Irish independent long-haul logistics company Virginia International Logistics says it is making significant fuel savings with Continental as it celebrates 30 years in business. The firm has saved 1,800 euros in the past six months by running Continental tyres across half of its fleet, and is now in the process of moving all remaining vehicles onto Continentals.
GiTi Tire brand, Primewell has launched a fully-integrated marketing campaign designed to attract new customers and support key dealers, led by a new website. Primewell-tyres.co.uk features a key dealer locator, a tyre search facility by both size and registration plate, a more navigable product search facility and full sections on tyre labelling and news for both passenger car and van markets.
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the first car tyre manufactured in Japan. Sumitomo claims the honour of producing this premiere Japanese tyre, and almost a century on the company reports it has finished developing a whole new tyre manufacturing system, which it calls NEO-T01. This new system has been created “in the pursuit of ultra-high precision tyre production technology,” said Sumitomo.
Retreading materials supplier Oliver Rubber is commemorating its 100 anniversary. The US firm was founded in Oakland, California in 1912 by engineer Marion F. Oliver, and believes it may well be the first company to retread tyres using pre-cure rubber; it accomplished this feat in 1916. In that same year Oliver Rubber became one of the first in the industry to work with organic accelerators and use carbon black as a reinforcing pigment.
Maxxis International has aligned its brand with some of the UK’s biggest performance car shows and events in 2012, mostly in conjunction with the drifting team Team Japspeed, which it sponsors. “This season’s events have been some of the best yet, with amazing cars and bigger crowds than ever, and we are delighted with the response from what is, after all, a hugely knowledgeable and very demanding customer base,” said Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.
Southampton based alignment equipment supplier, Supertracker is 25 years old this year and Tyres & Accessories visited managing director Trevor Lovesy and alignment specialist, Jerry Barker to celebrate the milestone. Having been established by Lovesy’s parents in 1987 the company has moved from a cottage industry needing to sell 26 units in its first year to a major supplier of alignment equipment to Kwik Fit. It is indicative of the company’s quick progress that 1987 actually saw 87 sales, with the first units manufactured in August.
Michelin has marked the 60th anniversary of the introduction of radial truck tyres in 1952. The company says its first Michelin X Radial truck tyre helped to transform the road transport industry, which until then was using cross-ply tyres. The company says radialisation made trucking safer and more efficient. Of course, following the innovation, other manufacturers pursued the same path, meaning that radial tyres accounted for 100 per cent of the Western European truck tyre market in 2011. Michelin now estimates that radials account for 73 per cent of truck tyres worldwide.
Pirelli takes its P Zero and Cinturato branded Formula One tyres to the USA Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas between 16 and 18 November, and has been preparing for its first visit to Austin, Texas using simulation work. The data for its preparation was obtained from a visit to the track during its construction; the track will only be opened officially this weekend 20-21 October. While practically every circuit was new to Pirelli last season, the circuit is one of only two – and since the other was the thoroughly established Hockenheim, the Circuit of the Americas could be seen as the brand’s biggest challenge of the year. (While it had not raced at Bahrain before, the Italian firm had tested there in the past, and had plenty of information to fall back on.)
China Tires & Rubber Technology Fair, a trade show and conference jointly organized by Shandong Rubber Industry Association and Qingdao Jinnoc International Exhibition Co. Ltd, it promoting the dates of its 2013 exhibition.
Double Coin Tires and its US distribution partner China Manufacturers Alliance, LLC (CMA) reports that it the companies are unveiling three new products at this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, CMA will display one of the company’s giant off-the-road mining tyres, the Double Coin REM-11 40.00R57 E4. The 40.00R57 stands almost 12 feet tall and is the latest addition to a range of Double Coin giant OTR radials that includes other 57’, 51’, and 49-inch’ rim diameters.
Cafmin, the holding company which is currently controlling shareholder of Italian tyremaker Pirelli, launched a fixed-rate 150 million euro ($194.14 million) bond on Friday 11 October. The bond is convertible into 5.85 per cent of Pirelli shares.
Shane Byrne recorded a hat-trick of victories at Brands Hatch to win his third British Superbike Championship. The Kentish rider entertained a large crowd, pushing hard for the three wins, including a final race overtake on series runner-up Josh Brookes, despite a safe points cushion. The series’ tyre supplier, Pirelli pointed out that the man known as “Shakey” had completed victory on the 20th anniversary of the Japanese manufacturer’s last title in 1992. Pirelli also took part in BSB history across its twelve 2012 rounds, making a foray into Europe at Assen. With new power and budget equalling regulations as well as single tyre supply, Pirelli argues that the series has never been more open and level, producing an incredible eight different winners during the year.
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It is 25 years since Michelin launched the first radial motorcycle road tyres, and the French manufacturer has announced that it will mark the occasion at London’s Ace Café. Michelin will attend the venue’s regular monthly ‘Streetfighter Night’ on Friday 7 September, with ex-250 and 500cc world champion, Freddie Spencer. Spencer will arrive at the café at around 18:00-18.30 on a Michelin Pilot Road 3 liveried Virgin Limobike, which has been painted to mark to company’s switch to the ground-breaking Michelin sport touring tyres, which are now fitted to its entire fleet of Yamaha FJR1300s.
Supertracker has been present as an exhibitor at Brityrex for a number of years now and this year – the Southampton-based firm’s 25th anniversary year – will be no different. Supertracker says it believes Brityrex to be an important stage for the company to further establish its presence in the UK as one of the most progressive and successful alignment experts in the market. Managing director Trevor Lovesy views Brityrex 2012 as representing a perfect opportunity to meet up with the company's growing customer base and look towards opening additional business opportunities with potential new customers.
Pirelli Tire North America has celebrated its 10th anniversary as a resident of Rome, Georgia, and although some of the company’s business operations have moved to New York in recent years, the facility still serves as the company’s manufacturing base, one of five global R&D centres and as headquarters for Pirelli’s NAFTA Region.
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