Richard Todd appointed Starco COO
After 25 years at the helm of Starco, CEO and majority shareholder Peer Ejlersgaard has handed over executive responsibility for the Starco Group to Richard Todd and Karsten Petersen, and has become chairman of the board. Ejlersgaard is being joined by a new board of directors in a move that aims to further strengthen both the daily management of the company and its strategic development for the future.
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ATS Euromaster back in the black
At the start of the year that ATS Euromaster marks its 50th anniversary, the leading tyre retail chain is kick-starting 2015 with the welcome news that it has returned to profitability after a challenging few years in the red. According to executives, this comes as the result of the successful implementation of a five-year turnaround plan and means ATS Euromaster is on-track to significantly increase profits over the next couple of years.
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TyreSafe: significant increase in cracked wheel rims
Retail members of road safety organisation TyreSafe are reporting “significant increases” in the number of cracked wheel rims as a result of driving on potholed roads. Therefore TyreSafe encourages motorists to increase the frequency of their tyre pressure checks in a bid to identify and prevent potentially dangerous tyre failures resulting from pothole-damaged wheel rims.
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Lyons to head Giti international PCR marketing and sales
Giti Tire managing director – Europe, Richard Lyons has been appointed director of international marketing & sales for passenger car. Lyons will retain his role within Europe while increasing the scope of his responsibility for Giti passenger car tyres. Complementing the role fulfilled by Chris Bloor, director of international marketing & sales for commercial tyres, they are jointly responsible for all commercial and product activities outside of the Chinese and Indonesian markets across the replacement and original equipment initiatives, the manufacturer states.
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Pirelli’s ‘Cyber Tyre’ designed to ‘read the road’
The latest innovation to emerge from Pirellis Milan headquarters is the “Cyber Tyre” and with it Pirelli believes it is pioneering a new generation of tyre technology. The Cyber Tyre features embedded sensors and is designed to provide vital information about vehicle performance and road conditions. The idea is that this data is then conveyed to the driver as well as to the car’s electronics, helping improve safety and efficiency.
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Modern cars are more hackable than ever
Modern cars are in danger of being hacked by criminal gangs, motoring experts have warned once again. Possible motivations for hacking are said to include theft of information, extortion and even causing vehicles to crash. Security vulnerabilities in connected cars and in TPMS/RFID systems have been identified before (see Automotive suppliers, smart cars, intelligent tyres and safety concerns in last Februarys magazine and Researchers Hack a Hole in TPMS in the September 2010 issue of Tyres & Accessories), but now attention is turning to cars fitted with wireless networks and Internet. The fear is that these connections can be exploited by hackers with access and control a cars systems, including braking and acceleration potentially being overriding remotely, according to security consultants.
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Show review: Reifen China 2014
The eighth annual “Asian Essen”, Reifen China took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in the first week of December, with some of the Chinese tyre industry’s major players rubbing shoulders for the last time in 2014. The European side of the Sino-German partnership behind the annual show, Messe Essen stated that it expected the presence of around 120 exhibitors in hall W1 and 15,000 trade visitors. This latter figure, unconfirmed at the time of writing, takes into account the other three-quarters of the twin exhibition; RubberTech China 2014 and the International Exhibition on Rubber & Elastomer, led by the China United Rubber Corporation, comprised around 500 exhibitors across another three halls (W2-4). Messe Essen CEO, Oliver P Kuhrt stressed the importance of the ‘Reifen’ brand’s presence in China, stating in his introduction to the show that it “stands for the success of a fair made in Essen extending across borders”. With about two thirds of the exhibitors at May’s Reifen 2014 visiting Essen from outside Germany, Messe Essen also noted the importance of Reifen China in recruiting Asian participants, whose attention the exhibition organiser has drawn in Shanghai.
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Toyo releases new R888R UHP road and track tyre in UK
Japanese tyre manufacturer Toyo Tires has announced the UK launch of its road-legal track tyre, the Proxes R888R. The tyre will be displayed at Autosport International, which begins tomorrow (8 January 2015). The tyre previously made its global debut at the Essen Motorshow in November.
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CES UK supporting Liverpool classic car restoration training garage
The Parts Alliance member, CES UK is supporting a classic car restoration scheme designed to give young people the skills to gain employment in the motor industry. Basetech Automotive Training Services in Liverpool uses Ferraris, Alfa Romeos and Jaguars, plus hot rods and motorbikes, to help inspire and engage teenagers aged 14 to 18. CES UK uses its network of contacts among independent garages to find suitable placements for students from. In the past two years its support has helped 159 young people into work, the company says.
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NTDA to run conference alongside 2015 dinner and Tyre Industry Awards
The NTDA has announced plans to host a one-day conference on the 1 October, alongside its popular Annual Dinner and Tyre Industry Awards. The event, which will be sponsored by Zenises, is moving to the International Convention Centre (ICC), Birmingham. According to the NTDA, the ICC was chosen for its “accommodating layout and fluid walkways connecting 10 halls and 10 executive meeting rooms, together with a dedicated registration area and foyers”. Furthermore, the venue has hosted many high profile events including the G8 Summit in 1998 and is the only UK venue to have hosted all three of the major Political Party Conferences in the last five years.
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Looking up? Why there’s more room for tyre demand improvements
Our review of the year at the end of last year, pointed out how many sources had expected better times for the tyre retail market in 2014. Now as we move forward into 2015, Tyres & Accessories examines the current case for the demand recovery in the market. Many of the wider economic indicators point to broad economic recovery. At the same time pay is rising and inflation is levelling off at around 1 per cent, meaning household incomes should be rising. Furthermore fuel prices are lower than they have been for years. And of course, all this should lead to greater tyre sales volumes and even improved product mix. It is customary to be positive and even optimistic at this time of year, wishing everyone a happy new year etc, but the question remains with regard to our tyre market predictions - will it?
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Translogik aiming to significantly increase sales volume with new product
At the end of 2014, with news of the launch of the new Opti-Tread system for passenger car tyre auditing still fresh, Tyres & Accessories visited Translogik CEO Laren Yeomans at the company’s new Oxfordshire offices in order to find out more about the new product and how it fits into Translogik’s wider strategy. But first a little background. Translogik is the Tyre Management Solutions division of Transense Technologies PLC, a firm specialising in the development of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors and related technologies. The Transense Group is comprised of three divisions. IntelliSAW, based in Boston, USA, specialises in wireless temperature measurement used in various industrial applications, SAWSense, the firm’s research & development and technology transfer operation; and Translogik – the part of the business we were in Oxford to learn more about.
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Linglong Tire’s R&D, European factory plans – Wang Feng gives details
Speaking at the signing ceremony of Shandong Linglong Tire’s agreement with German football club VfL Wolfsburg, the tyre maker’s CEO spoke of the “first class exposure” and substantially increased brand awareness the partnership will bring. He also discussed Linglong Tire’s growth ambitions and the role Europe will play in achieving these.
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Continental buys mould manufacturer A-Z
Continental has acquired German tyre mould and container manufacturer A-Z Formen- und Maschinenbau GmbH. The Bavaria-based specialist reports that the tyre and automotive components maker has taken over the interests belonging to both former shareholders. Further details will be made public in January, and employees were informed of the deal at a plant meeting yesterday. “Continental has belonged to A-Z Formen- und Maschinenbau GmbH’s clientele for many years,” shared the mould manufacturer in a statement. “The Runding-based company will, together with its subsidiary in the Czech Republic (A-Z Czech S.r.o.; d.Red.), become an important part of the Continental group and continue its long-term positive business growth.
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Football & tyres: Linglong Tire partnering with VfL Wolfsburg
As of 1 January 2015, Shandong Linglong Tire will become an international partner to German Bundesliga and Europa League football club VfL Wolfsburg. The multi-year deal sees the tyre maker become a sponsorship partner to the Wolfsburg men’s team in markets outside of Germany. The partnership includes a commitment with Wolfsburg United, the international sporting project from VfL Wolfsburg, and will subsequently support respective Unicef projects and the VfL football school.
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