The Promaxx range of tyre changers has, according to its distributor Rema Tip Top, become an instant success with both new and existing customers: “We listened to our customers, and their demands were clear; they wanted a tyre changer which was affordable, functional, built on quality engineering and installed with knowledge that performance and reliability came as standard,” says the company.
Last month tyre and aftermarket systems supplier Signal Extraprise opened a European office with the UK and Irish markets the primary focus. Since 1992 Signal Extraprise has developed information systems that support tyre outlets and auto service centres across North America.
In 2006, Signal reportedly set out to create a revolutionary product, targeting all tyre and vehicle-servicing enterprises in the automotive aftermarket. That work culminated in 2009 with the launch of eXceed an offering designed to help service providers to remake their businesses based on the very different marketplace they face now. Instead of, for example, focusing on the mechanics of ordering, quoting, work orders and the like (which are all still important and included), Signal built a technology to help the dealers transform their stores into engines of growth and profitability.
Performance Wheels Ltd, distributors of the award winning Tyresure aftermarket tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) have been appointed as the official UK distributor for the ATEQ range of TPMS trigger tools, headed by the capable new ATEQ VT55 OBDII. ATEQ is reportedly the global number one supplier of TPMS trigger and activation tools both for OEM assembly lines and aftermarket ‘fast fit’ and tuning shops. With offices in 22 countries and over 5,000 major customers, their range is already used and approved in over 270 OEM installations worldwide. Their sales figures of over 30,000 TPMS products annually reflect the fact that they are used on almost every production line of almost every global manufacturer.
With TPMS set to become a legal requirement by 2012, company representatives said the timing of the deal is perfect. The ATEQ units simply plug into any cars OBDII port to allow the unit to interrogate and update the integrated central electronics system to ‘marry’ any new TPMS sensors to the car. Not only is the ATEQ hardware compatible with ALL currently known TPMS sensors, but it also has in-built synchronisation software that ensures that it stays up to date with all new TPMS sensors introduced each year. Already in use at franchise level with manufacturers like Chrysler and Peugeot, the tool can communicate with manufacturers’ systems like Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Nissan to name but a few.
For almost 20 years, Rema Tip Top International has been the distributor of Equal Tire Performance; the revolutionary method of balancing wheels and tyres for trucks, light trucks and motorcycles. Equal is a plastic polymer granule which provides a continuous, maintenance-free solution to tyre force variation and imbalance for the life of the tyres. It can be installed on mounted tyres via the valve stem or, even easier, for unmounted tyres, simply drop a bag into the tyre, mount the tyre and, within a few miles, the bag breaks apart, allowing Equal to perform its function.
A brand-new TV Series on MTV channel Viva, Slips, sees Yokohama tyres selected as part of a tuning package where modified car owners race to win each others' car. Yokohama tyres and a range of aftermarket alloy wheels from the UK distributor, Yokohama HPT Ltd feature in many of the episodes, hosted by Fun Lovin' Criminals front-man Huey Morgan. The premise of Slips is simple; two car owners choose a range of modifications to their everyday cars with the aim of beating the other round a specially-designed racetrack. The winner takes both cars home while the loser walks.
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Grouptyre has announced the winners of its Red Letter Day promotion, a national initiative set up in conjunction with value brand Federal, for which it is the exclusive UK distributor. First prize of a £500 Red Letter Day goes to RIKFIT Tyres in Kings Norton, Birmingham, which is supplied by Grouptyre member Car Tyrestore. ETB customer Tyrecare of Kings Heath and Top Tread of Rotherham, supplied by NE Wholesale, each won runner up prizes of a Red Letter Day experience to the value of £250.
Arcom, the Polish supplier of racking and storage systems took a stand at the recent Equip Auto trade fair, held in Paris. This was the first time that Arcom had attended the event and was a result of the newly-created co-operation between the Polish company and its French distributor AC Negoce. Exhibitions are a vital part of Arcom's marketing strategy and the company has previously exhibited at both Autopromotec in Bologna and the Reifen fair in Essen. Equip Auto was different, however, as 90 per cent of the visitors came from France and England, in contrast to the more wider geographical profile of visitors to the other two shows.
