According to information given my Dunlop India chairman P K Ruia on March 6, the company’s Shahgunj factory will begin production in the next two to three months, and in stages all employees will return to work. “I want to reassure everybody that the plant will begin production and each of the employees would be absorbed in phases,” said Ruia.
Dunlop India’s factory in Shahgunj will re-open on March 6 after sitting idle for three months. On March 3 the company released a statement saying the plant’s maintenance and engineering division would be the first back on the job, with 229 workers undertaking the task of repairing the factory and making it production ready.
The suspension of operations at the plant was announced on November 30, 2008, and company management says it now hopes to resolve all outstanding issues with labour unions one the repair work is under way. Dunlop India has also indicated that assurances have been received from banks regarding the disbursement of working capital as required for the plant’s sustained operation.
The NFL has its Bill Parcells coaching tree. Goodyear has its Proctor & Gamble marketing tree. The Akron tiremaker dipped back into the P&G pond by selecting R. Scott Rogers as the new chief marketing officer for its North American Tire unit. Goodyear said it is a new position.
Rogers, 39, will oversee all aspects of advertising and marketing for the company’s consumer tyre business, including the Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly brands. HE comes to Goodyear after serving as senior vice president of marketing and sales for Norwegian Cruise Lines, and a number of marketing posts with P&G.
Former P&G marketer Cathryn Fischer was hired by Goodyear in 2001 to serve as vice president and chief marketing officer. She resigned two years later. In late 2007, Goodyear promoted Brett Ponton to the then new position of vice president of marketing for the North American consumer replacement business. (Tire Review/Akron)
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has appointed R. Scott Rogers to the position of chief marketing officer for the company’s North American Tire (NAT) consumer business. In this newly created role, Rogers will oversee all aspects of advertising and marketing for the company’s consumer tyre business, including the Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly brands.
Before joining Goodyear, Rogers, 39, served as senior vice president of marketing and sales for Norwegian Cruise Line since 2005. Prior to that, he held a number of positions for The Procter & Gamble Company between 1992 and 2005.
Exports of Apollo Tyres’ products to Sri Lanka have begun following the beginning of a working partnership with local Mitsubishi distributor United Motors. According to the head of International Marketing at Apollo, Rajesh Kumar, the company hopes to export six containers of truck, bus and passenger car tyres to Sri Lanka every month.
When the flag drops to open the 2009 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing season on 21 March, the M3 racing cars of the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team will be sporting new “shoes” from Dunlop tyres. BMW Motorsport has chosen Dunlop as its official race tyre supplier for the coming ALMS season after extensive winter testing. One of the strongest teams in the ALMS GT2 series, the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team will compete with two BMW Motorsport factory-supported cars in 2009. Dunlop tyres will provide the transfer of power to the track.
Martin Birkman, motorsports manager for BMW of North America, said, “The CSL coupes of BMW of North America’s very first racing program in 1975 raced on Dunlop tyres, and we welcome Dunlop back as a technical partner on the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3s.”
Hampshire based Vintage Tyre Supplies has confirmed that, after an absence of more than a decade, the Dunlop Aquajet in 165R13 size – original equipment on many cars in the late 60s and 70s, including Lotus and Ford models – is once more available. The addition of the H speed rated tyre, which is both E-marked and DOT approved, brings the size of the current Aquajet range to six tyres, ranging from 10 to 15-inch rim diameter.
Philip Hodges is MD of Beissbarth UK and, in this article, he looks forward to the future facing vehicle servicing and repair technicians. Says Philip: It would be interesting to hear the comments and see the reaction of early pioneers of the Motor Car – Henry Ford, Rolls Royce, Auto Union, Benz and a host of others – who in their own way provided us with what is an everyday pleasure for some and for others a tool for every day means of transport and commerce.
All of these pioneers would, I expect, be amazed at the technology of today’s vehicles but also be speechless at the speed of the new developments which drivers of the future will take for granted.
Local news sources have quoted Dunlop Zimbabwe managing director, Kennedy Mandevani, saying that the company is looking to capitalise on the decrease in rubber prices by boosting production. Dunlop Zimbabwe has experienced an increase in sales following its licensing by the country’s Reserve Bank to deal in foreign currency. This has provided the company with the opportunity to import raw materials, though Mandevani said that FOLIWARS sales are “not generating enough foreign currency for raw material importation yet.” He said that the company may seek “short-term external financing to bridge this gap.” It is hoped that by increasing production, the additional foreign exchange sales, and the benefits associated with them, will come.
