For the past two years, Pirelli has supplied vehicle manufacturers with original equipment tyres tailored for electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The tyre maker is now offering Pirelli Elect products as replacement fitments and states that these are “now widely available” for aftermarket customers. Pirelli has integrated Elect into all P Zero, Cinturato and Scorpion lines, thereby offering the technology for summer, winter and all-season ranges.
It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of the founder of Aftermarket magazine, Bob Sockl, who passed away last weekend aged 75, following a long illness. If you would like to share your memories of Bob, a memory page has been created by Aftermarket magazine. The family are collecting donations for Demelza Hospice Care For Children. You can make a donation, by visiting the memory page.
A swap and a new addition – that’s how the changes amongst the top 10 largest automotive suppliers by turnover worldwide can be summed up. Places one to five stayed the same as last year. That means: Bosch leads the top 10, followed by Denso, Continental, ZF Friedrichshafen and Magna. Behind them, Hyundai Mobis, now sixth, and Aisin, now seventh, have swapped places compared to the ranking published last year, before Michelin and Bridgestone follow unchanged in eighth and ninth place respectively.
Klarius reports that it has been using its “extensive UK stock of exhaust systems, components and accessories to limit price rises to the aftermarket” up till now. However, the continuing rises in global energy costs are now being compounded by direct sanctions on trade with Russia, which is also pushing up raw materials costs for manufacturing industry.
Klarius has added 19 new aftermarket exhausts to its market-leading range, including replacement diesel particulate filters (DPFs) for the 2011-2015 Volkswagen Crafter van. All the latest parts, as well as the rest of the range, are available with next morning delivery to UK stockists and distributors.
TMD Friction’s Mintex marque has launched six new brake pads and three new brake discs extending its product lines to cover more vehicles.
BM Catalysts has added Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) references to its range. To coincide with the launch, the manufacturer has also produced some useful point of sale content which includes a technical poster, explaining more about SCR technology and its effectiveness in reducing vehicle emissions.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have become vital for a car’s safety and form a critical part of EuroNCAP’s star safety rating system. But to ensure ADAS items continue to work correctly they need to be recalibrated after remedial work. With that in mind, tyre service and maintenance provider ATS Euromaster is advising fleets to consider recalibration work in any SMR undertaken on a vehicle that might affect the proper functioning of the affected safety system.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has officially opened its new manufacturing facility in Dudelange, Luxembourg, an operation it calls a “first of its kind” for the company. The inauguration on 5 May follows a US$77 million investment in industry 4.0 digital manufacturing processes at the site.
In 2019 30.2 million MOTs were completed. That figure increased to 31.3 million in 2021 and it is expected to grow again in 2022. Specifically, over a million more MOTs are expected to be conducted this year compared to 2019, according to SecretService.
Following the NTDA’s swift rebuttal of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ suggestions that longer MOT test intervals may help with the cost of living crisis, Mark Field, IAAF chief executive, has argued that the opposite is actually true:
Reports suggesting UK transport secretary Grant Shapps is once again considering changing MOT frequencies to two-yearly intervals began being published on the evening of 26 April 2022. On the morning 27 April, Shapps was refusing to rule out those changes. Whenever the transport secretary came up with the plans they are old news which has been repeatedly debated, consulted on and ultimately rejected. Such proposals are also “ill-advised” according to the National Tyre Distributors Association, whose chief executive Stefan Hays blasted Shapps’ alleged MOT proposal in a statement released at noon on 27 April.
The DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit has commenced testing the compliance of OEM and aftermarket braking components. Testing both performance and labelling in accordance with UNECE 90 Regulation, DVSA recently tested eight different brands of aftermarket brake pads.
The proposal that MOT testing in Northern Ireland should move from annual to biennial testing has stirred up a variety of opinions among the trade and the public and, over the past weeks, National Franchised Dealers Association Northern Ireland (NFDA NI) has drawn attention to the issues currently facing the MOT system in Northern Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure’s proposals for biennial testing.
Following the news that HELLA and Faurecia are joining forces, the two automotive suppliers have announced that they will be operating jointly in the aftermarket. This means that Faurecia products will soon also be available through HELLA’s aftermarket division. By bundling activities, not only do customers benefit from a comprehensive range of services, but above all from a significantly expanded product spectrum.
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Klarius
Klarius
Mintex
BM Catalysts
ATS Euromaster
Scica911; Pixabay
IAAF
Pixabay
Forvia