Goodyear Dunlop Supports Tsunami Relief
Goodyear Dunlop has teamed up with Southern Vectis providing tyres for ten IVECO 59-12 vehicles that the bus company is pledging to Asia Bus Response, a UK-wide appeal for vehicles by the bus industry.
Goodyear Dunlop has teamed up with Southern Vectis providing tyres for ten IVECO 59-12 vehicles that the bus company is pledging to Asia Bus Response, a UK-wide appeal for vehicles by the bus industry.
Dick Johnson, general manager of Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK, has been awarded the title ‘Foreign Manager of the Year for 2004’ by the Slovenian media.
Dunlop’s appearance at the Autosport show saw the company launch a new 22 inch SP Sport Maxx size and promote its 2005 Race Academy. There was even the opportunity to virtually compete, with a race simulator. The motivation behind all this? In order to increase its exposure amongst the key “lifestyle” target audience.
The Autosport show was the first time that Dunlop has exhibited the 22 inch version of its SP Sport Maxx tyre in the UK. Developed in association with tuning companies that build modified BMW and Mercedes machinery, the company says the new tyres are designed to complement the existing product range which begins with a more humble 16 inch fitment. The SP Sport Maxx will now be available in 265/35R22, 285/30R22 and 305/30R22 sizes.
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK has announced that it has appointed the RLA Group as its trade marketing agency. The agency will be responsible for developing and coordinating a trade marketing programme covering all group activities. RLA will represent the Goodyear, Dunlop and Fulda tyre brands and the Hi-Q retail vehicle and tyre service network.
The Royal Smithfield Show has always been the place to be seen for those involved in agricultural tyres. Renowned as one of Europe’s largest and most comprehensive agri-business events, this year’s exhibition will span 60,000 square metres of indoor space and is expecting up to 50,000 visitors from around the world.
Around 20 companies, including ATS Euromaster, Bridgestone, R H Claydon, Goodyear Dunlop, Michelin, Mitas UK, Solideal, Tyremart and Wheel Solutions, will represent the agricultural tyre and wheel sector with a range of new and existing products. Tyres & Accessories will report the latest information from the agri-world and in the light of ongoing UK trade show debates will ask whether this is one tradition the UK industry can really afford.
The Aftermarket Show will open its doors to tyre industry visitors at the NEC from 13 to 16 January next year. Organiser, Haymarket Exhibitions, believes that the show will be both relevant and appealing to all sectors of the industry.
“The tyre section of the show is sponsored by the TIC, and the NTDA is again taking a stand; this is an exhibition that the tyre and fast fit market is keen and willing to support,” says Haymarket’s group sales manager Giles Brown.
Exhibitors such as Vredestein, Nordisk, Rage, Eurosport, Autopart and equipment suppliers like Supertracker, Tecalamit and Mace Industries will all be returning for a second successive year.
The last show was the first to combine all elements of an aftermarket industry, elements that had previously been exhibited as separate entities within Autosport International. The move is also an attempt to emphasise the combination of business and pleasure, and the automotive exhibition takes place over a full weekend for the first time. More than 90,000 people, including almost 25,000 from the automotive trades, attended the NEC for the two shows in 2004.
Although the focus is on the consumer, brands such as Dunlop, Pirelli, Uniroyal, Yokohama, Kumho and Silverstone will all be displaying their latest motorsport and high performance ranges to visitors. Fulda will also be present and is sponsoring the Live Action Arena at Autosport International as part of its campaign to launch its ultra-high performance car tyres in the UK.
Goodyear Dunlop’s pan-European internet-based tyre management system, FleetOnlineSolutions which was launched to truck and bus fleet operators late last year, has been expanded. The improvements that have been made include major functionality upgrades, web-based interactive reporting and intensive training, says the tyre manufacturer. There are now more than 3,500 contracted vehicles on the system, based in three countries. FleetOnlineSolutions utilises the internet and is accessible to the customer, contracted tyre service providers and Goodyear Dunlop. All details of a customer’s tyre contract are available via the secure FleetOnlineSolutions website which also handles all reporting, invoicing and stock ordering, related to contracts. This means that whenever a customer needs tyre-related work to be carried out, it is done exactly to the specification agreed in the contract. In other words, the service-provider works precisely to each customer’s individual tyre policy and pricing structure as originally agreed with Goodyear Dunlop.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has said its Belgium-based joint venture with Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries has arranged financing worth up to $365.5 million (£189.52 million), the associated press is reporting.
The transaction, which will be completed in euros, will provide $219.25 million to Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe BV, Europe’s second-largest tyre maker. That amount, which will be secured through accounts receivables, could expand before the facility’s term ends in five years. Goodyear said the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and will replace an existing $109.6 million facility. The deal is subject to customary annual renewal of back-up liquidity lines, Goodyear said.
Shares of Goodyear rose 84 cents, or 6.43 per cent, to close at $13.91 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock increased another 5 cents to $13.96 in after-hours trade.
As the third incarnation of the Sir Bob Geldof’s charity song is about to hit the charts, Dunlop is also lending a helping had to some less fortunate people. In a bid to make Christmas a little bit brighter, the tyre manufacturer has sponsored Hand of Help IOM as a way of assisting the charity’s work in a certain part of Romania.
One of the trustee’s of Hand of Help, Chris Baker, visits an orphanage, a dystrophic baby hospital in Botosani and a drop-in centre in Dorohoi twice yearly. He also runs house-building projects to provide housing and employment for needy families. To help with the trip Dunlop has provided Mr Baker with a set of Grandtrek MT2 off road tyres to help tackle the poor road conditions and the amount of snow experienced on the trip at this time of year.
Trips are normally run during the summer, however much of the hardship is endured during the winter months. The trip was therefore moved to Christmas with Christmas gifts, warm clothing and other specialist items taken to bring some joy to people in the area.
“We are extremely grateful to Dunlop for sponsoring our trip. It is difficult to convey how much suffering is endured by the people in this area of Romania and the hope we bring to the area with our visits can not be underestimated,” said Mr Baker
Dunlop Tyres have published a new website which features articles of motorsports greatest charcters, including Sir Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell and Sir Stirling Moss. The ‘Drivers Know’ site also provides features on the jazz generation, as well as new design technology looking at Dunlop’s RunFlat tyres and the ultra-high performance tyre, SP Sport Maxx.
Visitors to the site will also get a chance to take a break at Café Dunlop. Here there are reviews on great reads for the passionate driver, the best driving films ever made and the ideal musical accompaniment to the perfect drive. Take a look at the design icons gallery or enter the forum for your say. There are also competitions to win your dream drive or the chance to win the ultimate jazz collection.
Commenting on their most recent part of the company’s publicity drive, Geraldine McGovern, Dunlop brand manager said: “The blend of articles and features on the site were all provided by people in the know. The intelligent premium content from motorsport to lifestyle features delivers Dunlop’s Drivers Know proposition online”
In the middle of November Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany in Hanau inaugurated a new manufacturing facility for runflat tyres. The company has invested approximately 250 million euros into its German locations over the last three years. In Hanau Goodyear Dunlop can produce about 3,000 runflats a day, a similar production facility is in Fulda factory. Goodyear Dunlop produces 26 million tyres per year and sells about 40 million. 14 million of the German produced Dunlop tyres are exported to sister companies. This year alone, the company in Europe sold 1.3 million DSST (Dunlop Self Supporting Technology) and Goodyear EMT (Extended Mobility Technology) tyres, making it market leader in this segment.
Goodyear presented three new high performance Dunlop tyres at the SEMA show in an effort to rejuvenate its North American line up of the fading brand. Independent tyre dealers and consumers that attended the show had the chance to see the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, the company’s new “flagship ultra-performance tyre” that has already been released into the European market and that performed well in Autocar’s recent tyre tests.
According to Andy Traicoff, director of the Dunlop brand in North America, the tyre has been received enthusiastically from manufacturers seeking “original-equipment tyres for their high-horsepower models.”
Just a few days after unveiling its new Direzza DZ101 tyre, Dunlop found a number of volunteers willing to sit in the “chair.” The barber’s chair, that is.
Dunlop has awarded the first “Maxxed Out” award of the 2004 SEMA show to the owner of a customized 2001 Honda Civic. Ryan Shutt from Baltimore was selected for Dunlop’s best-of-show award for having “the best Dunlop tyre and tricked-out car combination at the show.”
Dunlop is calling on UK drivers to look out for a mysterious calling card, placed on their windscreens by what the company calls its “black-clad hit squad.” The promotion will see the “hit squad” leave their calling cards on vehicles in town centres across the UK.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.