Figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that UK new car registrations plummeted 97.3 per cent year-on-year in April. This marks a record low for the new car market as the coronavirus pandemic forced the nation into lockdown for the entire month, with showrooms closed and car buyers housebound.
The BTRDA and Protyre share that the 2020 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship has been cancelled owing to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
In line with the gradual relaxing of the lockdown in Italy, industrial activity at Pirelli’s Settimo Torinese facility resumes today. The tyre maker says production levels will initially be below normal levels in light of lower current demand.
Saracens Tyres has put any plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary on hold to focus its efforts on helping its customers stay fully operational throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The Michelin Quality Centre-approved dealer is keeping its doors open during the UK’s lockdown period to support key workers in the transport and agricultural industries who are working around the clock to help keep essential supplies, including food, moving.
Loading and unloading goods vehicles can put drivers and other workers at risk. It is important to consider all risks to the health, safety, and welfare of drivers delivering to and collecting from sites, and take reasonable and practical steps to safeguard drivers and mitigate risk to their health and safety.
With the significant disruption of business around the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ricardo experts will provide a free webinar to explore approaches to regaining or improving upon business as usual performance following lockdown.
Analysts have warned that the dire effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on car production are not fully reflected in the March figures, released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Andrew Burn, partner and head of automotive at KPMG UK said that while the March data shows that conditions were difficult, April’s numbers will show the full extent of the effects of the UK lockdown on the sector.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has requested an enhancement to the furlough scheme. It wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, to request an alteration to the current scheme enabling employees to return to work partially as the country prepares for the next phase of lockdown restrictions.
Yokohama Europe reports it has been able to maintain its OTR business at a similar level to previously even under the tough conditions resulting from COVID-19. Truck and bus tyre sales were 27 per cent down during the same period, with Italy particularly affected.
With the approval of local authorities, BKT has restarted tyre production, albeit still on a partial basis, in all its plants in India. The off-highway tyre specialist has also resumed supply and delivery to both the OEM and aftermarket channels.
Nokian Tyres reports that the shutdown which began on 27 March in response to COVID-19 ended on Monday 27 April with the reopening of its factory in the USA. Some plant employees have returned to work for the start of a phased reopening process. The company’s factory in Russia resumed production on 6 April.
Chinese celebrations of Lunar New Year (25 January) were muted this year by the emerging coronavirus crisis, with the huge amount of personal travel associated with the holiday period down around 45 per cent. Yet global business’s reliance on China’s manufacturing meant that large orders were, as usual, preplanned to take into account the two to three weeks of manufacturing slowdown at this time of year. In the UK tyre sector, the result is that a large number of tyres that will likely exceed some distributors’ warehousing capacity are now arriving at UK ports. Freight forwarder, Maritime Cargo Services is offering one solution to companies experiencing this problem.
The phased approach that Goodyear is taking to restart its tyre production in the EMEA region continues. The company has already announced that truck tyre production is up and running again at some sites in Europe, with tyre making partially recommencing in plants in Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg), Wittlich (Germany), Kranj (Slovenia), Debica (Poland) and Izmit (Turkey) over the last two weeks. The next plants to return to production are Goodyear’s Hanau, Fulda, Fürstenwalde and Riesa plants in Germany and in Amiens, France – all five will begin working this week.
Production at Apollo Tyres’ factory in Hungary will partially recommence tomorrow, a month after the tyre maker scaled back production there and in its Enschede plant in the Netherlands in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Exhaust supplier Klarius is continuing to supply garages with exhausts, catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters and mountings. The company said it is supporting the aftermarket supply chain to ensure that critical vehicle repairs can still be carried out when needed, helping members of the public and key workers alike to stay mobile for essential journeys during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Stephen Goodchild
Protyre
Saracens Tyres
SMMT
Chris McAndrew
Yokohama Europe
BKT
Nokian Tyres
Pexels
Goodyear Dunlop
Klarius