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Freight costs stabilising after volatile 2012

The cost of moving tyres and wheels between Asia and major European markets such as the UK should stabilise in 2013 after the wild fluctuations of 2012, according to the CEO of Suffolk based freight forwarding company Maritime Cargo Services, Rob Shelley. As shippers and shipping lines battled hard on this trade route in particular the cost of moving containers varied greatly over the course of the year, “making costing and budgeting in the tyre industry somewhat challenging,” Shelley says. As fewer goods were imported under economic austerity measures towards the end of 2012, shipping lines reduced capacity accordingly. But with global trade expected to creep upwards again in 2013, Shelley expects shipping rates to rise moderately as shippers control their expansion.

22nd January 2013/by Tyrepress Editors

Vauxhall retailers sock it to motorists

With parts of the UK having experienced their first significant snowfalls, and forecasts predicting up to three weeks of winter weather, Vauxhall offers a solution to keep vehicles moving safely through the snow.

15th January 2013/by Tyrepress Editors

Design award for Thule Easy-fit Snow Chains

Last October, Thule Easy-fit Snow Chains achieved a Guinness World Record as 12 people of different ages mounted Thule Easy-fit on 81 wheels in less than 1 minute. This means that it takes less than 12 seconds to mount a snow chain.

18th December 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Label remains under utilised

Both small and large operators are still failing to include the label in the sales process In July, more than 700 tyre retailers were contacted as part of research into the EU label’s role in the sales process. It so turned out that, during this voluntary period, the label didn’t register as a significant factor. Only four of the more than 700 retailers mentioned the label during the sales process – a tiny 0.6 per cent, a figure well and truly within the margin of error in any survey. On 1 November the voluntary period drew to a close and the sale of passenger car and truck tyres in Europe must now involve a label. In light of the label’s compulsory status, Encircle Marketing revisited the question of its role in the sales process.

6th December 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Will Chinese manufacturers exploit US tariff end?

Tyrepress.com took the opportunity of Reifen China to discuss the effect on exports of the US tariff on Chinese manufactured tyres coming to an end on 26 September. While Tyrepress.com has often focussed on the introduction of EU tyre labels – which received mixed coverage amongst exhibitors in Shanghai – the effect of its introduction should be seen in the context of the US tariff’s end. The question isn’t just how Chinese manufacturers are dealing with tyre labelling restrictions, but whether they are altering export strategies based on demand created by the expiration of the three years of 35 per cent duty faced by importers of Chinese tyres in the US too.

26th November 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Lehigh – on the way to a billion MRP tyres

US-based green materials manufacturer Lehigh Technologies has been in business for just under a decade and claims five of the top ten tyre and retread manufacturers as its customers. The company specialises in the production of micronised rubber powders (MRP), produced mainly from recycled tyres. Its main tyre product for the tyre industry is PolyDyne, a specifically-developed material that is said to offer a significant cost advantage over SBR and natural rubber; using figures published in the Rubber Statistical Bulletin, Lehigh shows that, as of September 2011, PolyDyne was less than half as expensive as SBR and around a quarter the cost of natural rubber. Furthermore, Lehigh Technolgies says that every kilogramme of its MRP used saves around nine litres of oil and some 20kWh of energy in comparison to traditional tyres, while it releases less than half the CO2 of synthetic rubber.

17th October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Parts Alliance service plans offer ‘customer retention’

Noting the value of service plans in retaining a customer base, UK automotive business group The Parts Alliance says that the plans it offers through its national garage network of Alliance and Servicesure Autocentres allow independent garages to compete with franchise dealers, national network chains and car supermarkets. Helping to build customer retention and highlighting the high quality service and repair offered by the garages, The Parts Alliance espouses the benefits of monthly payments from the motorist to ensure a steady, guaranteed income for garages.

16th October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

World record for Thule

Have you been put off buying snow chains for your car because you cannot face the hassle of fitting them to the wheels? Thule, the global manufacturer of car accessories came up with a spectacular demonstration of just how easy it is to fit their snow chains – and grabbed themselves a Guinness World Record into the bargain. In early October, the Lecco Ice Sports Complex in Italy played host to the record-breaking demonstration, with 24 Citroen C4 Aircross cars positioned on the ice in three rows of eight. Thule Easy-fit snow chains were positioned one metre from each wheel and, on the starting signal from Guinness World Record judge Lorenzo Veltri, a team of 12 people tried to fit as many snow chains as possible in 60 seconds.

12th October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Partnership to bring Micronized Rubber Powder to Europe

Spanish Environmental Group, HERA Holding and US sustainable materials company, Lehigh Technologies Inc have announced a partnership to bring in micronized rubber powder (MRP) for the tyre, consumer and industrial plastics and coatings industries in Europe. Lehigh says that MRPs can lower costs, increase the sustainability profile of end products and deliver performance without sacrificing the reliability and performance of traditional raw materials. Its customer base already includes five of the top ten largest tyre companies in the world, and the company estimates that more than 140 million tyres have been manufactured using its MRP. The new partnership aims to bring MRP into Europe with Hera Holding adapting its recycling plant in Navarra, Spain to allow for the production of MRP.

4th October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

CES (UK) releases ‘biggest ever’ Workshop Essentials Catalogue

Car parts distributor CES (UK) has released its latest Workshop Essentials catalogue. Issue 9 contains 25 per cent more products than ever before, making it the biggest edition yet. Comprehensively redesigned with an entirely new look, it features some of the industry’s leading brands, such as Comma, Wynn’s, Kent Car Care, Sealey and Ring Automotive. Launched at Mecahanex 2012, the catalogue can be requested by calling CES (UK) or visiting its website.

25th September 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Nokian previews zLine summer range

A new Nokian Tyres summer range will be available in selected European markets as of spring 2013; named the zLine, the new line-up is aimed at the UHP segment and replaces the Nokian Z G2. The zLine will be available in 31 dimensions for 16 to 20-inch rim diameters and W and Y speed ratings.

7th September 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Commercial vehicle tyres and the label

Company News, Legislation, News, UK News

The history of the EU tyre label is closely connected with the passenger car tyre segment. The criteria that led to standardised test procedures for fuel efficiency/rolling resistance, wet grip and external rolling noise primarily focused on the passenger car segment, and summer passenger car tyres in particular. Despite this, the label doesn’t just apply to C1, or passenger car tyres that are produced from 1 July 2012 (DOT 2712), but also to light commercial vehicle tyres (C2) and truck tyres (C3). Retreaded tyres, which account for a large percentage of Europe’s truck tyre market, are one of a number of exemptions to the labelling legislation.

22nd August 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli increases revenues, EBIT and margin in 2Q

Pirelli reports that the company closed the first half of 2012 with revenues of 3,021.8 million euros, an increase of 8.3 per cent compared with the 2,789.3 million euros published for the same period in 2011.

30th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Protecting OTR tyres before damage extends product life

In 2010 Xstrata celebrated the inception of its latest coal mine. Having, purchased the Anvil NSW mine project from Centennial Coal Company Limited for some US$425 million back in September 2007, the company went on to invest close to US$1 billion in bringing the renamed Mangoola Coal Mine to production in 2011/12. According to tyre protection system producer Rud Erlau, all this makes protecting the tyres that keep an operation of this scale running is all the more important.

25th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Cascade handler speeds up OTR tyre changing

With the ability to sideshift, clamp, rotate and tilt a tyre forward and backward, the latest version of the Cascade’s Tyre Handler is designed to make quick work of changing large OTR tyres commonly used in the mining industry. The Cascade Tyre Handler is designed to handle large tyres weighing up to 16 tons and measuring 4 metres in diameter.

19th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors