GPX says it has launched a company-wide initiative to improve its productivity and international distribution network. Due to what the company calls ‘unprecendented economic pressures in the market’, the company has conducted comprehensive reviews to help it determine where we can serve our customer base most efficiently. As a result, GPX intends to close its Hayward, California facility. Distribution operations will continue until March 1, 2009.
Vipal have moved to a new premises, a move they say has followed their growing presence in Europe. As of now the company’s new address is:
VIPAL EUROPE S.L.
GENERAL URRUTIA 75- 10-B
46013 Valencia
Spain
The company adds that its phone number +34 963 81 11 81 and fax number +43 963 28 16 83 remain unchanged. Vipal’s distribution centre in Valencia also continues to operate at its existing address.
Lloyd Fraser Supply Chain has renewed its three-year contract for Vacu-Lug to supply tyres for tis Focus DIY distribution contract. The agreement covers a total of 162 items of equipment and features a combination of fixed-price and pence-per-kilometre pricing.
A total of 59 Scania tractor units, 76 Don-Bur double-deck trailers and 27 Lawrence David trailers are included within the agreement, which will see new Yokohama tyres fitted to all steer axles and Vacu-Lug Duramold retreaded tyres on the trailers. Reflecting the nature of the operation, the tractor units are on a pence-per-kilometre tariff while the trailers are charged for at a fixed monthly rate.
Unipart Leisure is launching a new and improved Car Care proposition, which includes the introduction of many new product ranges not available through competitors. The proposition will stimulate additional sales and all products are now available through a more flexible ordering system. The Car Care business fits logically into the Unipart Leisure proposition as the company has a successful distribution business supplying the high street retailer.
Derek Howsam commented: “We are now able to provide access to the full Unipart Leisure car care proposition as well as to the entire Unipart Leisure & Marine product portfolio. This will provide opportunities for incremental product sales. The broad availability of the range will see increased sales – and in turn profitability – in a more demanding market. Not only do we have additional leisure ranges but a broader product range of leading proprietary brands and new products exclusive to Unipart Leisure, which have been introduced from suppliers such as Holts, Farecla and Osram. The full product range includes well-known brands such as WD40, Carpoint, Loctite, Castrol, Haynes, Calor; Turtle Wax Magic Tree and many others. Unipart Leisure aims to offer the complete proposition for car care customers that is adaptable and flexible providing customers with tailored solutions.”
On November 28 Bridgestone Corporation announced that its board of directors has approved a number of proposed changes in corporate officers. Mikio, Masunaga, currently vice president and senior officer responsible for procurement and internal manufacturing management in the Internal Manufacturing Management section and concurrently assistant to the vice president and officer, Motorsport is now focusing on the first of these duties exclusively.
Goodyear Jamaica Limited has decided to call it quits after some 40 years. Tropical Battery, whom the Goodyear subsidiary appointed Jamaican distributor of the brand in August, will continue in this role following the wind up of the national operation.
AF Blakemore and Son Ltd has decided to switch tyre suppliers to Pirelli Truck Tyres. Blakemore’s Wholesale, Food Service and Spar Distribution Divisions currently deliver to over 5,255 outlets with a fleet of 350 vehicles ranging from 3.5 to 44 tonnes.
Lloyd Fraser Contracts has selected Vacu-Lug as the tyre fleet management solution-provider for its Manor Bakeries contract, which covers the nationwide distribution of bakery products including the well-known Mr Kipling brand.
The agreement will see new Yokohama tyres fitted to all the truck steer-axles of Lloyd Fraser’s 38 Manor Bakeries-dedicated MAN tractor units. Vacu-Lug’s own-brand Duramold retread tyres (predominately super-singles) will be fitted to the 120 permanent trailers. The agreement has been written as a pence-per-kilometre contract based on the truck and trailer fleet’s anticipated monthly mileage.
Unipart Automotive has invested £1 million in a new branch and Area Distribution Centre (ADC) in Solihull, creating 20 new jobs. Allan McNish, 2008 Le Mans 24hr race winner, officially opened the new 14,000 sq ft Birmingham South branch on Wednesday 19 November 2008.