Dunlop has launched its successor to the popular D756 motocross tyre, the Geomax MX51 in addition to its new MX31, which will replace the D773 on soft-terrain. The new Geomax features a more open centre tread and greater tread volume in the shoulders, alongside greater rigidity in the sidewall, making the tyre more compatible with lower air pressure.
North Eastern Tyre and Exhausts bought fifteen HiQ-branded retail outlets for £3 million, apparently using cash reserves and bank credit to finance the acquisition. This news comes as the company published annual results which saw turnover rise by 7.7 per cent to £43 million. While like-for-like turnover (sales that don’t take into account new openings) are only expected to rise slightly in the coming 12 months, the new branches are expected to help the company achieve annual sales of £50 million this year.
Malaysian Conti subsidiary Continental Sime Tyre (CST) officially launched two new models from its Dunlop 4×4 tyre range at an event held in Malaysia’s Genting Highlands. The two models to be launched are the MaxGrip AT2, an all-terrain tyre, and the Road Trekker 2, a product with a greater on-road focus. Both tyres are available in all CST network dealers.
According to CST chief executive officer Benoit Henry, the continuation of the company’s 4×4 range into the value segment, demonstrates “Continental Sime Tyre’s commitment to our business partners, and with your continued support, commitment and teamwork, this will allow us to face the market challenges together.”
HiQ bosses recently held the retail network’s first National Franchise Conference. The leading fast fit retailer organised a franchise networking event at the impressive Crewe Hall venue in Cheshire, where the company’s recently named new managing director, Juergen Titz, outlined HiQ’s vision to grow in the fast-fit and vehicle servicing market. The event gave HiQ the opportunity to have an open dialogue with its franchisees and inform them of the types of services open to them, such as online ordering technology, marketing support and new corporate identity graphics.
Despite trading in an unprecedented economic downturn, the company remained extremely upbeat about its future, mainly because of its National Franchise Programme. HiQ’s franchise structure is the only one of its kind in the fast fit industry, with 130 sites now run by 41 franchisees. By the end of February, this figure will rise to 138 sites and by the end of 2009, it is hoped that 170 centres will be franchised.
Franchise manager Peter Tye underlined HiQ’s ambitious plans for the long term as well, declaring that by 2013, there will be 275 locations dotted around Britain. Company managers had previously stated that they were aiming for 250 locations by 2010.
Goodyear Dunlop managing director Mark Brickhill told franchisees that recession must not be accepted, and declared that a partnership led structure will be fruitful in the long term: “We all know how tough times are, but so many of our franchisees are boasting some fantastic trading results. There are certainly opportunities to grow in a difficult environment. Successful businesses are all about leadership and those people who are innovative and determined to win will be successful.”
Marketing manager Geraldine McGovern said: “After rolling out our national franchise programme, it was important to get existing and new franchisees together, to tell them our vision for the future, and how important they are to the company. They were also introduced to a range of contacts, who will be available to them as they strive to make their businesses successful. A number of services were also underlined for them, which we want them to utilise in the future.” cja
HiQ Director Predicts ‘Bright New Dawn’
HiQ Retail Director Andy Morris has already set a bold New Year’s resolution for the fast fit company in response to “one of the busiest years imaginable.” HiQ, which has over 120 centres nationwide, announced a national franchise programme designed to speed up the transfer of Goodyear Dunlop owned stores long-term franchise agreements. If that wasn’t enough to keep them busy, the company also embarked on the first year of a three-year sponsorship of the British Touring Car Championship.
Looking forward to 2009 Morris is optimistic: “Our company New Year Resolution is to offer ‘fast fit you can be sure of’ and that is our new company message that you will be hearing more of. It will be relevant to every single one of our centres. It has certainly been a hectic year, but one which has put us in a far stronger position now than we were 12 months ago.
“We are unique in becoming the only national fast fit chain to unveil a radical franchise programme, and the results already show us that we are an attractive proposition to so many franchise partners, in spite of the economic climate we find ourselves in. Far from ‘selling off’ our centres, we are making a bold, sustained commitment to our network, and see this model of partnership as the best way to achieve success. With the franchisees we already have on board, and the new additions to be announced shortly, we are proving that partnership brings greater knowledge, meaning we can out perform company owned equity solutions.”
