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Customers who research tyres online, but purchase offline were the major topic of this year’s annual conference for Michelin’s Auto Professional network. Michelin estimates that around 70 per cent of tyre purchases begin online – though actual online tyre purchases remain much lower – so tackling this growth market is now an important aspect of tyre retail, as Mark Meagher, retail programme development manager explains.
While turnover at Nexen Tire was just stable in the third quarter of this year, the third-largest South Korean tyre maker was much more profitable. Turnover amounted to KRW 470.2 billion (£322.4 million), down a whisker from the KRW 470.3 billion recorded a year earlier, however operating profit rose 28.4 per cent to KRW 65.4 billion (£44.9 million). Operating margin increased year-on-year from 11.0 per cent to 13.9 per cent. The company’s ordinary profit also increased, up 102.3 percent to KRW 53.6 billion (£36.8 million).
Imports of truck tyres into Europe have significantly increased over the past five years and have devoured market share formerly held by local players, particularly European retreaders. Detailed analyses on this phenomenon can be found here and here.
The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) has endorsed sidewall drilling in a bid to re move end of life tyres from the retail supply chain. Following its executive council meeting on 9 November 2016, the NTDA stated:
Europe’s retreading industry is in poor shape. Sales volumes have – with the exception of a peak in 2010 and 2011 – decreased by a quarter since 2007. What’s more, the million or more retreads that weren’t (or couldn’t be) sold during this time were offset by an almost one million unit rise in new truck tyre imports. It is no great secret that up to 90 per cent of these imports originate in China and are offered in Europe at prices that make those typically charged by retreaders seem exorbitant, and it can even be posited that these products call an entire industry’s competitiveness into question. Pre-cure retreading, a process more often than not performed by small and medium-sized operations, has come under particular pressure of late. Looking at this phenomenon, it is easy to wonder if we are witnessing the start of a long-term structural change within the industry.
Recognising the attractiveness of all-season tyres to the majority of the UK market, leading weekly magazine Auto Express has conducted its second comparative test of six products in the segment. Testing on the bestselling 17” size, 225/45R17, the magazine used the independent Test World facility, with support from Hankook, to test in snow, and Continental’s Contidrom to test in cold and wet conditions to represent winter, and dry conditions to represent summer. The full test also included two leading seasonal tyres, the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1 winter tyre and the Continental ContiSportContact 5 summer tyre, which showed that all-season products continue to represent a compromise; however the performance gaps in the tests most relevant to UK drivers may surprise critics of year-round tyres.
The portfolio of Continental tyres available for the high performance/comfort segment has been simplified with the introduction of a single product to replace two application-specific ranges. The new tyre is the Continental PremiumContact 6; Tyres & Accessories has experienced what the range has to offer and will cover the PremiumContact 6 in our December magazine, however here are the key points for those wanting to find out more now.
Apollo Tyres is reportedly investing in a new two wheel and light truck tyre factory in Andhra Pradesh. The news followed the publication of the company’s second quarter results.
Pirelli is currently trialling the latest tyre in its Carrier range of van tyres with certain UK fleets – and with its all-season performance characteristics, the fitment could be a good solution to keeping UK fleets on the road in the country’s inclement winter weather without the need for the downtime of a tyre change. The Carrier All Season is designed to work equally well throughout the year, and also benefits from Pirelli’s Seal Inside technology, further extending valuable mobility.
While its latest US acquisition gives an indication of Conti’s future fleet strategy, the manufacturer has also been boosted by recent European endorsements. Scottish quarrying and supply company, Tillicoultry Quarries, implemented a Continental construction tyres only policy following several months of practical on-the-job testing. Speaking from its company’s Kincardine site in Fife, Craig Wilson, site & transport manager, said: “For a long time we had run a combination of remoulds and ‘budget’ tyres. We were experiencing significant downtime however, as well as the added costs of driver waiting, mechanic call outs and delayed deliveries, so we implemented a thorough review of our tyre policy. At about that time, our latest batch of Scanias came in with Continental construction tyres fitted, which allowed us to monitor those particularly closely.”
Campaigning body Transport & Environment (T&E) has published research suggesting original equipment vehicle manufacturers are “again manipulating official tests – this time on safety by adjusting indirect tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) to pass the lab test but failing to perform on the road”.
Following the implementation of US import tariffs in the last year (car tyres 2015; truck tyres 2016) and the widespread recognition of vast oversupply in the Chinese manufacturing base, there has been talk of consolidation of tyre industry in the People’s Republic for some time.
In the last few weeks however, it has become apparent that several Dongying, Shandong-based tyre manufacturers (especially those found in the Gungrao district) have experienced serious difficulties resulting in bankruptcies, buyouts and mergers. Now the consolidation trend appears to be gathering speed.
Deruibao Tire was the first to go pop more than a year ago, taking the private brand orders of some well-known wholesalers and importers with it, before its assets were taken on by fast-growing Qingdao Doublestar in what some characterised as a shotgun wedding, but was also a sign of things to come. Several local Chinese news sources named Dongying-based Hengyu Tire as the next to go (with the latter apparently declaring bankruptcy on 14 February), followed by the smaller and younger O’Green and Watson Tyre factories.
At the same time, various Chinese tyre distributors report that Yongtai Chemical’s tyre operations have shut down. Company representatives were not available for comment. However, we do know that Yongtai-owned Covpress (a Coventry-based panel metal supplier to well-known OEMs including Jaguar Land Rover) has entered administration. And furthermore, DMack – which had made itself popular selling World Rally Championship tyres made at Yongtai Chemical – switched production of its tarmac competition tyres to Cooper Tire Europe’s Avon Motorsport division in Melksham in mid-August (see “Yongtai Chemical-owned Covpress in administration” for further details).
Falken will expand its ultra-high performance (UHP) flagship tyre, the Azenis FK510, to include SUV tyre sizes in 2017. The Sumitomo Rubber Industries global brand states that the new additions reflect the growth of the SUV market and continues the tyre manufacturer’s strategy of supplying an extensive range of products in profitable and high-growth segments. Starting in January 2017, the Azenis FK510 SUV will be available in 19 sizes ranging from 17 to 22 inches and will come with a speed rating of W or Y.
Yokohama’s research on ‘Highly accurate fluid analysis and data mining for next-generation silent tyre development’ has received an Excellent achievement research project award for general-use research themes undertaken using the High Performance Computing Infrastructure (HPCI). Yokohama’s research was conducted in cooperation with the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), a research arm of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), HPCI is promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The award was announced at the third project report meeting of the HPCI System Including K computer, held at the Kokuyo Hall in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on 21 October.
Al Saeedi Group has held a meeting with its Camso, formerly Camoplast Solideal, tyre customers. The event was chaired by Ferreol Tournebize, Camso zone director for Middle East Africa; Majid Tamoutounour, business development manager Middle East Africa; and Anish Malattiri, director, Al Saeedi Group.
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