data Archives - Page 24 of 40 - Tyrepress

Posts

Supertracker Aims for “Moderate Budget” Wheel Alignment

Following what the company says was “a very successful 2008,” wheel alignment manufacturer Supertracker reports that it has maintained a good sales performance in the first quarter of this year. Recommending that garage and fast fit operators make wheel alignment an integral part of every customer visit, Supertracker is attempting to back up its assertion with a wide range of competitively-priced wheel alignment equipment ranges, making its systems available to as wide a portion of the market as possible.

Managing director Trevor Lovesy is aware of the need to reduce costs in the current fiscal climate: “Obviously the significant downturn in business has affected all market sectors – including the garage equipment market – with many companies looking to minimise business expenditure as much as possible. Fortunately because the Supertracker range is more reasonably priced than other wheel alignment equipment on the market we have not seen any reduction of interest for our products.”

2nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Preparing for 24 Hours of Le Mans

The pre-race trials held on March 31 and April 1 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will enable the Michelin Power Research Team to continue preparing for the celebrated motorcycle race and choose the correct tyres for its race entry. The Michelin Power Research Team’s blue No. 63 Honda CBR 1000, ridden by William Costes, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge, is intended to serve as a research laboratory that allows Michelin to pursue its tyre development in real racing conditions.

31st March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Wide Single Truck Tyres 6-10% More Efficient – US Study

Michelin North America has reported on a 383-page report made available in mid-March the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This report, says Michelin, confirms that wide single tyres are more fuel-efficient than duals on heavy trucks. This conclusion is based upon data collected from more than 700,000 real-world miles driven by six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers over the course of four-years.

25th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

John Bean Rolls Out Price Reduction on V3D Lite

John Bean, a brand within Snap-on Equipment, announced its price reduction on the popular V3D Lite to £7,995 (excluding VAT). The reduced price is available on machines ordered before July 2009 and includes a two-year warranty.

Chris Behan, general manager of Snap-on Equipment, states that the company hopes to attract more converts to the system’s 3D alignment operation: “Reducing the price of the successful John Bean V3D Lite enables more workshops to leave their old laser aligners behind and step into the world of fast and accurate 3D wheel alignment. The current economic climate means that garages need to maximise profit opportunities and V3D Lite enables them to gain a new or improved revenue stream alongside their core business.”

25th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TIF: UK Tyre Replacement Market Over 34-35 million Units

The Tyre Industry Federation has announced that its estimates put the UK replacement car tyre market at well over 30 million units. The new figures, which include 4×4 and light van tyres, represent the first time an official estimate has been as high as 30 million units annually. The TIF data is based on figures contributed by the tyre manufacturer associations and the Tyre Wholesalers Group of the National Tyre Distributors Association. These indicate that sales into the UK market totalled 29.7 million units in 2007, before imports, retreads and part-worn tyres.

20th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Presents Millionth Energy Saver to PSA Peugeot Citroën

The Auto Channel reports that on Monday 9 March, 2009, Michelin presented PSA Peugeot Citroën with the millionth Michelin Energy Saver tyre, reaffirming the strategic partnership between the two groups. The Energy Saver made its debut exclusively on the Peugeot 308 in 2007.

Michelin states that its ‘green’ technological solution “generates fuel savings of nearly 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres in combined cycle driving, resulting in a reduction in CO2 emissions of nearly 4 grams per kilometre.” In recognition, it states of its “performance and the exceptional teamwork demonstrated by the partners,” PSA Peugeot Citroën presented Michelin with an Innovation award in May 2006. Today, this tyre technology is widely deployed on a large number of Peugeot and Citroën vehicles.

19th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

OTR Implements New Service Management System

OTR Tyres Ltd has implemented a new Service Management System as part of its strategy to continually improve onsite service for customers. According to the company, the system provides a seamless transfer of data to and from the OTR Service Engineer and Regional Depot and gives real time information to allow accurate job management. “Travel time and distance, job start and finish information, vehicle downtime, details of work requested and work done are all recorded and used to continually improve the service offered,” said UK operations director Darren Flint.

13th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

New Beta Tools Website

The latest Beta Tools web site (www.Beta-tools.co.uk) is designed to offer easy access to detailed product and tooling information, technical data and general assistance, according to company literature. Features include pdf downloads of all current promotional literature including the 2009 “Actions” catalogue, plus a state-of-the-art on line brochure.

10th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

American Truck Orders Reach Lowest Level in Six Years

FTR Associates’ preliminary data shows that Class 8 total net orders for all major North American OEMs fell to 6,167 units in February, the lowest order rate in over six years. The figure includes orders for the US, Canada, Mexico and for export. February orders, said FTR, declined 21 per cent from January levels and fell some 60 per cent against February 2008.

Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates, said, “we have been anticipating this slow-down in order activity for some time now and expect orders to drop to 5,000 units or below over the next several months.” (Tire Review/Akron)

4th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Global Tyre Demand Down 35% in January

Global tyre demand fell by approximately 35 per cent in January, according to manufacturer data. The figures, supplied to Deutsche Bank by Michelin, show the huge fall was prompted by a 50 per cent drop in OE demand, but could also be seen in a 20 per cent drop in replacement sales.

Deutsche Bank analysts pointed out that the figures are the worst for 30 years, compared to a -3.5 per cent fall in 1991 and a 16 per cent drop in the fourth quarter of 2008. The analyst put the falls down to people driving roughly 5 per cent less; postponing their tyre purchases; and dealers reducing their inventories. Michelin sales volumes are expected to be approximately 15 per cent lower than 2008 in the first quarter of 2009, according to Deutsche Bank.

The marked collapse in demand is said to be reflected across both the truck tyre and passenger car tyre segments and in both Europe and North America. Only China attained single digit growth.

25th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

STL Gets Global Award Nod

Standards Testing Laboratories was nominated for a Tire Technology International Award for Innovation and Excellence in the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year category. The awards are sponsored by Tire Technology International magazine, and will be presented on 18 February in Hamburg, Germany.

“We’re honoured to be considered for the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year award as we focus on company growth that allows us to serve tyre and wheel customers throughout the world,” said Cheryl Schnuth, STL vice president of marketing. “Our expert team of engineers, scientists and technicians devotes each day to conducting high-quality, unbiased testing that delivers accurate, reliable data.” (Tire Review/Akron)

16th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Downtime Costs “Disappear” With Michelin Policy: Fleet Operator

Michelin UK says specialist chilled food distributor FreshLinc is expecting to see a dramatic increase in tyre life and fewer tyre-related breakdowns following a company-wide switch to its tyres and the commencement of a pence per kilometre (PPK) contract. The new agreement sees the Lincolnshire based operator fit a range of Michelin ‘E’ segment regional tyres, with XZE2+ being fitted to the 140 DAF and Scania maximum weight tractor units and new XTE2 and XTE3 tyres across the 160-strong trailer parc as wear dictates. The nature of the PPK structure, comments Michelin, also allows FreshLinc to own the tyres, without the up-front cost of outright purchase.

4th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Delticom Stores Granted TÜV Shopping Seal of Approval

European online tyre retailer Delticom has expressed ‘delight’ that its online shops have been given the seal of approval by German certifier TÜV. Starting with the company’s German ReifenDirekt.de site, fifteen of Delticom’s shopping websites have been awarded TÜV S@fer Shopping status, and the company hopes this distinction will signal to customers a safer and comfortable online purchase.

There are strict requirements for the TÜV award, which is renewed every year in extensive tests. The certification focuses on a number of areas, including user-friendliness and transparency. Amongst other site qualities, TÜV requires that online customers find a clear menu navigation that allows them to complete the purchase process easily. Whether or not a site assures the protection of consumer data is another important factor taken into account.

2nd February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

OTR Tyres Orders ‘Pneu’ Data Capture System

OTR Tyres a leading international earthmover tyre specialist has integrated an RFID-based data capture system into their tyre management system – TotalTyreLogic. According to the company, this is the world’s first commercially available, fully electronic, inspection and tyre management system.

The data capture system has been developed in partnership with Derbyshire based Pneu-Logic and is reportedly the first part of a multi-phase technology programme planned between OTR and Pneu-Logic. It involves using a handheld device to electronically capture and transmit tyre pressure and tread depth and wirelessly input it into OTR’s TyreLogic tyre management system.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Experience “Difficult F1 Test”

The official tyre supplier to Formula One, Bridgestone Motorsport has completed its first group test of 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão, Portugal, where two compounds of 2009 specification slick tyres were used, as well as current specification wet and extreme wet tyres. Five teams were present over four days of testing between 19-22 January.

Though the Algarve location is famed for its good weather, the test was affected by wet and windy weather, and at one stage hailstones fell on the track during the course of the four days. While Bridgestone’s soft and super soft compound slick tyres were available for use, teams predominantly opted for the wet and extreme wet tyres. Adding to the difficulty of the wet weather, the ambient temperature was also much cooler than is expected to be experienced at races this season. This restricted the amount of meaningful data that could be obtained. Compounding the problem was the relatively new circuit, whose surface was very slippery as a result of both the weather and its freshness.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors