ZF acquires TRW Automotive, sells steering system business
A new “heavyweight” in the automotive components sector has been created today with the acquisition of TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. by ZF Friedrichshafen AG. TRW announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with ZF Friedrichshafen, which will see all outstanding TRW shares acquired for US$105.60 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $13.5 billion. The announcement that TRW is changing hands followed a separate statement from ZF Friedrichshafen announcing the sale of its 50 per cent share in the ZF Lenksysteme GmbH joint venture to partner Robert Bosch GmbH for an undisclosed sum; this transaction is said to have been made to satisfy antitrust requirements prior to the acquisition of TRW.
Continue Reading
Citexpo 2014 reports record figures
Following the conclusion of Citexpo 2014 on 11 September, all initial figures point to the event being the most successful in the international tyre shows history...by some way. Indeed, with this years unaudited visitor total said to have been around the 11,000 mark, the 2014 show could have grown by as much as 50 per cent since the last event, which attracted just over 7,000 visitors.
Continue Reading
Michelin to buy Germany’s largest tyre wholesaler
According to information available to Tyres & Accessories, major European wholesaler Ihle Baden-Baden AG may soon belong to Michelin. The French tyre maker is said to be planning a 100 per cent acquisition of parent company Ihle Holding AG, whose assets include some 20 companies. Ihle Baden-Baden AG, which is headquartered in the spa town that serves as its namesake, is Germany’s largest wholesaler and enjoys an annual turnover of around €175 million (2012). German and other European authorities are conducting merger control proceedings.
Continue Reading
Protyre Motorsport becomes Michelin Formula E global tyre supply partner
Michelin has named Protyre Motorsport as its global tyre supply partner in the inaugural FIA Formula E championship. The Winchester based firm will supply and service the Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyre, which has been specially developed for the series. Protyre experts will co-ordinate logistics and trackside assistance to all teams over the 10 rounds of the innovative series.
Continue Reading
Dunlop tops Auto Express 2014 tyre test
UK motoring publication Auto Express has named the Dunlop Sport BluResponse the winner of its 2014 test of the popular 205/55R16 tyre size. The Dunlop tyre was rated the top performer in three of the nine test criteria and came second in a further two. Test runner-up was its Goodyear stablemate, the EfficientGrip.
Continue Reading
Apollo Tyres launches Manchester United ‘Apollo Challenges’ competition
The word to Louis van Gaal is that Manchester United must finish ‘no lower than third’ in the Premier League this year, and should the recently-appointed manager meet this expectation it will be a marked turnaround of last season’s fortunes. Sponsors, such as tyre makers Federal, Multistrada and Apollo Tyres – the latter official partner for the club in 69 countries – also stand to benefit from a better year on-field.
Continue Reading
Pirelli confirmed for three more Superbike seasons
It has already served as official tyre supplier to the FIM Superbike World Championship for a decade, and Pirelli’s technical partnership with the series has now been confirmed for a further three years after winning the tender organised by promoter Dorna in agreement with FIM, the International Motorcycling Federation. Pirelli will thus continue as sole tyre supplier for all Superbike World Championship classes until the end of the 2018 season, and the tyre maker views the longevity of its relationship with Superbike as vindication of its initially controversial support for a single-supplier solution.
Continue Reading
Rösler sells Zeus tyre fill business – MD explains why
On 2 September, US-based polyurethane, plastisol and recycled rubber product manufacturer Accella Performance Materials Inc. (known before May 2014 as Dash Multi-Corp) announced its acquisition of Rösler Tyre Innovators’ “Zeus” tyre fill business for an undisclosed sum. Zeus has become a subsidiary of Accella Polyurethane Systems will operate as Zeus Tyrefill Systems GmbH. Speaking with Tyres & Accessories, Paul Rösler Jr, joint managing director of Rösler Tyre Innovators, provides some further details of the deal and explains why the company decided to exit the tyre fill production business.
Continue Reading
Citexpo 2014 opens its doors to record crowds
Citexpo 2014 opened its doors today to what looks like will be record breaking numbers of visitors by the end of the week. According to Reliable Exhibitions (the show organiser), China International Tire Expo, as it is more formally known, saw at least 5,200 visitors pass through the doors of the Shanghai Everbright Exhibition Centre during the course of the opening day. Inside, visitors found large, modern stands from the shows 348 exhibitors (up 13 on last years total) spread across four halls for the first time in the shows 12-year history.
Continue Reading
Parts Alliance acquires 3 more Unipart Automotive sites, appoints ex-Car Care head
The Parts Alliance has acquired three more former Unipart Automotive (UA) branches. Located in the south west of England, the Chard, Frome and Plymouth sites are expected to re-open around the end of September, according to The Parts Alliance. They bring the number of former Unipart Automotive branches acquired by the HgCapital-owned business group to 15 including the 12 acquired in July after UA went into administration. 24 more jobs have been saved as a result, while Paul Dineen, formerly regional director with UA and head of the Unipart Car Care Centres (UCCC) programme, has been recruited to oversee the eight ex-UA sites in Barnstaple, Penryn, Taunton, Tiverton and Exeter.
Continue Reading
European Commission says Hungary to host Apollo’s new tyre plant, endorses proposed investment
Apollo Tyres hasn’t officially announced where its planned European factory will be built, but it looks as if the honour has gone to Hungary. Today the European Commission confirmed that a proposal to give Apollo Tyres (Hungary) Kft. €95.7 million (approximately HUF 29 billion) in regional investment aid for the construction of a tyre plant in Gyöngyöshalász is in line with European Union state aid rules. The Commission found that the aid granted by Hungary favours regional development, while any distortions of competition will remain limited.
Continue Reading
Is Hankook the current UK truck tyre market leader?
It seems we have a new UK commercial vehicle tyre market leader - Hankook. As well as featuring “Industrial and Speciality tyres” from pages 58 to 69 of this September’s edition, this month we have also taken a detailed look at the development of UK truck tyre market. This meant speaking to high level contacts at various manufacturers, wholesalers and third-party analysts in order to produce an original analysis of the status quo. Our analysis was compared to a similar exercise Tyres & Accessories undertook in 2009 in order to give the overview some longer-term perspective. The results are published on pages 24 to 43 for your reading pleasure and engagement.
Continue Reading
Is the UK truck tyre market a five horse race?
Earlier this week, with reference to this month’s focus on the UK commercial vehicle tyre market we discussed how on average year-to-date, UK annual demand is reportedly around 80,000 tyres a month, which equates to 960,000 tyres a year (based on ETRMA figures). In the pre-recessionary years it went much further than this, but there was some doubt that market will quickly (if ever) return to levels of 110,000 a month? And has it shifted so much that it is now a five horse race?
Continue Reading
Brityrex goes up a gear
Just over a year after Singapore exhibition firm Singex bought ECI, the new combined entity (SingEx-ECI) has shared details of what promises to be a fully pumped-up show. Perhaps the biggest headline is that Brityrex now has the involvement of two premium tyre manufacturers in Pirelli (new this year) and Michelin’s training centre (which returns to the show). 2014’s show will be the first time in decades that two world-leading manufacturers have exhibited at a dedicated UK tyre show. In addition there are dozens of other fascinating exhibitors and a superb line-up speakers at the Tyre Talk seminar series that runs throughout the show.
Continue Reading