Coronavirus Archives - Page 2 of 30 - Tyrepress

The tyre business along with the rest of the automotive industry was hit hard by the effects of coronavirus. This tag brings you the latest news as it happens.

Posts

Michelin: YTD sales up 15.6% to €17.2 billion

Year-on-year comparisons of financial performance tell us arguably more about global events than an individual company’s economic trajectory at the moment. Thus, it came as no surprise a few months back when Michelin reported much healthier first-half results compared with pandemic-riddled 2020. Similarly, eyebrows aren’t raised now when the company notes the impact of rising materials, shipping and energy costs as well as a shortage of semiconductors and labour shortages upon its performance in Q3 2021.

26th October 2021/by Stephen

MTS demonstrates evolving approach to complex UK tyre wholesale market

Company News, UK News

The complexity of the UK tyre wholesale sector has certainly ramped up considerably thanks to what may be termed an almost perfect storm of external factors relating both to the Covid pandemic and Brexit. With retail margins on consumer tyres already very fine, the wholesale sector has been key in keeping price increases under control, especially considering the spiralling cost of shipping. But as those in the sector know, the value wholesalers add within the distribution chain is a considerably wider subject than purely price. Arguably, the service dimension has never been more important than in the last 18 months, as retail businesses adapted to a market transformed by externalities. Tyres & Accessories asked Graham Mitchell, Micheldever Tyre Services wholesale director, about how the business is faring in 2021, starting with its performance this year.

19th October 2021/by Andrew

Torque from the Top: David Seward, managing director Yokohama HPT

Company News, Motorsport, UK News

The latest in our ‘Torque from the Top’ series of interviews with leading tyre industry executives features David Seward, MD of Yokohama’s UK distributor, Yokohama HPT. As you will read later, the company was established in 1988 and Seward has been with the company from the beginning, which must make him one of (if not the) longest-serving MD of any UK-based international tyre company. But first, a brief look at the history of the parent company.

8th September 2021/by Peter Gardner

ATS Euromaster: book MOT and garage work to avoid downtime

ATS Euromaster is warning that vehicle and supply shortages plus a surge in demand for MOTs and servicing could force vehicles off the road if motorists and fleets do not plan their vehicle maintenance.

As with the other sources, 2020 data collected by ATS Euromaster shows a significant rise in MOT activity from May onwards but peaking in mid-September through to mid-November as drivers rushed to get MOTs completed following the covid MOT extension.

13th August 2021/by Chris

Continental: MOT extension impact could last a decade

Benjamin Brunner

Continental Tyres is predicting “huge rises” in demand for MOTs this autumn, as more than five million additional tests are due for annual renewal in the second half of 2021. This huge increase in demand comes as millions of tests postponed in 2020, due to Covid-19, come up for renewal from September 2021 onwards, putting pressure on workshops to meet this additional demand. As well as the short-term strain on the UK aftermarket, the creation of a new ‘MOT season’ from September to December is likely to have a more profound long-term impact on the market.

13th August 2021/by Chris

MOT test numbers up 45 per cent in 2Q 2021

The latest MOT test data released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) shows that test volumes recovered strongly between April and June of this year, in stark contrast with the disruption caused by last year’s MOT extension. The DVSA data, obtained by BookMyGarage.com through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, shows 45 per cent more MOTs took place in the second quarter of 2021 than in the second quarter 2020. However, test numbers were still down 32 per cent compared to the same period in 2019.

13th August 2021/by Chris

Tyrexpo Asia 2021 goes hybrid

International News

“If the [pandemic] situation continues to improve”, Tyrexpo Asia 2021 will proceed as planned albeit with some digital modifications, the Singapore tyre trade exhibition’s organiser Tarsus Group have reported. Specifically, Tarsus Group reports that it is implementing digital elements “alongside the live event” scheduled to be held 17-19 November 2021.

12th August 2021/by Chris

Citexpo announces 2022 dates

International News

The organizing committee of Citexpo have announced that the next edition of the Chinese tyre trade show will run from 12-14 December 2022 at the Shanghai World Expo exhibition centre. The last Citexpo (the 17th edition) was held in the summer of 2019 before the global Covid-19 pandemic caused havoc with largescale in-person events.

10th August 2021/by Chris

Back in 2021: Firestone sponsoring All Points East

Company News, UK News

Firestone returns to the All Points East festival as sponsor for a third time over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The event returns to London’s Victoria Park after a year’s absence, and the Firestone Stage will be ready to entertain.

28th July 2021/by Stephen

Covid-19: Hankook pauses plant production

International News

Within the next few hours, production will recommence at Hankook Tire & Technology’s Geumsan plant in South Korea following a 48-hour pause that began on 24 July after a number of workers tested positive for Covid-19. Health authorities have set up a test centre at the plant and intend to test around 3,000 employees early this week.

26th July 2021/by Stephen

Forecourt workers “are essential and should be exempt from self-isolation if fully vaccinated” – PRA

The government announcement to exclude essential workers from self-isolation requirements if they have been double vaccinated should be extended to forecourt workers, says the Petrol Retailers Association.

22nd July 2021/by Peter Gardner

Tyre businesses need to take responsibility for managing Covid risks

The media might have picked up on the rhetoric of “freedom day”, but the NTDA’s recent “Keeping Tyre Centres Safe” report highlights the fact that businesses will still be required to take responsibility for managing health and safety risks: “All employers will continue to have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from a risk to their health and safety and have a legal duty to consult workers on health and safety matters.” Here, Tyrepress.com takes a close look at the responsibility and choices facing tyre retailers.

16th July 2021/by Chris

95% of tyre centres keeping some or all Covid-19 measures

Data in the NTDA’s “Keeping Tyre Centres Safe” report shows that 95 per cent of tyre centres keeping some or all Covid-19 measures. Providing useful insights into consumer and retail thinking on subject, the NTDA report highlights that: two-thirds of drivers are concerned about Covid-19 restrictions being lifted (this trend was most noticeable in Scotland where the figure was 69 per cent); that the majority “want to see safety measures REMAIN in tyre centres”; and that “63 per cent of the nations’ drivers would be more likely to choose (and 65 per cent more likely to trust) a tyre centre that continues to enforce safety measures”.

15th July 2021/by Chris

ETRMA: All-season the big winner as tyre sales return to 2019 levels

While sales of consumer replacement tyres in Europe are once again approaching 2019 levels, the all-season tyre segment has grown significantly – primarily at the expense of winter tyre sales.

15th July 2021/by Stephen

NTDA launches “Safe Tyre Centre Scheme”, Motorists want to keep safety measures in branches

With the 19 July 2021 relaxation of Covid-19 legislation fast-approaching, some have dubbed next Monday as “freedom day”. However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stressed that the pandemic is not over and in practice the government is passing responsibility for health and safety and social distancing onto businesses and households. With this in mind, the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) commissioned the “Keeping Tyre Centres Safe – Insight Report” and is launching a “Safe Tyre Centre Scheme” in order to help tyre distributors with the challenging choices they face. At the top of the list of difficult decisions is “which (if any) COVID-19 restrictions they will relax in their branches and workshops” after 19 July, as NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay notes in his foreword to the report.

14th July 2021/by Chris