To coincide with HiQ’s national franchise programme, the company is significantly investing into its systems and online services to attract more customers and position the company as leaders in online fast fit technology. Each franchisee will be given greater exposure on the website, allowing every business manager to communicate directly to his or her customers, through interactive podcasts and blogs.
“While the New Year will present its share of challenges and opportunities, we feel that we have never been better prepared to deal with them,” Morris concluded.
Preston HiQ ‘bucking credit crunch trend’
Meanwhile managers at HiQ, Blackpool Road, Preston claim business has “never been better” with an average of 1,000 tyres a month being sold at the site. Corporate communications manager, James Bailey reportedly told the Lancashire Evening Post: “Even though we are in the midst of a credit crunch, people are not buying new cars like they used to and are instead turning to reputable centres like ourselves.”
Kisby’s Easy Autocentres Acquires 27 HiQ Outlets
A number of HiQ fast fit premises have been taken over by Chris Kisby’s Easy Autocentres. A total of 27 centres are included in the deal, including the company’s flagship Nottingham outlet. Following the acquisition from Goodyear Dunlop, Easy Autocentres is set to become one of the Midland region’s largest fast fit operators, with a turnover of around £10 million.
Kisby’s former role as managing director of Goodyear Dunlop’s HiQ operation puts him in a strong position to appreciate the value of the deal. “I recognised that the opportunity to acquire these units would provide a strong platforms in the Midlands,” said the Easy Autocentres managing director and majority shareholder. “We will seek to build, both organically and through acquisition, to be a significant player in the sector.”
The acquired centres include 12 freehold and 15 short leasehold properties.
HiQ Names Three More Franchisees
HiQ has attracted three new partners in its national franchise programme. HiQ now boasts more than 140 centres across Britain, having secured Alister McGill, who will take over the company’s Alnwick, Berwick and Sunderland outlets, adding to his existing Blyth and Gateshead centres. Gary Thomson will take on the Exeter, Bath, Honiton and Weston Super Mare stores with four experienced partners. Meanwhile, Phil Godfrey has added HiQ’s Banbury store to his Abingdon and Carterton businesses.
According to the company the latest announcement means HiQ’s national franchise plan is now more than half full, with all remaining partners to be announced in the coming months.
Alister McGill, aged 48, said the time had never been better to invest and expand his business, despite the current economic difficulties: “We are really bucking the trend in the motoring trade. Whereas retailers are having a tough time shifting cars as a result of a drop in spending, we are finding that an increasing number of people are keen to fix up or improve their current vehicles as a cost-cutting alternative. This also allows them to cut down on their emission as well as the cost of fuel, so it really is a great time to take on the extra HiQ centres.”
Gary Thomson, aged 40, already owns HiQ outlets in Walmley and Taunton, and is delighted to add four more outlets to his portfolio, alongside four senior partners with more than 50 years combined experience.
He said: “I have 25 years of experience in the industry, having been a mechanic for 15 years, and a regional manager for 10 years. So I am extremely confident about the future, not just for these HiQ outlets, but the fast fit sector generally.
Work to convert Donington Park into a Formula One circuit is underway, and a casualty of the transformation has been the famous Dunlop Bridge. On February 12 – a day described as ‘historic’ by Donington Park chairman Simon Gillett – the week long effort to remove the structure began, and piece-by-piece three decades of motorsport history was taken down.
“As a motorsport enthusiast, I am sorry to see the Dunlop Bridge come down,” said Gillett. “However, it is an iconic structure that has become an integral part of Donington Park. I will do everything in my power to ensure that we are able to resite the bridge within the circuit.” It has been suggested that the Bridge could be relocated to the circuit’s entrance.
In these froward economic times, it is difficult to make plans. Apollo Tyres, however, appears to be pressing ahead with its inroads into European markets. The company’s chairman and managing director Onkar Singh Kanwar recently spoke to India’s largest financial daily, The Economic Times, and explained why exports are so important for Apollo at present.
“The passenger car segment (in India) has been badly impacted,” related Kanwar. “As car sales have plummeted, tyre sales have also gone down proportionally. Apollo Tyres however has managed to maintain a growth of 22 per cent despite the overall scenario, as exports have helped in tiding over this period so far.” He added that, in this most recent financial quarter, exports grew by 37 per cent year-on-year.
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.
