When listing off the major European alloy manufacturers, it isn’t hard to forget the “Française de roues” plant in Diors, smack in the middle of France. The company, along with Dial, is the only cast alloy wheel manufacturer remaining in France. The wheel maker has been established for a number of years and was known as Montupet before its parent company announced plans at the start of to divest its wheel business to Indian company Deltronix.
Kohlberg Kravis Robert (commonly known as KKR) has confirmed reports that it is acquiring a controlling stake in Alliance Tire Group (ATG) from an affiliate of Warburg Pincus. KKR also confirmed that Yogesh Mahansaria, founder of ATG, will continue to maintain an ownership stake in the company and partner with KKR to continue to grow the business. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed and so details of current shareholdings and therefore the balance of power are not yet clear. As usual, the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory and third-party consents.
In addition to announcing a 30 per cent rise in sales last year, Blackcircles.com appears set to expand across the Channel in the near future. Company founder and managing director Mike Welch states the online retailer aims to grow market share both in the UK and internationally and claims that Blackcircles.com is now in talks with parties in Central Europe; if all goes to plan, an announcement regarding a partnership or acquisition will be made before the end of this year.
Huw Lewis Tyres, a family run tyre dealer with three sites in and around Aberystwyth, became the first independent tyre dealer to sign a long term contract with Michelin in March. The agreement follows a partnership begun in the second half of 2012 with ATS Euromaster, for whose fleet customers Huw Lewis Tyres provides local services. From the acquisition of the former ATS Euromaster Aberystwyth site in 2009, the tyre retailer has since expanded to three sites with Lampeter and Machynlleth run by Lewis’s two sons – all this merely seven years after Huw started his business.
Changes to the management structure of Pirelli Deutschland’s sales and marketing team took effect on 1 April. Amongst these tweaks is an extension of Sascha Kemper’s area of responsibility. In addition to his current position as Germany-wide sales manager for the original equipment truck business and Northern Germany sales manager for the replacement market truck business, Kemper has taken over as head of the replacement truck business in Southern Germany from Sascha Ihrig.
On 1 March, Titan International announced its intention to offer through a private placement, subject to market and other conditions, US$275 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.875 per cent Senior Secured Notes due 2017. The tyre maker says it intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to repay a portion of the existing indebtedness of certain of its indirect subsidiaries under the European credit facilities assumed as part of its acquisition of Titan Europe Plc in the fourth quarter of 2012. Any remaining net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include financing potential future acquisitions and the repayment of other existing obligations.
At this week’s Tire Technology Expo in Germany, Silica supplier Solvay shared that it is considering further capacity increases on top of those implemented in 2011-12, which increased the firm’s global silica capacity by more than 10 per cent. Solvay said the increases were implemented to keep pace with demand for low rolling resistance tyres. The company didn’t share any specific details on upcoming silica product developments, however it confirmed that new innovations can be expected; announcements will be made once customers have been given samples for use in production trials.
Voith Industrial Services has strengthened its position in the UK automotive industry by acquiring ThyssenKrupp Services Ltd. According to the company, the acquisition will create a combined business with a workforce of over 2,000 employees at 35 locations. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Trelleborg recently received the highest rating – an ‘A’ – in AGCO Fendt’s supplier evaluation for 2012. The assessment scored Trelleborg’s overall performance on quality, service, logistics and environmental commitment.
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With Apollo Vredestein’s Enschede factory continuing to expand, and with the Indian parent company having invested around 100 million euros in the European company since the 2009 acquisition, Tyres & Accessories took advantage of its recent visit to Enschede for the opening of Apollo’s new global R&D centre and also have a look at the latest developments at the Dutch tyre factory.
Trelleborg shares that its acquisition of Maine Industrial Tire has been finalised. The purchase of the US-based solid tyre maker will broadens Trelleborg’s product portfolio within the industrial tyre segment; Trelleborg says this will enable it to “maintain its global leadership in the supply of solid tyres.”
Trelleborg Wheel Systems has agreed to to acquire Maine Industrial Tire, a US-based solid tyres manufacturer. Maine Industrial Tire’s headquarters is in Massachusetts, US, while its production facilities are located in Pennsylvania, U.S., and Xingtai (Hebei), China. Annual sales amount to approximately 600 million Swedish Krone and approximately 650 people are employed in the company. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.
The Canadian subsidiary of US company American Tire Distributors has acquired the outstanding shares of Tire West Trading (Canada) Ltd., an Alberta-based firm that trades under the name TriCan Tire Distributors. With this purchase, ATD has expanded its distribution services beyond the borders of the United States for the first time, something the company refers to as a “significant step”.
Corghi’s Artiglio Master Code, released half a century after the company first introduced the automatic changer, remains the Italian manufacturer’s flagship light tyre changer. The Master Code utilises ‘leva la leva’, or leverless technology – which Corghi also pioneered a dozen years ago – and features automatic wheel dimension acquisition, enabling automatic tool positioning, and the Smart Corghi System demounting procedure; with these functions, opines the Nexion s.p.a company, the Master Code “rewrites the rule book for tyre changers.”
Norgesdekk AS has bought P. Holth AS in a move that sees the company expand to five locations. The business already has operations in Bergen, Jaeren Kristiansand and Tonsberg, Norway. According to the company, the expansion takes effect on 1 January 2013.
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