MAM Software Ltd has held pride of place as the Aftersoft Group’s largest subsidiary of, and the significance of the automotive industry computer systems and data solutions supplier can be seen in the decision to rename the parent company; the Aftersoft Group has been rebranded as MAM Software Group, Inc.
ATS Euromaster credits the strength of its 24/7 nationwide rapid response service as critical in the securing of a new agreement to fit tyres across Acumen’s 40-strong fleet of car transporters. The vehicle delivery company has switched to ATS Euromaster from a local independent tyre dealer, who operated by coordinating requests for roadside assistance via other independent agents.
Round five of the 2010 MotoGP Championship will be hosted for the first time since 1986 at Silverstone when the British Grand Prix takes place this weekend. Bridgestone, the sole tyre supplier for MotoGP, will bring its medium and hard slick compounds to the race, with the hard asymmetric rear tyre available.
Cruden BV, a leading manufacturer of interactive motion-based simulators, has developed a new generic tyre model for its “driver-in-the-loop vehicle simulators.” According to the company, the main benefit of the generic tyre model is that it makes full motion simulation more affordable to tyre manufacturers. And of course the key selling point associated with virtual tyre testing – as opposed to physical tyre testing – is that it allows for unlimited evaluation of multiple tyre models by test drivers in a perfectly repeatable environment. Which in simple terms means reduced tyre testing costs (both in terms of time and money.
Cruden’s tyre model, developed using the Magic Formula 6.1., is designed to allow engineers to measure, test and adjust tyre properties such as cornering stiffness and maximum peak friction values, and to perform sensitivity studies towards inflation pressure or thermal effects. And now the company has added a new external physics plug-in, so engineers can “seamlessly and automatically integrate their MATLAB Simulink-based tyre models with the Cruden simulator.” The system offers real time data logging and parameter tuning on-the-fly via Real Time Workshop which means engineers can change parameters and monitor signals constantly throughout the simulation.
When the European Commission published the preliminary results of its anti-dumping investigation of Chinese aluminium wheel producers, it also released a wealth of market information to anyone willing to trawl through numerous pages of legal jargon. The good news is that Tyres & Accessories has done this, so you don’t have to. And the results reveal the sheer scale of the case.
Kleber has launched the new 65-series Gripker tyre for 80 to 180 hp tractors. The new tyre is the latest addition to Kleber’s range of tractor tyres and the Gripker name was selected after 3,000 farmers voted for it at the SIMA 2009 trade show. Particularly suited to mixed crop farming and livestock operations, the new Kleber Gripker is designed to thanks to its exclusive design. Its lugs are designed to reduce damage to emerging crops and grasslands, and more rounded, to ensure that mud is effectively expelled from the tread, for self-cleaning.
While the new Kleber Gripker has a particularly modern appearance, it also features the three small interlugs between the tread bars that have been a trademark of Kleber’s tyres throughout the company’s history. In addition, the new range is said to be suited to road use and carries the D speed rating, allowing speeds of up to 65 km/h. The Gripker has updated Kleber’s range of the increasingly popular 65-series tyres and this is highlighted by the fact that sales in this category grew by 70 per cent between 2000 and 2008, according to Michelin data.
Earthmover Tyres is to introduce its Tire Monitor System (TMS) to the UK at this year’s Hillhead show (22 – 24 June). Designed and supplied by AM Bromley, a company formed in 1997 by engineers who worked on the early concepts of tyre pressure monitoring systems, this wireless tyre pressure gauge and monitoring system has been developed for large off-road vehicles. TMS provides tyre pressure and temperature data to allow tyres to be maintained for optimal performance, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. The show will be held at Tarmac’s Hillhead Quarry, near Buxton, in Derbyshire. According to the organisers, it is recognized as “the world’s largest.”
According to data released by Pirelli & C. SpA, Europe’s passenger car and light commercial vehicle replacement tyre market grew 14 per cent year-on-year during April 2010, below the 20 per cent improvement observed in March yet a three point improvement on the market’s 10.5 per cent year-to-date improvement. Original equipment sales of all tyre brands in Europe improved one per cent year-on-year during April, considerably lower than the 19.25 per cent improvement seen in the year-to-date. Replacement market truck tyre sales showed a 20 per cent year-on-year improvement during the month, down on the year-to-date increase of 32.75 per cent. The original equipment truck tyre market in Europe shot up 60 per cent in April, by far the largest monthly year-to-date growth so far this year. Year-to-date, growth in this sector have improved by 16 per cent over last year.
German software house PC-Soft has announced plans to show its fa/r software designed for managing retreading processes at June’s Reifen 2010 show. According to the company, PC-Soft designed the comprehensive fa/r system solution specifically for the requirements of the retread industry.
“Our customers benefit from the practical illustration of their processes (e.g. buffing, building) and the seamless integration of production, storage and management, automatic documentation and therefore the optimization of the whole process. Our focus is securing your productivity and flexible response capability to deliver as soon as possible and at optimum production,” company representatives commented in their promotional literature.
Bridgestone will provide riders at MotoGP’s French Grand Prix with an asymmetric rear option for the first time in the 2010 season. The tyre supplier says the move is made in response to calls from riders during 2009 for greater use of the multi-compound slicks; while the same asymmetric specifications are available as last year (medium, hard and extra hard), they each boast a wider temperature operating range by incorporating the company’s improved soft and medium compound rubber, which makes them suitable for a greater number of Grands Prix. The rear slick tyre option in Le Mans combines soft compound rubber in the left shoulder with medium compound rubber in the right.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders anticipates a rise in vehicle production volumes this year, the start of a recovery that will accelerate over the next two years. “Looking at the production picture in Europe at the moment, we think the recovery is actually beginning now and despite the threat of the financial crisis hitting Europe we think there is a good chance that 2010 will be much better than had been hitherto thought,” stated Ian Henry, director of AutoAnalysis and author of the May 2010 SMMT report on production outlook. “We actually now think that in 2010 the volumes will actually be up over 2009 and we think there’ll be a further recovery in 2011. But the real climb back will come from 2012, once the financial crisis has completely been erased and a range of new models come on-stream.”
MAM Software Ltd. has released Autocat+ v6.0, the latest version of its electronic all-makes parts catalogue, which introduces over 30 enhancements to improve lookup speed and accuracy. In this latest version, users can quickly and easily access previous searches to speed up repeat lookups. As well as remembering which product groups were searched for a given registration number, Autocat+ v6.0 also records the actual part numbers that were transferred to point-of-sale.
The second season of Bridgestone’s sole tyre supply to MotoGP got underway at the Grand Prix of Qatar on April 11. On the championship’s official Dorna Sports’ operated website, chief coordinator of the Bridgestone MotoGP project, Thomas Scholz, has given an explanation of the new tyre allocation process in use this season.
The Association of Indonesian Tire Producers (APBI) has reported that domestic car tyres sales volumes jumped 54.62 per cent to 7.87 million tyres in the first two months of 2010, compared to 5.09 million tyres at the same point last year. According to data, published on the Indonesian Insider Stories website, the sales volume of motorcycle tyres rose significantly, up 22.7 per cent from 4.22 million tyres in the first two months of last year to 5.18 million tyres at the start of 2010. The association has not reported first quarter sales volume figures.
At the moment coverage is restricted to French roads, yet the ViaMichelin real time traffic information map scheduled to go on sale in May 2010 gives motorists everywhere a taste of services awaiting them around the corner. Information for all of France will be accessible through a total of 22 matrix codes, 21 of which focus on specific cities and one for the whole country.
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