Over the past six years, Apollo Tyres has grown in Europe at a rate of ten to 11 per cent, twice the growth rate seen within the premium tyre segment, and the company attributes a significant part of this healthy growth to its Vredestein brand.
Apollo Vredestein has introduced three new Vredestein brand cycle tyres for the sport segment at the Eurobike exhibition in Friedrichshafen. The tyre manufacturer said it was responding to road bike manufacturers’ production of increasingly stiffer frames and wheels to ensure better feedback, comfort and grip for riders. With these characteristics, the importance of tyres increases, since the feel of the road surface and grip contribute more to the overall cycling experience. Vredestein has introduced the Fortezza Duralite, Fortezza Tubeless Ready, and Fortezza Senso Tri, in addition to a new size for the Fortezza Senso Superiore.
A number of key changes are being made to Apollo Vredestein’s European sales organisation, and the tyre maker has named three new cluster directors who will each take responsibility for a group of countries within the Apollo Vredestein network. The directors will be directly responsible for the implementation and execution of the company’s sales and distribution strategy within each respective ‘cluster’ of national markets.
Two sales appointments at Apollo Vredestein UK will support Apollo Tyres’ recent entry into the European truck and bus tyre market. The newly-created roles of TBR Fleet Sales Engineer have, with immediate effect, been filled by Andrew Beckett and Jane Emson.
John Cowderoy has come on board at Apollo Vredestein as regional sales manager. The erstwhile managing director of Point S UK began in this position last month and, as part of a reorganisation of the UK sales team, will cover a newly-created region in the South of England.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe has appointed Michiel Kramer as its marketing director for central and eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. In this newly created role, Kramer, a 12-year tyre industry veteran formerly with Apollo Vredestein, will be responsible for marketing, pricing, business intelligence and product management. He reports to Luis Ceneviz, Cooper’s managing director of Latin America Tire Operations and managing director of Europe Tire Operations.
Apollo Vredestein has appointed Tamara Oostveen its new European manager for PR & Events. She began in this role on 1 May and replaces Romy uit het Broek, who left the company last month to take up a position at motion control systems company Power-Packer Europa B.V.
Prices for Apollo and Vredestein brand tyres are going up, but not yet. Apollo Vredestein has announced its intention to increase prices by up to eight per cent on 1 May 2017. Exact increases for each product will depend upon structural and exchange rate variations, and the changes will affect the passenger car, light truck, agricultural and industrial tyre segments. The company considers the price increase to be “in line” with the rising cost of raw materials it has experienced in all markets.
The SIMA international agribusiness show in Paris will serve as a platform for Apollo Vredestein to introduce the widest available radial implement tyre with a diameter below the crucial 1,250 millimetre mark. From 26 February to 2 March, the company will showcase the 800/40 R 22.5 168D Flotation Trac radial, a product it developed with agricultural equipment manufacturers.
With a product portfolio covering high-performance car tyres, comprising summer, winter and all-season options, as well as a comprehensive range of brand new tyres for light commercial vehicles, tyre manufacturer Apollo-Vredestein is now aiming to enter the UK fleet market. T&A understands that the company is spearheading the project with its Vredestein brand, but Apollo branded tyres will also be involved.
Austrian car workshop and automotive product fair AutoZum is the venue for the world premiere of the latest Vredestein tyre for the van and light truck market. Visitors to the show, which began yesterday and runs until Saturday 21 January, can view the Vredestein Comtrac 2 All Season tyre at the Apollo Vredestein stand (0702) in Hall 10.
A new campaign for the Vredestein agricultural tyre portfolio is being rolled out around the world under the hashtag #LIVETHELAND. The campaign, which focuses on the themes of ‘Feel the freedom’ and ‘Experience the performance’, follows in the footsteps of the successful #ROCKTHEROAD car tyre campaign.
Former head of marketing and sales at Apollo Vredestein, Jaap van Wessem, has taken on the role of sales director for European operations at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd. He begins in this position today and reports to Luis Ceneviz, Cooper’s managing director, Europe Tire Operations and managing director, Latin America Tire Operations.
Netherlands retreader Obo Tyres has appointed Peter Schrijver as its new commercial manager. The company said his appointment would further stimulate the growth of the company. Schrijver starts in his new position at Obo Tyres BV on 1 October, 2016, having worked previously for Apollo Vredestein for 29 years.
Apollo Vredestein GmbH has signed a brand-new sponsorship agreement with Borussia Monchengladbach. The new sponsorship agreement covers the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons and is designed to further enhance global recognition of the Apollo tyre brand. As one of the most popular and successful clubs in German football, Borussia Monchengladbach is very well-known internationally too and its matches are often broadcast live on television around the world.
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