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.”
After a year of steady sales increases in 2012, Conti says it is ready to ‘Attack’ in 2013 and is looking to maintain the company’s position as the UK’s fastest growing motorcycle tyre brand. UK Product mix demand has changed dramatically in the last few years and Continental believes its product range is well suited to the wide variety of tyres now being purchased.
In its more than four decades in the business, family-run Cambrian tyres says it has always taken pride in the quality and speed of the service it offers and the friendliness of its approach. This service is provided by a team that boasts an impressive 225 years of combined experience in the motorcycle and tyre industries. Cambrian says its team’s experience gives it a “massive lead” over its competitors when it comes to tyre, motorcycle, technical and industry knowledge; several of the company’s staff have worked at senior levels at motorcycle tyre manufacturers.
Continental has commented on the selection of the ContiWinterContact TS850 as one of Auto Express magazine’s Editor’s Choice 2012 products. Peter Robb, brand manager at Continental said: “We are delighted to have been commended by Auto Express. The ContiWinterContact TS850 has taken the winter market by storm. In a string of tyre tests in Europe, the tyre has consistently beaten the best to take top spot. This award from Auto Express is another testament to its outstanding performance.”
With the aim of further improving its financing structure and maturity profile, while enhancing its flexibility, Continental has refinanced its syndicated loan, which is due in April 2014. Within the scope of the planned refinancing, the loan volume is to be reduced slightly – to a total of 4.5 billion euros – and split up into two tranches with different maturities: a 1.5 billion euro term loan with a term of three years, and a five-year revolving 3 billion euro credit facility. Conti also intends to “ease the documentation complexity” through this refinancing.
Infinity’s ‘Win a Bentley’ prize draw, which has been running between September and November, reached its finale last week. Working alongside its UK distributor, Bond International, Infinity Tyres held the final prize draw at Bond’s head office near York, where members of the Infinity Europe team including Jorge Crespo (Infinity’s European General Manager) and Clive Mansfield (Sales and Marketing Manager) joined with Steve Tidmarsh, Finance Director of Bond International and Paul Palmer of Savoy Tyres to host the day’s events.
Continental presented its estimation that the UK car, 4×4 and van tyre market remains worth around 33 million tyres at the launch of its partnership tyre supply deal with Mercedes-Benz World, a performance demonstration facility on the historical site of the Brooklands circuit. This number is similar to 2011, though Conti noted several trends affecting the make-up of this figure in 2012, most notably the growth in part worn tyre sales, estimated to represent just under 10 per cent of the total market. Initial signs of the impact of tyre labelling, introduced as a mandatory measure in November, are minimal, with premium segment sales holding up. Conti calls any current definitive assessment too early to truly assess, however premium tyre sales have held up well. Meanwhile the quality segment has come under pressure from aggressive pricing on either side, with brands in this segment struggling to maintain share, according to Conti.
If we need technology to warn us about the obvious, then maybe it’s better to eliminate us from the equation completely – in the same week it announced plans to introduce technology that warns drivers they’re travelling the wrong way on motorways, Continental reports it has received an Autonomous Vehicle Testing License’ from the US state of Nevada. If all goes to plan, Continental technology could be present in driverless cars, which never mistake the motorway exit for the on-ramp, within as little as eight years.
Now in its 60th year of trading, independent wholesaler R H Claydon aims to offer an extensive product portfolio designed to meet the needs of discerning tyre distributors, service providers and end users in the UK and Ireland markets. According to business development and purchasing director John Parker, the agricultural or (off-highway) market is where RH Claydon does best and therefore is the area that the industry judges to be the company’s “core sphere of expertise.”
In a year end review, Continental Tyres’ Arthur Gregg used the word “challenging” to describe the UK and Ireland commercial vehicle tyre market. Yet at the same time he painted a positive picture of fleet operators adjusting to tough economic times and of a company that continues to develop and introduce new products in line with the many changes occurring in the market.
Harry Rogasch is reporting to Berlin as head of Continental’s new Liaison Office for Public Affairs. The office opens for business in the new year and Rogasch’s responsibilities will include representing the legislative and regulatory interests of the company's Rubber and Automotive Groups and engaging in dialogue with political, administrative, and regulatory institutions in the German capital.
Irish independent long-haul logistics company Virginia International Logistics says it is making significant fuel savings with Continental as it celebrates 30 years in business. The firm has saved 1,800 euros in the past six months by running Continental tyres across half of its fleet, and is now in the process of moving all remaining vehicles onto Continentals.
Maxxis reports its participation as advertiser in the 2012-2013 CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) World Cup Qualifications, open to the national teams of these regions. The Maxxis logo was shown on field-boards in 18 games in 2012 and will appear in most matches in 2013.
Contestants in the popular ITV show Dancing On Ice display an impressive level of control on a slippery, cold surface, so the show is perhaps a logical sponsorship choice for winter tyre champion Continental. The tyre maker says it has signed up as headline sponsor for the latest series as part of a seven-figure deal that also includes ITV’s coverage of the England football team next year.
The National Tyre Distributers Association (NTDA) has elected Roger Griggs, director of communications at Kwik Fit, to the role of vice chairman, working with Stephen Callow, who succeeded Kwik Fit’s David White as NTDA chairman in March 2012. Griggs has spent 34 years in the tyre industry, starting in a Jersey tyre centre in the late 1970s. Richard Edy, director of the NTDA, says: “We are delighted that Roger has joined the board. His experience in all areas of the industry means he has a great deal to offer and we look forward to supporting him in developing future campaigns.”
Former Nokian Heavy Tyres marketing manager Perttu Mäkinen has been appointed by Mitas as its country manager for the Nordic region. Mäkinen will operate from the Mitas a.s. headquarters in Tampere, Finland, and his responsibilities will include sales and marketing for Mitas and Continental agricultural and other off-road tyres in Finland, Sweden and Norway.
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