Hannover-based Continental AG is a leading automotive supplier and – according to the company – is “the choice of leading car manufacturers, offering award-winning tyres that deliver responsive braking in all weather conditions.”
The stereotype of the über-efficient Teuton may still be a cause for mirth here in ‘Blighty’, but our European neighbour’s reputation for thoroughness is not wholly undeserved – so when leading motoring magazines in all three German speaking European lands recommend a particular tyre, it’s probably in our best interest to take note.
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Last year Continental made the decision to begin importing industrial and earthmover tyres manufactured by joint venture partner Simex into the UK and Ireland. The range available in this sector has now been expanded through the launch of the Simex SE65, a product designed for the construction industry.
Continental’s Industrial Tyres business unit has released its successor to the IC80 and ConRad HT tyres. Called the ContiRT20 Performance, the pneumatic radial is designed to move extremely heavy loads at speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mph).
Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) and its Southam specialist 4×4 division reports that it distributed more than three quarters of a million 4×4 tyres in the UK tyre market during the course of 2009. According to company representatives, this means Micheldever is “probably the largest distributor of 4×4 tyres in Europe.” From MTS’ perspective, the largest ongoing growth sector remains mid-range 4×4 product (see “Was Winter of Discontent Good News for 4×4 Market?” elsewhere in this feature for more discussion on this subject), with General, BFGoodrich, Kumho, Falken and Toyo said to be leading the way.
With the economy limping out of recession and the cold snap over (for now), is the 4×4 tyre market entering a spring season of its own? Some industry observers think so. They suggest that the combination of the UK’s obsession with the weather and our love affair with the underdog has prepared the way for an unlikely saviour to the depressed motor industry – the so-called gas-guzzling 4×4. And this could inevitably mean more growth for a tyre market segment that has continued expansion seemingly against the odds.
Pirelli’s motorcycle tyres had a better 2009 in terms of proportional brand recommendations for the Total Market than had been previously reported by Encircle Marketing. Encircle market analyst Jason Cunningham got in touch with Tyrepress.com to correct an error, which saw Pirelli ranked lowest for the percentage change in brand recommendations in the second half of 2009 compared to the first half. In fact, the data provided showed the brands ranked in inverse order to what had been shown by Encircle’s research. “I apologise for the error [on the slide entitled ‘% pt change overtime in Total Market brand recommendations’],” Cunningham said. “Pirelli’s performance in particular in 2009 was very impressive.” The slide also showed Continental and Maxxis losing ground in Total Market brand recommendations, when in fact they had made significant progress in 2009.
Two years after a school-owned van travelling without winter tyres fitted on all wheels collided with a truck in the snow, the New Brunswick government in Canada has made the fitment of these cold weather tyres upon its fleet of multi-function activity buses mandatory. Seven members of the Bathurst High School boys basketball team died in the January 2008 collision, and in the absence of official tests being conducted by the province into the safety of summer tyres in winter, the parents of three of the boys had arranged to have the tyre configurations currently used on activity buses in the province's schools privately tested in Michigan. The tests were scheduled to take place on February 24, the day after New Brunswick announced its new tyre rule.
Despite an overall upbeat tone, the word “crisis” has featured strongly during Continental AG’s reportage of its 2009 financial performance on February 23, a likely indication of the extent to which the German automotive supplier was affected by last year’s market downturn.
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Continental Tire the Americas (CTA) has commented on the global recognition it gained during the recent ContiTire Awards ceremony in Hannover, Germany. At the awards CTA project teams walked away with three of the five awards, an occurrence the American operation comments is “indicative of the organisation’s dedication and commitment to excellence, and its key role in Continental Tire’s success in the global marketplace.”
The Pelmar Group has bought some rubber mixing and industrial tyre-making equipment from Trelleborg former Hartville, Ohio factory. The list of purchased machinery includes two K7 mixing lines and solid tyre production machinery. Accoridng to Pelmar, with this acquisition the company has positioned itself as the largest supplier of pre-owned rubber machinery in the tyre and technical rubber industry after finalizing the purchase of Continental Semperit plant in Traiskirchen earlier this year.
Dexel Tyres has been appointed as a partner in Continental Tyres’ national dealer network, ContiNetwork. Director Glyn Cainey says that he is delighted to be representing Continental Tyres in the area: “Continental is a highly regarded brand with excellent products at competitive prices which are becoming increasingly in demand from discerning operators keen to cut their annual tyre bill. When these high mileage tyres are managed using the ContiLifecycle five-stage process, costs can be cut by as much as 25 per cent over the lifetime of a tyre.”
If you wish to avoid becoming a victim of road rage, a recent study by Colorado State University suggests you could help yourself by not decorating your car with stickers. This unusual finding was reached following research that showed drivers with stickers or ornaments in their rear windscreen are more likely to drive in an aggressive, abrasive fashion. It was also found that such drivers are more likely to defend their road space and react angrily to drivers who encroach on them territorially.
Stapleton’s Tyre Services, one of the largest distributors of passenger car tyres in the UK, reports offering one of the largest selections of private and exclusive brands out of any distributor, and furthermore says it has a product suitable for every retailer and in every price bracket. The company recently added two new exclusive brands – Matador, a mid-range brand produced by Continental, and Primewell, manufactured by GiTi. Stapleton’s is also backing both up with dealer support packages to reward valued loyalty.
In February 2010 Continental is introducing its ‘Conti 360° Fleet Services’ to the UK and seven other key European markets. According to Continental, this new and diversified range of products and service, including tyres and other mobility solutions for the European road transport industry, is the manufacturer’s response to the changed requirements of international freight transport. Conti 360° Fleet Services is specifically aimed at fleets operating across national borders, and through the modular fleet optimisation package it offers Continental’s fleet experts focus on cost minimisation with clear cost control and reliable timeframes.
Marketing agency Wunderman has reportedly been given the task of revising the Europe-wide customer relationship management and communications strategy for Conti Trade, the organisation in charge of Continental’s retail activities in much of Europe. In 2009 Conti Trade reported achieving a turnover of more than 700 million euros, with its Conti-Trade-Network covering more than a thousand service stations in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.
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