The Primewell range of tyres is manufactured by GITI Tire, one of the world’s top ten largest tyre makers. The Chinese manufacturer produces a complete and modern range that is exported to over 100 countries. In the UK Primewell is exclusive brand of Stapleton’s Tyre Services, and the distributor has recently launched its Primewell Key Dealer Programme.
Wembley-based motor industry entrepreneur, Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia of Euro Car Parts, has been nominated for the Business & Commerce Award at the forthcoming Lloyds TSB Jewel Awards, taking place on Saturday 7th November at London Hilton, Park Lane.
Starting as a teenager in a "one-man business", Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia has built Euro Car Parts Ltd into the UK's largest independent distributor of replacement car parts. Early in this career, he identified that the UK's 30,000 independent car garages needed immediate access to a wide range of car parts for the huge array of vehicles on the road, allowing repairs to be completed the same day, sometimes even while the car owner waited.
Norstar International, Orange Electronic Taiwan and a group of investors have launched Orange Electronic North America LLC. According to reports, the new company will assume control of the North American marketing, sales and distribution of Orange Electronic Taiwan’s TPMS products. “We have been working with Orange Electronic as a distributor for the past two years and were impressed by their high quality products and innovative solutions,” said Steve Norris, president of Norstar International and Orange Electronic North America.
The emergence this year of the FS40LT four post alignment lift, distributed exclusively by Pro-Align, has reportedly created “a wave of interest in the UK market.” Fresh from winning the NTDA innovation prize for its Hunter SmartWeight system at this year’s TAFF awards, Pro-Align are now offering what the company calls specialist alignment lifts.
“The FS40LT has been developed by Provac, Hunter’s distributor in France,” Pro-Align’s Paul Beaurain explains: “Utilising years of alignment experience, they have brought together the best features to make an extremely high specification ramp, providing…the ultimate alignment service, at a price that’s no more expensive than a standard four post alignment lift.”
In October of 2009 Vipal and Grumac completed five years of partnership. A UK-based company with more than 50 years of experience in the tyre and retreading business, Grumac has been the exclusive British repair material distributor Brazilian retreading material supplier Vipal since 2004.
partnership."
Harley Davidson distributors in the US have reportedly declared nitrogen tyre inflation the safer choice for bikers. According to Sheffield-based company PCL, which will now supply its Accura nitrogen inflation units to the depots, users are impressed with “its performance and reliability, citing the best features as size and the automatic purge and fill function.” Harley Davidson distributors across the US opted for PCL’s mobile cart as a nitrogen replacement solution when they stopped using compressed air for motorcycle tyre inflation. The units are supplied via Baltimore-based Industrial Diagnostics.
With a raft of new motorsport video game releases comes the opportunity for top brands to score some novel recognition points within the market. König Wheels distributor, Varga Trading Company, contacted tyrepress.com to let us know that its wheels are currently optional fitments to the high performance machines featured in recent title, ‘Need for Speed: Shift’. The brand also features as part of the Audi models’ in-game livery. The ability to modify vehicles has become more prevalent in recent games, prompted by the pretty incredible choices offered by virtual racing simulator series, ‘Forza Motorsport’ (Xbox 360) and ‘Gran Turismo’ (Playstation 3). With the latest editions of both of these series due over the next few months, auto manufacturers seem to be realising the impact appearances in video games can have in brand conscious markets.
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With sales reaching 9,772 in September, Kia Motors (UK) Ltd. has hit a new record for the brand in any European market. No Kia subsidiary or distributor in Europe has ever sold so many new cars in one month throughout the brand's history and with total sales for the year passing 34,700, the UK performance has overtaken Kia Motors Deutschland – traditionally the biggest market in Europe.
The result gives Kia a 2.66 per cent market share in the UK – and a 3.73 per cent share of the retail market in September – both new records for Kia. Kia's Picanto was the runaway leader in terms of sales, with 3,395 registered during the month. Rio was hot on its heels with 2,066 sales followed by the cee'd family at 1,592 – before the new model introduction from 1 October and Sportage at 792.
Michael Cole, managing director said: "It would be wrong to say that the Government's scrappage scheme hasn't helped us and in particular Picanto has proved very popular amongst those trading in 10 year old cars. But our September performance and our year-to-date result cannot be attributed to scrappage alone.
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