Two ArvinMeritor LVA employees are taking up the BEN Centenary Aftermarket Challenge, as they attempt to cycle the full length of the country, from Lands End to John O’Groats. The money raised will go towards supporting auto industry employees and their dependents who find themselves in need of help.
Toora, the Italian alloy wheel manufacturer, has announced that its new UK distributor is to be Exclusive Tuning & Design. Established in 1993, Toora have modern facilities based in Bergamo, and have a range of popular designs which have sold well throughout the UK.
Exclusive Tuning are based in Exeter and have a management team with decades of experience in the UK’s aftermarket industry. Paul Normington of Exclusive Tuning said: “We are delighted to have been selected by Toora to supply their well designed range of wheels. We will be holding large stock levels to ensure we can cope with the strong demand.”
The public bus company of Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki, is to equip more than 500 of its buses with Wabco’s Integrated Vehicle Tire Pressure Monitoring (IVTM) systems.
Motor Wheel Service Group launched a full range of forged alloy wheels at the recent Commercial Vehicle/Automotive Trade Show. According to the company, the new forged alloy wheels are exclusive to the MWS Group and will increase the range of wheels already stocked by the company. MWS is remaining tight lipped about which company is responsible and where the new wheels are being produced, but was keen to point out that the MWS forged alloy range will include both polished and machine-finished wheels and will be available through the company’s MWS Wheel Systems (OEM source) and MWS Aftermarket divisions.
Last year some 29, 000 business visitors flocked to the combined Automotive Trade Show and the Commercial Vehicle Show. After a strong start in 2004, the ATS and CV show now has the support of market leaders across the entire aftermarket. With exhibitors and visitors expected from all sectors; garage, body shop, fast fit or factor, there will be a range of new products to see and try. Organisers say there is no longer any doubt that combining the two exhibitions was the right thing to do – Tyres & Accessories will be there to see if they are right.
The growth of high performance tyres in the UK is outpacing the rest of Europe. V-Z rated tyres have grown 15-20 per cent in the last year. However the sector has, in the past, been largely led by OE fitment and reserved for the main players. How well are second line and budget brands competing in the aftermarket? Tyres & Accessories looks at how tyre manufacturers are extending the boundaries and what exactly is possible when it comes to upgrading tyres.
(Akron/Tire Review) Continental Automotive Systems has appointed David M. Mestdagh as director of the company’s North American aftermarket business.
Mestdagh will be responsible for overall business strategy, product quality and performance and will oversee development of sales and marketing activities for the company’s ATE brand.
Previously, Mestdagh served as national accounts sales manager for Visteon Corp.’s aftermarket group and has held various positions – including national retail sales manager, program group manager and sales and marketing development manager – at Federal-Mogul Corp.
Kayaba UK has improved its logistics support to the aftermarket with an additional warehouse facility and a new warehouse manager.
Located in Warrington, next to the company’s HQ, the new warehouse provides an additional 5,000 square metres, with a stockholding capacity of 42,000 components and space for 500 pallets.
Running the new operation is newly-appointed warehouse manager Chris Flood (32), who joins Kayaba UK from logistics company Exel, where he worked his way up to management level.
Well known celeb Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs has put his name to a new line of aluminium wheels. His partnership with American company, Weld Wheels, will produce a line of Sean John-branded custom one- and three-piece precision-forged aluminium wheels for the sport truck, luxury SUV and high-end American and German luxury car markets. The custom designed wheels made their world debut at the Greater New York Auto Show last week.
In the past the European alloy wheel market was heavily influenced by the decisions of large local producers. However these companies successfully chose to focus more and more on the original equipment business. As a consequence they had to neglect the aftermarket. This created a vacuum, which newcomers from Europe and the Far East have tried to fill. One such company is BSA from Malaysia. In Malayasia, these three letters represent a premium brand, although this is not the case in Europe – and this is something that is unlikely to change overnight. However when the Rudersdorf, Germany based wheel manufacturer, SMC, manufactured with BSA, the company found that it had gained rapid entry into the catalogues of important European wholesalers.
BSA’s slogan is “The Sign of Quality.” These words represent the company’s intention to bring quality into the aftermarket. Rolf Bene, managing director and owner of SMC GmbH is particularly interested in developing good customer relations, exclusively in the aftermarket business. BSA chairman, Dato’ Cam Soh Thiam Hong, summed this up when he said that it was all about: “You and ME!”
Derek Ranking has been appointed as managing director designate of DETA batteries. The news follows the announcement that David Johnson will retire from the business he founded almost 30 years ago. Mr Ranking joins the Manchester based company from the Unipart Group and has worked extensively in the automotive aftermarket and aerospace industries. Following his appointment, Mr Ranking will be working closely with the company founder, who first imported DETA batteries into the UK in 1977.
“David and I are working together to develop a clear vision for DETA’s future growth and to ensure that there is a smooth transition when he retires. I’m delighted to join DETA whose batteries have been specified over the past 50 years as OE, by the cream of German car and motorcycle manufacturers,” Mr Ranking explained.
SmarTire has signed an agreement with North American company, Motor Coach Industries International (MCI), for the supply of its bus tyre monitoring system.
MCI designs, manufactures and markets coaches and coach-related parts and services for the market, it currently produces approximately 1400 new coaches per year. The agreement covers both aftermarket installations on existing MCI coaches and original equipment installations on at least one of the company’s production lines this year.
Research carried out by the US Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) shows that consumers rate product quality and trust above price when selecting a vehicle service provider. According to the Tire Review report, researchers discovered that the cost of service ranked seventh in the study. The report entitled “The Aftermarket Consumer: DIY or DIFM” looked into the factors affecting consumer decision making.
Beissbarth UK has been awarded the Institute of Transport Management’s (ITM) ‘UK Company of the Year 2004/5’ accreditation.
This is the second award to be received by the company within the space of six months. After winning the industry’s equipment provider award of 2004 ‘Best Garage Equipment Provider.’
The NTDA has confirmed that more than 100 delegates have registered to attend a seminar exploring the possibility of developing a market for winter tyres in the UK.
The suggestion follows a successful campaign in Holland, where involved parties saw the winter tyre market increase nine-fold in four years. The NTDA says that a similar exercise in the UK could establish a new market of over 2.5 million units. In Holland, the campaign has been based on the slogan: “If there’s an R in the month change to winter tyres.” Although the country has a similar climate to the UK, sales have risen from around 50,000 units in 1997 to the current high of almost 500,000.
“In a highly competitive and mature market like the UK the prospect of increasing the overall market size by over two million units is an opportunity that cannot be ignored. We are delighted with the response to the seminar which has exceeded expectations so we know the trade is interested in finding out how the concept can be turned into reality,” added Mr Edy.
Tyre & Accessories will be reporting from the seminar, which will take place on 13 January at The Aftermarket Show in Birmingham.
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