This major investment by the motor parts distributor will enable it to better service the needs of motor trade customers, with access to over 25,000 product lines giving excellent off-the-shelf availability. A delivery service from the largest fleet in Birmingham, comprising 27 Unipart vans, will provide fast local delivery.
UK Batteries, the driving force behind the Platinum brand, has unveiled a new catalogue that details its most comprehensive range of applications to date. The 2009 Platinum Batteries catalogue has been collated by experienced product manager, Keith Rudd, and contains a comprehensive application list for a market-leading automotive product range that covers cars, light vans and commercial vehicles. The catalogue is available in three formats: on the www.ukbatteries.co.uk website, in paper form and also on a CD.
Before Kwik-Fit invested in a National Distribution Centre, there was a problem with tyre deliveries. All of the fast-fit chain’s main suppliers were delivering to all of its 670-odd active branches two to three times a week, which was expensive for the delivering manufacturers and disruptive to the Kwik-Fit branches. The answer? Build a specialist centre in cooperation with a leading third party logistics supplier and deliver all the brands in one go. Keen to get an effective new service up and running as soon as possible, Kwik-Fit GB Ltd appointed CEVA Logistics to manage and operate the new Corby-based National Distribution Centre (NDC) and its transport operation in June, before stocking up the site and getting systems up to speed this summer. In October, four months and somewhere in the order of £10 million of investment later, Tyres & Accessories met with Kwik-Fit Fleet sales director, Mike Wise; head of supply chain, Neil Arnott; and Toby Leybourne product director-tyres for an exclusive tour of the state-of-the-art site.
Looking back to the 1970s and 1980s Kwik-Fit sold just 25 different sizes. As anyone in the trade knows, today it is a completely different story and there are up to 700 different size and brand products in the premium segment alone. Something that, according T&A’s Kwik-Fit tour guides, is “a monster to control.” At the same time the floor and storage space available to individual Kwik-Fit branches remains pretty much the same as it was two decades ago. Toby Leybourne summarized the pragmatic thinking behind the project like this: “Having 90 depots inside the M25, for example, means logistics is key, but now Kwik-Fit’s nightmare has become an opportunity.” Head of Kwik-Fit Fleet, Mike Wise added: “Virtually every new vehicle launched comes to the market with a new tyre size…The proliferation of tyre sizes has made it a necessity that Kwik-Fit has its own distribution operation and is not reliant on tyre manufacturers to deliver tyres to centres, which can take several days.”
Ceva Logistics has opened a distribution centre in Westland, Michigan which it will run for Pirelli Tire North America. The centre will handle tyres for two of Pirelli’s US-based OE customers, General Motors and Ford Motor Company, providing dedicated transportation and warehousing services for the tyre manufacturer.
“We estimate to move one million tyres through the facility in 2009,” said John Godfrey, Pirelli Tire North America’s Director of Logistics.
The diagnostic division of nationwide garage equipment suppliers GEG – GEG Diagnostics – has recently been awarded exclusive distribution rights for Autoboss products in the UK and Ireland.
Autoboss is a part of the SPX group; the largest manufacturer of OEM diagnostic tools in the world. They supply to major car manufacturers including Vauxhall, Jaguar, Honda and Nissan.
Canadian Tire Corp, the northern North American tyre store that sells everything from dog food to gym equipment, has a new president and CEO. Stephen G. Wetmore was appointed to the position on November 5, replacing Tom Gauld, who had served in the role since 2006. Prior to his latest role, Wetmore served as CEO at Bell Aliant Telecommunications, a subsidiary of Canada’s largest telecommunications company, BCE.
Logistics provider DHL is introducing across Europe a new patented solution for transporting tyres to market. The company calls the product ‘DHL Tyrebox’ and reports it is a convenient, cost saving and environmentally friendly method of packaging. The Tyrebox, says DHL, offers a unique solution to the conventional challenge of transporting tyres, turning them from a non-conveyable shipment into a conveyable one, allowing tyres to be easily stacked together and delivered flat-packed.
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