the beautiful game.

US ups Chinese tyre import tariffs

15th June 2015

On Friday 12 June, the US Department of Commerce (Commerce) gave its final determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations relating to the importation of Chinese produced passenger vehicle and light truck tyres. While many analysts and observers had expected the tariff percentages to be reduced – based on previous experience of similar cases – in fact they were increased. In some cases the combined anti-dumping and countervailing duties are north of 188 per cent. While this is at the top end of the range, and notwithstanding one or two exceptions, most tyre companies manufacturer in China or importing Chinese tyres into the US, will now have to pay significantly more than was first thought.

Motor Codes announces UK’s most trusted garages

11th June 2015

Motor Codes, the government-approved garage scheme, has revealed the UKs 11 most trusted garages, as voted by customers of its 8,000-strong garage network.

Goodyear to pay Sumitomo US$271 million to end global joint venture

4th June 2015

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is to pay Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) US$271 million to end its global joint venture with the Japanese firm. Goodyear expects to increase annual income as a result of the deal, while SRI will take on expanded use of the Dunlop name around the world. This largely means Russia, Africa and Asia, but not Europe. The reasoning behind the dissolution? According to SRI, the North American and European joint ventures did not perform as initially expected. Furthermore there was decreasing technology exchange between the two companies – all of which led both parties to “dissolve the alliance in a constructive manner”. This led to the arbitration filing and subsequent dissolution talks in January and February 2014 respectively.

Falken secures first Nuerburgring 24H podium in front of largest group of European dealers

3rd June 2015

Falken Tyres achieved its aim of a first podium at the Nuerburgring 24 Hours. The team of Peter Dumbreck, Martin Ragginger, Alex Imperatori and Wolf Henzler guided Falken’s Porsche 997 GT3 R from 19th on the grid to a podium slot, improving on its fourth place finish in 2014. The team’s number 44 Porsche – the only car on the grid to use Falken tyres – rose gradually through the field overnight, dealing well with typically varied Eifel region weather. Tyres & Accessories, visiting the event, enquires how the Sumitomo Rubber Industries brands European operation benefits from its relationship with the Nuerburgring and its flagship endurance race.

2015 tyre manufacturer rankings: Stability at the top?

2nd June 2015

Today we at Tyres & Accessories published our annual ranking of global tyre manufacturers on our tyrepress.com website. As always, this yearly survey takes the turnover of the industrys leading players into account and also provides information on operating profit/EBIT(DA) and annual net income.

Extra inches a first-class solution: Michelin Motorsport’s director talks race tyres and rim diameter

29th May 2015

In October 2014, Michelin and Renault Sport announced they would jointly develop 17- and 18-inch diameter tyres for the single-seat Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 3.5 cars that compete in the WSR (World Series by Renault). After three quarters of a year, the partners’ conclusion is that replacing the 13-inch tyres now in use with the two larger sizes is “a first-class solution to make driving more enjoyable still for competitors.”

Hankook releases Kinergy 4S all-season tyre

22nd May 2015

Hankook has launched a new all-season tyre, the Kinergy 4S (4S stands for “Four Seasons”). The manufacturer says the new tyre is distinguished by harmonious performance features across all seasons, making it an attractive alternative when it comes to ensuring legally compliant year-round mobility. The tyre can be used all year round even in countries with seasonal winter tyre requirements, as it bears the M+S and snowflake symbols (which will be required for winter tyres in Europe, as elsewhere, starting in 2018). All-season tyres have generated plenty of interest from tyre manufacturers recently, with rising sales in the segment indicating great potential for these products in markets with less extreme temperatures.

Michelin launching new hypersport tyre range to coincide with MotoGP return