According to the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV), Apollo Vredestein will stop employing temp workers hired through agencies at its Enschede plant from April 2020. This means that almost 150 temporary jobs will disappear in addition to the approximately 750 permanent jobs that the tyre maker plans to shed.
Some 750 jobs will be lost due to restructuring at the Apollo Vredestein tyre plant in Enschede, the Netherlands over the next couple of years, and Dutch politicians want to know if the European Union has contributed in any way to the chain of events that will lead to some of Enschede’s tyre production relocating to Hungary. MEPs from Dutch political party the CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal) have asked the European Commission to clarify certain points.
A meeting between the management of Apollo Vredestein BV (AVBV) and employees took place today to discuss the future of the company’s tyre factory in Enschede, the Netherlands. The workforce was told that Apollo Tyres intends to “specialise” production at the site in order to ensure profitability. Measures related to this realignment include reducing AVBV’s personnel by approximately 750 full-time employees over a period of 24 months.
Private equity firm Warburg Pincus is investing around £117 million in Apollo Tyres via a subsidiary. On 26 February, the tyre maker’s Board of Directors approved the issue of up to 108 million compulsorily convertible preference shares, each with a face value of Rs 100, to Emerald Sage Investment Ltd. The transaction is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Startup Europe Partnership (SEP), an initiative by the European Commission, has distinguished Fiege as an Open Innovation Challenger. Having first achieved this standard a year ago, Fiege is being distinguished for the second time in a row. The annual ranking also includes multinationals like Google, Nestlé and Bridgestone. Next to Fiege, a further three German enterprises were distinguished: Bosch, Daimler, and SAP.
Apollo Vredestein recently announced that it is working with Traxx Tyres to distribute the Vredestein brand in the UK, and Vredestein has supported its new partnership with its participation in this year’s Independent Tyre Dealer Conference, which was hosted by Traxx Tyres late last month.
UK tyre wholesaler Traxx Tyres has announced a new partnership with Apollo Vredestein. Traxx will initially stock and distribute Vredestein brand tyres, with the possibility of adding the Apollo tyre range in the future.
The long-awaited Vredestein motorcycle tyres for European riders are now here. Visitors to the EICMA show in Italy this week are amongst the first to see the new range, which includes the Centauro ST and Centauro Road. A Vredestein tyre for the scooter segment, the Staccata, is now also available throughout Europe. Details regarding UK distribution for the Vredestein motorcycle tyre range will be announced shortly.
Tobias Morbitzer is the new Apollo Vredestein country manager for Germany. The former pricing manager Europe moved from Apollo Vredestein’s headquarters in Amsterdam to the Apollo Vredestein GmbH site in Vallendar, near Koblenz at the start of October. He succeeds Thomas Körpert, who has left the company after more than 20 years.
A successor to the Vredestein Traxion+ will be introduced at the Agritechnica show. The new tyre is called the Traxion 65, and Vredestein says it incorporates new technologies derived from the development of the tyre maker’s flagship VF product, the Traxion Optimall.
Apollo Vredestein’s UK operation has launched a consumer-focused campaign promoting the use of all-season tyres. From 14 October to 31 December 2019, consumers upgrading to Vredestein’s award-winning range of Quatrac all-season tyres will be able to claim a £60 scrappage refund for the replaced tyres.
Passenger car tyre production and capacity at Apollo Tyres’ Gyöngyöshalász plant in Hungary has steadily grown over the past two years. These respectively reached 2.1 million and almost 3 million units a year by the end of March 2019, and Apollo is still ramping up in Hungary. It’s a different story in Enschede, some 700 miles to the west, but Apollo Tyres says it isn’t preparing to end car tyre production in the Netherlands any time soon.
Apollo Vredestein has launched a consumer-focused campaign in the UK to promote the use of all-season tyres: Until 30 September 2019, all purchases of four Vredestein Quatrac all-season tyres at participating dealers qualify for a free Google Home Mini or Amazon Echo Dot.
Apollo Vredestein’s UK operation has announced its partnership with British Jaguar E-Type specialist Eagle E-Types. The company’s range of handcrafted models, famous worldwide, run on Vredestein high performance tyres, which the tyre brand says reflects its classic car heritage and “sensitivity for that market’s unique demands…coupled with its focus on contemporary performance.”
Rowledge Garage has selected Apollo Vredestein as its tyre manufacturer of choice because of the Vredestein brand’s 110 year heritage and reputation. “We felt that we needed a brand which could guarantee performance, safety and quality to our customers,” said current owner Martin Hoare. “We have built our business on trust and reputation, and Apollo Vredestein shares that philosophy with us.”
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