Awards
The SMMT’s Award for Automotive Innovation, is returning for a fifth time this year. Sponsored by GKN and supported by The Times, the award recognises UK-born concepts and technologies that have the potential to transform the wider automotive industry. Ford Motor Company took the crown last year with its efficient, yet powerful, 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, which now features in more than 100,000 cars and vans across the country.
The ‘Rubin’ project jointly conducted by Continental and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) has been honoured with a GreenTec Award. A 60-member jury panel determined the two parties’ work on producing natural rubber from dandelions worthy of a 2014 award in the ‘Automobility’ category. The awards ceremony took place in Munich, Germany on 4 May at the start of the IFAT environmental technology trade show. A total of 14 awards were given out.
Carlisle based tyre brand Dmack has been awarded a place in the final of the Cathay Pacific China Business Awards. Local news source North West Evening Mail reports that the company is shortlisted in the Rising Star category. The awards recognise UK and Irish businesses demonstrating existing positive returns and ongoing plans for future investment in China and Hong Kong, with the Rising Star award given to those opening Chinese operations in the last five years.
Honda took two wins over the World Superbike Championship weekend at Imola, as Briton Jonathan Rea moved into first place in the overall standings, taking the Pirelli Best Lap awards in both races. While the existing soft compound Diablo Superbike tyre was used to great effect, Pirelli also regarded the meeting as a successful first outing for the new SC1 S1699 compound EVO fitment, with many riders in this category opting to use the tyre.
Once again, Trelleborg will partner with the Tractor of the Year awards. The latest round of this agricultural sector honour kicked off with an event in France on 6 and 7 May; at the “Tractor of the Year 2015: Let the challenge begin” function in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the Swedish tyre maker also launched a new advertising campaign to promote the qualities of its TM1000 High Power agricultural tyre.
On 16 April, Pirelli handed out its 2014 Supplier Awards, the third such awards organised by the Italian tyre maker. Nine companies out of the thousands of suppliers Pirelli works with were singled out for recognition based on their performance in a number of areas, including quality – of course – but also “innovation, total cost of ownership, sustainability, global presence, level of service (which includes logistic performance) and speed of execution.” This year the spotlight was firmly on European suppliers, with companies from within this region taking eight of the nine awards.
This year’s National Tyre Distributors Association’s annual dinner is the 85th holding of the event. While bearing a new name – what the industry has long known as the TAFF Awards has been rebranded as the Tyre Industry Awards – the dinner remains the UK industry’s main social event. Today, Pirelli announced it will sponsor the ‘Tyre Retail Centre of the Year’ award category. The award will be handed out at the annual NTDA dinner and prize-giving ceremony in Manchester on 8 October.
On 17 April Pirelli handed out its 2014 Supplier Awards to nine companies. This year the winners are made up of a strongly European contingent. According to the company the supplier awards are intended with to convey the importance which Pirelli attaches to its premium suppliers.
Synthos S.A. has been named as a top Pirelli supplier for the second time in the three years the Italian tyre manufacturer has been running annual supplier awards.
Pirelli reports that it applied numerous objective criteria, including sustainable development, quality, level of service and innovation in order to narrow the field to just nine out of 12,000 suppliers. The winners represent various industries, from natural rubber production to personnel training.
The NTDA has announced that former cabinet minister Michael Portillo will present the 2014 Tyre Industry Awards, which will take place on 8th October 2014 at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate. The Tyre Industry Awards is the new name for the Tyre and Fast Fit awards (affectionately known as the TAFF awards), which themselves carried on a long line of industry awards under a third moniker.
Automotive industry charity BEN is celebrating the success of its 16th BEN Scotland Ball, held at the Crowne Plaza, Glasgow, which raised a total of £8,900 on the night.
Once smeared with a reputation for dishonesty it is hard to be believed, even when telling the truth. This is perhaps a situation German motoring organisation the ADAC is now grappling with. In the wake of recent scandals – vote manipulation in its ‘Gelbe Engel’ car of the year awards and allegations that ADAC bosses used the organisation’s rescue helicopters for business trips, to name just two – concerns have arisen over the impartiality of ADAC tyre tests. Two differing opinions have recently surfaced.
Trelleborg Wheel Systems has launched its agricultural tyre dealer programme at a meeting of its key dealers. Taking place at Mercedes Benz World, Brooklands, the event provided the chance to “share information, which is the crux of why we are here,” according to Trelleborg marketing manager Bruce Lauder’s introduction. The network of 28 Trelleborg dealers that have chosen, and been chosen, to cooperate in the Trelleborg Professional Centre (TPC) programme were invited to participate in an extended discussion during the conference. Trelleborg’s managing director UK and Ireland Andrea Manenti outlined the TPC concept, gave an overview of the UK agricultural tyre market and the manufacturer’s place within it and answered dealers’ questions.
Crewe-based online tyre retailer Tyres On The Drive has enlisted outdoor advertising specialist Out Of Home International to help promote its services with a series of billboard advertising. Starting yesterday, six sheet adverts have been strategically placed at forecourts across Yorkshire and the North West. The two-week campaign was launched to inform motorists of the company’s tyre purchasing and fitting facilities and highlights the convenience and cost savings of mobile tyre fitting compared with the traditional garage experience. The billboards promise prices “up to 40 per cent cheaper than the high street,” and a service that fits around home and work schedules.
Kumho Tire has been named a Red Dot Award winner for the third consecutive year. The German product design competition, which has now been held for 60 years, acknowledged three Kumho products, the Ecsta PS91, WinterCraft Wi61 winter tyre and the Wattrun VA31, which is exclusively fitted to Renault Samsung’s SM3 Z.E. This is the first time that a Korean tyre maker has been given a Red Dot Award three years in a row.
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