Commercial Vehicle Tyres
Pets at Home has signed a new contract with ATS Euromaster. The tyre management firm will seek to provide longer tyre life and greater visibility of running costs, handling all aspects of Pets at Home’s tyre management. This follows a comprehensive tyre audit carried out by ATS Euromaster across the customer’s truck and trailer assets, which identified opportunities to reduce operating costs and improve tyre life, safety and uptime.
New research from Go Ultra Low has shown that commercial vehicle operators and fleet managers are missing out on a share of more than £2.6 billion potential fuel savings, accessible by opting for an ultra-low emission van.
Michelin has launched a guarantee on its on/off-road X Works commercial tyre range. The manufacturer says the guarantee is designed to protect customers from the financial risk of accidental tyre damage, while also underlining its confidence in the durability of the range.
Kirkby Tyres has revealed its plans to support its Double Coin and Sailun product ranges from two different stands at this year’s CV Show. Both brands will be exhibited on dedicated, neighbouring 84m2 stands separated by a walkway in Hall 3, with Kirkby staff participating on both stand 3D79 (Double Coin) and 3C70 (Sailun Tyres). The CV Show is held annually at the NEC, Birmingham, and takes place on 14-16 April.
Giti Tire has unveiled its stand design for The CV Show 2015. The stand, situated at 4G40, will provide a platform for the launch of the new GT Radial GDR638 next generation drive axle tyre. An interesting feature of the stand (pictured) will be the presence of the manufacturer’s logo and corporate colours. In previous years Giti has made its flagship GT Radial brand the focus of its CV Show exhibit. Now the manufacturer plans to raise its corporate profile worldwide in support of global infrastructure projects, such as the new $560m manufacturing and distribution plant in Chester County, South Carolina.
Dubai-based importer-exporter Zafco is to expand the reach of the Thai commercial vehicle tyre brand, Otani. The manufacturer was incorporated three decades ago with the aim of becoming a leading manufacturer of agricultural, off-the-road, and commercial bias tyres in Southeast Asia. Otani has since expanded its TBR range, and now has an eye on Europe, having displayed its 14-size Expero TBR range at Reifen 2014 on Zafco’s stand.
RH Claydon will exhibit its key truck brands with an increased presence at April’s CV Show. In its 62nd year of trading, the wholesaler states that it has witnessed an expansion of its commercial vehicle tyre business in recent years. RHC holds an extensive range of brands, specialising in the commercial, agricultural and specialist segments. It says its portfolio is designed to meet the requirements of the light and heavy truck tyre distributor, service provider and end user.
Marangoni Retreading Systems has introduced the new RZ Fe 100 pattern, completing its range of Ringtread trailer rings. The new product is designed to meet the demands of this selective market, with high mileage and low fuel consumption characteristics; the Fe part of the product name stands for “fuel economy”.
Hankook has been awarded an iF Design Award for its all-season truck tyre SmartFlex AH31. Incorporating advanced design and technology to improve performance, Hankook’s SmartFlex AH31 line-up will be extended significantly in 2015. The tyre will be displayed at the CV Show in April.
When we consider the truck and bus market it can be easy to downgrade the importance of the latter half of the equation. According to the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Factbook, there were 89,374 buses (including coaches) on the UK’s roads last year, equating to 13.6 per cent of the UK heavy commercial vehicle parc (i.e. not including van-sized vehicles) and 0.2 per cent of the total vehicle parc. Compared with 568,993 trucks (86.4 per cent of the CV parc), the people transportation segment of the CV market is clearly the junior partner. New bus registrations have made a strong start to 2015 (see textbox), but are still relatively small beer.
Aeolus will exhibit its truck, bus, coach and van tyres alongside UK and Ireland distributor Kings Road Tyres at this year’s CV Show. The ChemChina brand states that it will demonstrate the value/performance proposition it offers to commercial tyre buyers.
SMMT figures show that commercial vehicle registrations grew 19.5 per cent in February, with 40,491 vehicles registered so far this year. Both the truck and van sectors performed well; truck registrations continue to increase as demand sees steady return to form, up 31.7 per cent in February, while there was a sustained strong performance from the van market, which rose by 19.5 per cent in the month.
The Hercules H-402 wide base mixed service tyre, part of Hercules’ H-Series medium truck tyre line-up, is now available in a 20-ply 445/65R22.5.
Dunlop has introduced the new SP 344*, renewing its SP 344 regional haul steer tyre range in 17.5” rim sizes. The latest generation of the series is designed for demanding delivery and regional haul service requirements. Dunlop says the new iteration features increased robustness combined with good mileage, even wear, excellent handling and wet braking performance.
Michelin’s services company, Michelin Solutions will introduce a new generation of ‘pence per kilometre’ (PPK) tyre management contracts at the CV Show. The new products will offer customers a contractual fuel saving commitment, available on Effitires contracts when fitting premium low rolling resistance tyres. Michelin Solutions believes the move makes it the first provider in the marketplace to contractually commit to fuel savings on its tyre management contracts.
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