Tyres & Accessories August 2009
August's issue features Winter Tyres and a full preview of this year's TAFF Awards.
Awards
Posts
Continental Wins 2 TAFF Awards at 80th NTDA Dinner
NewsContinental Tyre Group won Tyre Manufacturer of the Year and the Industry Advertiser’s award at 2009 Tyre And Fast Fit (TAFF) Awards last night. The TAFF Awards ceremony, which formed part of the NTDA’s 80th annual dinner at the Manchester Deansgate Hilton also saw leading UK wholesaler BITS extend its tally to nine Wholesaler of the Year Awards.
Accepting the company’s Manufacturer of the Year award, Continental Tyre Group managing director, David Smith told Tyres & Accessories: “We are delighted that our work and efforts have been recognised by the industry. I am particularly proud of my team who work hard to push standards forward and make us the leading brand in the industry.”
TIF ‘Question Time’ Prefaces NTDA Dinner and TAFF Awards
Career TracksThe TIF’s first Seminar, including representatives from every section of the UK tyre industry, is taking place today, as Tyrepress.com posts this very story. Present on the panel, which will be taking questions from the floor, for the event will be:
Organisers Note Tyre Market Upturn as Exhibitors Sign-Up for Brityrex 2010
Company NewsThe organisers of Brityrex International have welcomed an upturn in business confidence among tyre sector suppliers as companies continue to invest in next year’s exhibition in Manchester (5, 6 and 7 October) ECI International have confirmed a “healthy” amount of new bookings for the show from “a broad cross-section of domestic and international tyre and automotive specialists.”
Managing director Paul Farrant explained: “There’s no doubt that the market in general is feeling more positive about future prospects than it was six months ago. Speaking to many businesses of all sizes in the tyre, equipment and accessories sectors, it’s clear there is a willingness to consider investing in exhibitions and promotion. That confidence is refreshing and bodes well for Brityrex as well as day-to-day business activity.”
Among the latest companies to commit to the next Brityrex are Daly Tyres, the Irish distributor that has recently opened a new wholesale division in Stoke-on-Trent. This will concentrate on distribution of Taiwanese brand Kenda, with Daly managing director Eamon Daly explaining: “Kenda is a very progressive company and we view them as a great partnership for our business. Brityrex will be the perfect platform to market Kenda and our other product ranges and will be the place for UK and Irish retailers to meet suppliers covering all aspects of the tyre business.”
DHL To Sponsor NTDA Dinner
NewsDHL Automotive, the logistics expert which has many clients within the tyre industry, has become a joint sponsor for the forthcoming NTDA Annual Dinner and TAFF Awards which is being held in Manchester next month.
Yokohama Awarded for Performance in Philippines
Product NewsEstablished in 1996, Yokohama Tire Philippines was the first international company to establish a presence in the Clark Freeport Zone, the redevelopment of the United States Air Force’s former Clark Air Base. In acknowledgement of its long-term contribution to the zone in terms of investment, employment, environmental management and employee heath and safety, on July 13 the company received an Outstanding Recognition for Overall Performance award from the Clark Development Corporation (CDC). At the ceremony, Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented the certificate of commendation to Yokohama Tire Philippines president Takayuki Hamaya.
Toyo Website Wins ‘Best in Class’ Award
Product NewsToyotires.com, the website representing Toyo Tire USA Corp., recently won “Best in Class” in the Consumer Goods category of the 2009 Interactive Media Awards. Designed and developed by Garrigan Lyman Group of Seattle, Washington, toyotires.com was created for the US market and provides a full insight into the Toyo Tires brand, according to the company. The Interactive Media Awards are judged and presented annually by the Interactive Media Council, Inc., a non-profit organization consisting of lead web designers, programmers, advertisers and web-related professionals.
Toyo said clean visuals, easy navigation and ready access to continually updated product data are some of the elements designed into the new toyotires.com. The site is designed to inform consumers better about the full line of Toyo Tires’ products, including tyre applications for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. The site also serves as a resource tool for authorized Toyo Tires dealers.
“We are proud that toyotires.com has been acknowledged by the interactive community,” said Julie Sediq, director of marketing communications. “Garrigan Lyman Group did a fantastic job of creating a website that conveys our position as a premium brand and delivers a positive user experience.” (Tire Review/Akron)
Brityrex 2010 Embarks on ‘Major International Marketing Drive’
Product NewsA major marketing campaign is underway to promote the next staging of Brityrex International, which will take place at Manchester Central 5 -7 October 2010. Show organisers ECI International report that early July saw the distribution of 10,000 information packs for the UK’s only dedicated tyre, accessory and workshop equipment trade exhibition. This activity will be supplemented by extensive UK and international tyre trade advertising, marketing, information and online campaigns over the next 12 months.
In addition to covering all sectors of the tyre industry, Brityrex 2010 will also place increased emphasis on workshop equipment, tools and services. Research suggests that tyre retailers and distributors have delayed or postponed making capital purchases during the recession, which is expected to create increased demand for new equipment as market conditions improve later next year.
Tire Review Top Shop Deadline Today
Product NewsToday is the final deadline to enter the 2009 Tire Review Top Shop Awards presented by Ammco/Coats, which seeks to honor the “best of the best” independent tyre dealers in the US and Canada. Entries will be accepted until midnight tonight. Entry forms and information are now available via the Top Shop Awards Web site at www.tirereviewtopshopaward.com. Complete entries can be made right online. Dealers can nominate their own businesses, or others can nominate tyre dealer businesses. The entry process is simple: Those making the nomination need to provide basic information about the dealership being nominated and write a short (300-word maximum) essay explaining why that dealership should be considered.
In Tyres & Accessories, August 2009:
Winter Tyres
TAFF Awards
Brakes
Product News Safeguard Yourself From the Chill
We don’t want to ruin your summer, but we have it on good authority that these balmy months aren’t going to last. Despite a proposed Met Office climatic rescue package, analysts forecast that thermometers will soon begin dipping, and this climatic downturn will most likely show no sign of abating until early next year. But while there seems no way of halting or reversing this slide into single and minus figures, British motorists are again being offered the opportunity to protect themselves from the worst climatic recession experienced since late 2008. Turn to our August winter tyres feature to find out more.
TAFF Awards
Brityrex has been postponed until 2010 but our industry’s annual award ceremony is still going ahead as planned – as National Tyre Distributors Association director Richard Edy comments, “the dinner and awards evening are a major industry attraction in their own right and will continue to work well for our members.” Arrangements for the 2009 TAFF Awards are in hand and nominations for the September 23 event have been finalised. In August we will review the contenders for TAFF honours in readiness for the annual ceremony. Don’t miss next month’s coverage.
Schaeffler Mechatronics Head Awarded for Innovations
Product NewsA cause for celebration within the Schaeffler Group came on July 8 when the company’s head of Mechatronics, Bernd Gombert, was awarded the Federal Republic of Germany’s Federal Cross of Merit with Ribbon. Gombert earned this impressive sounding award for being, as the Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts, Martin, Zeil noted, amongst the “recognised top performers of our country and [is] among those who set a standard in terms of enthusiasm, motivation and cooperativeness.”
Businesses Invited to Apply for Queen’s Award
Product NewsThe 2010 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise will open for entries on 20 July 2009, organisers announced today. Businesses of all sizes and from any industry sector are being urged to apply for The Queen’s Awards – widely regarded as the UK’s highest honour for business success, and the equivalent of a company knighthood.
Bandvulc Celebrates Low Carbon and Efficiency Award from Motor Transport
Product NewsOn 1 July Bandvulc won the Low Carbon and Efficiency Award at the Motor Transport Awards in London. Bandvulc was up against stiff competition from companies such as Tesco, United Biscuits, John Lewis, DPD and A F Blakemores, but was judged to be winner by an independent panel of experts drawn from the industry. According to the company, these annual awards are the ‘Oscars’ of the Motor Transport Industry and recognise companies demonstrating innovation, outstanding service, efficiency and quality.
Michelin Snaps Up Motor Transport Innovation Award
Product NewsThe Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane played host to some 1,300 road transport professionals on the evening of 1 July. The reason for this gathering of senior industry figures was of course the 23rd Motor Transport Awards, in which approximately 70 contenders vied for victory in the 16 award categories. Amongst this elite group was Michelin, who on the evening walked away with the Innovation Award, having beat off stiff competition from a trio of fellow finalists – white goods manufacturer Indesit UK, asset management specialist Amey, and a joint entry from B&Q and Ceva Logistics.
Bridgestone Celebrates Bulldog and Kingsway Investor in People Awards
Product NewsBridgestone UK group companies Bulldog Remoulds (Holdings) Ltd and Kingsway Tyres Ltd recently achieved the Investor in People Standard. Both companies have been awarded the status for the first time and are said to be thrilled to gain public recognition of their achievements, after a rigorous audit of their working practices.
