Agricultural
Mitas has been awarded the overall prize at the Claas Supplier of the Year Awards 2014. The farm equipment manufacturer rewarded Mitas for its development partnership, a cooperation including active participation in logistics and lesser development projects. The gala event took place in January in Harsewinkel, Germany. Mitas won the award from among 900 serial part suppliers.
We’ve mentioned in the past that while most farmers and agricultural machinery operators know the tyres Mitas produces, the Mitas name itself often flies under the radar. But the Czech Republic-based tyre maker is doing everything in its power to change this, and as a result the industry has heard the Mitas name a lot of late. Not only has the company released details of its PneuTrac technology (see the May 2014 issue of Tyres & Accessories for more on this) and trials using alternative sources of rubber, it has launched a programme to ensure the agricultural segment realises that the Continental agricultural tyres manufactured and sold over the last decade are in fact Mitas products, and in future will be known as such.
Dorset-based agricultural contractor, Bernard Cox Ltd is replacing one Michelin CargoXBib for another after the tyre registered five years’ service. The contractor, which works mainly on arable and grassland contracts in the Dorchester area, specified the CargoXBib 560/60 R 22.5s as original equipment on a fleet of new trailers. The tyres are now being replaced as the tread has worn sufficiently due to the intensive work they have undertaken.
Having launched to acclaim in 2014, Trelleborg’s ProgressiveTraction technology has continued to impress award judges. The latest addition to the manufacturer’s trophy cabinet is the LAMMA 2015 ‘Best New Product or Innovation (Environmental)’ gong. Sponsored by IAgrE (the Institute of Agricultural Engineers) the award recognises outstanding contributions to agricultural engineering and the associated industries.
Trelleborg’s ProgressiveTraction agricultural tyre technology will be honoured with a FinOvation Award during the US Farm Machinery show. The striking “stepped” double lug was introduced to European acclaim in 2013. It is designed to homogenise the transmission of force, leading to improved traction and longevity in the field. Farm Machinery will take place from 11 to 14 February in Louisville, Kentucky.
At its press conference at the SIMA agricultural show in Paris on Friday, ATG (Alliance Tire Group) will present, amongst other new additions for 2015, its new 380 VF very high flexion radial tyre. ATG says it decided to introduce VF technology into its 380 pattern as logistics are becoming ever more important in modern agriculture, and agricultural sector operators seek tyres suited to low soil compaction field work and on-road use.
At next month’s SIMA agricultural fair in Paris, BKT will present its new Agrimax Sirio tyre range. The Agrimax Sirio will be shown in two sizes, 710/70 R 38 and 540/65 R 38.
Following its announcement in November that it would soon begin substituting the Continental brand name for Mitas Premium on its European market original equipment agricultural tyres, Mitas shares that the process began in January. Agricultural tyres included in the Mitas Premium product line are those designed for high-horsepower machines, including Very High Flexion (VF) and Super Flexion Tyres (SFT).
As reported last month, Michelin is gearing up to make some changes to its Exelagri dealer network in Europe. In a UK-market press release, the tyre maker describes these changes to its agricultural tyre dealer programme as “ambitious growth plans” and says its enlarged, 1,000 outlet network aims to gain a 50 per cent share of the agricultural tyre market by 2024. While the release does not specify where this growth will take place, Tyres & Accessories understands that Exelagri growth efforts will focus on Eastern Europe.
Olaf Sandeck has joined Mitas’ German subsidiary and will soon take over as manager of the national sales and marketing operation. He began his tenure with the tyre maker in December 2014 and, as of March 2015, will succeed Gerhard Schulterobben, who currently leads Mitas’ German sales unit. Schulterobben will retire after 11 years with the company.
Liverpool wholesaler Kirkby Tyres, a market leader in the UK agricultural tyre sector, has recently expanded, purchasing a further three acres adjacent to its site for the expansion of warehousing and logistics. The company now has nearly 10 acres at its HQ; the latest development represented significant growth. “Support from our key suppliers is enabling Kirkby to expand in the OE and aftermarket within the UK and Ireland,” MD Dave Dorrity told Tyres & Accessories. The wholesaler supplies Alliance, BKT and Malhotra brand tyres to the segment, as well as becoming the exclusive Trelleborg wholesaler for the UK last year. Ahead of LAMMA, Dorrity gave T&A a rundown of current activities with its major brands, as well as detailing a new deal with Linglong.
A major UK wholesalers in the agricultural tyre segment, RH Claydon will exhibit at LAMMA in late January with 62 years’ experience behind them. The company boasts a wide range of brands and fitments to meet the needs and requirements of the sector; sales and marketing director, John Parker said, “the agricultural or (off-highway) market is what we do best and is definitely the area that the industry judges to be our core sphere of expertise.”
According to news reports in the US, Bridgestone intends to lay off almost 70 people from its agricultural tyre factory in Des Moines, Iowa. Whotv.com writes that the 69 layoffs will be voluntary and are planned to counter declining industry-wide demand for agricultural tyres. Bridgestone will re-evaluate the layoffs at the end of the first quarter of 2015.
In addition to the Dealer Locator app for smartphones announced today, Trelleborg has launched its Tyre Selector. The online tool is designed to help farming professionals select the right tyres for individual applications, including agriculture, forestry, agro-industrial and light service.
Trelleborg has optimised its Dealer Locator app for iOS and Android smartphones, adding the details of more than 5,000 professional agricultural tyre and machine dealers. Already available on tablets, the Trelleborg Dealer Locator is offered in five languages and identifies the Trelleborg tyre dealer nearest to a selected location. The manufacturer has been expanding its suite of mobile device applications throughout 2014, having identified this area as a valuable service for its customers. It has introduced updated Load Calculator, Tire Efficiency, and Tire Book apps, in addition to innovating its marketing approach through a video game.
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