Dunlop Archives - Page 66 of 112

Goodyear Dunlop Nears £50,000 Charity Goal

While economic pressures can result in people rethinking their spending, they have not prevented Goodyear Dunlop’s friends and associates homing in on the company’s target of donating £50,000 in a year and a half to help build a playground for the Childhood and Adolescent Mental Health Service ward at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Since April 2008 fundraisers have been working hard, with a range of activities taking place including a charity ball, dress down days, truck tyre rolls and a bicycle ride from the company’s head office in Birmingham to Paris. In total £48,000 has been donated to the charity, almost reaching the total in ten months.

12th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Tells of Increased Market Share

Product News

Goodyear Dunlop UK and Ireland has released the claim that, despite challenging economic conditions, the company has managed to increase its car tyre market share by a margin of over 4 per cent in the last four months. Over the company’s four major brands, including European-developed Fulda and Sava in addition to the best-known Goodyear and Dunlop names, the manufacturer states that it reached a two year peak of 27.1 per cent of the market during the last third of a year.

Group managing director, Mark Brickhill said that the Birmingham-based company’s strong and diverse portfolio of brands has been the key to gaining market share in challenging conditions. While the rest of the market was declining by 0.6 per cent, Goodyear Dunlop’s December consumer sales were 6 per cent higher than in the same month in 2007. The company says that its share of Market has been growing steadily over the last four months, reaching its aforementioned peak in December.

30th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop to Supply New BMW UK Contest

Product News

Headline brand and tyre suppliers to the 2009 Great and British Racing Festival, Dunlop has announced that the latest addition to the UK racing scene, the new ‘CSL Cup’ for BMW M3 E46 and CSL racing models will be part of the Festival’s calendar this year. The Great and British is one of the UK’s premier race series, comprising racing from Radical, Mini and the Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Cup.

John Thorne of Thorney Motorsport, the promoter of the CSL Cup series, was pleased to secure the spot on the Festival’s bill: “We’re delighted. The CSL Cup is a new series for 2009 so to be awarded the opportunity to appear on such a prestigious series with an enviable calendar is really quite groundbreaking.

Dunlop Great and British Schedule for 2009:

18-19 April: Rockingham
6-7 June: Brands Hatch
4-5 July: Donington Park
18-19 July: Castle Combe
22-23 August: Croft
26-27 September: Snetterton

30th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

E.G. Wholesale “Showing the Future of Wholesaling”

News

Horsham-based tyre business E.G. Wholesale (part of Elite Garages) has opened a new state of the art tyre warehouse and logistics operation in the West Sussex town. It will supply all its tyre customers across the south east. The operation was formally opened in December 2008 by Mark Brickhill, managing director of Goodyear Dunlop (UK). Brickhill stated, “Goodyear Dunlop are pleased to be associated with E.G. Wholesale who are certainly showing the future direction of tyre wholesaling.”

The new facility carries approximately 40,000 tyres on the shelf and – together with its two existing bulk tyre warehouses – offers one of the largest stocks and range of tyres in the South East. The company operates a fleet of 25 vans to cover its delivery area, which spreads from Bournemouth in Dorset to Ashford in Kent. All vans have satellite tracking systems to ensure timing and accuracy of delivery.

30th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone, Conti & Others Fined for Hose Cartel Participation

Product News

Bridgestone, Continental, Trelleborg and at least two other companies have been fined a combined total of 131.5 million euros by the European Commission for their role in the price fixing and rigging bids for rubber marine hose. The Commission’s decision follows the action of overseas authorities, such the US Justice Department, that has seen charges laid against a number of executives from British, French, Italian and Japanese firms.

The fines were announced on January 28 and Bridgestone received the largest penalty, 58.5 million euros. The size of Bridgestone’s fine, which was increased by 30 per cent, reflects its leading role in the cartel, which operated for more than two decades. Trelleborg’s French subsidiary has been handed a 24.5 million euro fine, while Continental, via its UK-based Dunlop Oil & Marine unit (a member of the ContiTech Group), has been fined 18 million euros.

28th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Tyres Owned Zimbabwean Fast Fit, Retreader Restructures

Product News

Zimbabwe’s National Tyre Services (NTS) is in the process of finalising a strategic restructuring exercise to rationalise its operations. Dunlop Group (Dunlop Zimbabwe, owned by Apollo Tyres, is a major shareholder in NTS) managing director Kennedy Mandevani, recently appointed to oversee operations at the distributor and retreader, said the exercise would also increase the company’s operational efficiencies.

“Given the trading environment, the exercise brings NTS and Dunlop Zimbabwe closer to each other in order to deliver increased synergistic benefits to all stakeholders,” Mandevani said. “The right-sizing and restructuring will see a more flexible and customer focused entity poised to take advantage of current and future opportunities.” Mr. Mandevani added that NTS has maintained a strong presence in key geographical locations in order to maintain its market share.

27th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Ad Voted one of Ten Best Cinema Commercials Ever

Premium, Product News

A Dunlop Tyres advertisement from 1994 has been voted one of the UK’s ten best cinema commercials of all time. The online poll, conducted by Digital Cinema Media (DCM), ranked Dunlop’s ‘Tested for the Unexpected’ commercial number four on its list of the ten best, commenting that its “perfect soundtrack”, which featured the Velvet Underground song ‘Venus in Furs’, accompanied film made with an “apparently limitless budget”. The result, says DCM, was “deliciously surreal”. DCM comments that the commercial’s director, Tony Kaye, thought it so good he even attempted to have it exhibited at the Tate.

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27th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kisby’s Easy Autocentres Acquires 27 HiQ Outlets

Product News

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.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

New HiQ Director Appointed

Career Tracks, UK News

Goodyear Dunlop has announced the appointment of new HiQ director Juergen Titz, the man who masterminded the successful Goodyear Dunlop ‘4Fleet Group GmbH’ fleet business division in Germany. Titz has also been responsible for leading Goodyear Dunlop Europe´s consumer fleet activities as well as its European Retail approaches. In total, he has 11 years experience within the Goodyear Dunlop group, and has been a key advisor in the growth of the HiQ franchise programme as part of his pan-European role. He will now move to the UK on a full-time basis with his wife and two children.

Mark Brickhill, Group managing director, stated, “Juergen’s experience of fleet management and retail development across Europe will play a key role in Goodyear Dunlop’s drive to grow our own HiQ National Franchise Programme in the UK [covered extensively on Tyrepress.com throughout 2008]. The continued growth of HiQ is a core element of our vision to build strong retail and servicing partnerships across the country”

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Gives Visitors The Needle

Product News

Visitors to the Dunlop Stand could take away a permanent reminder of the Sema show, as the tyre manufacturer was offering what was surely one of the more bizarre attractions of any exhibition – a tattooing service.

On the tyre side, a great deal of interest was generated by Dunlop’s latest uhp summer tyre, the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec. Described as “the tyre for hard-core driving enthusiasts and car club members”, the new tyre features a special compound, Dunlop Jointless Band Technology and a high-response directional tread pattern with circumferential grooves. These elements help improve grip, create a consistent contact patch and maintain the tyre’s structural integrity at high speeds.

The Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec is available in 20 sizes for fitment to most of today’s most popular amateur motorsports vehicle choices. Rim sizes are from 15″ to 18″, aspect ratios from 55 series down to 35 and the tyre is V- and W-speed rated

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear South Africa MD Announces Retirement

Product News

After more than three decades in the industry the managing director of Goodyear South Africa is to retire. Derek de Villiers, 61, will be replaced in April by current Dunlop Germany managing director Jean-Jacques Wiroth.

The appointment was announced by Goodyear’s Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region president Michel Rzonzef. “Derek has been a strong leader for many years, both in South Africa and the Middle East. He is highly regarded by his peers both inside and outside the company. We thank him for his very considerable contributions,” said Rzonzef, paying tribute to de Villers’ 34 years with the company.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

HiQ Celebrates First National Franchise Conference

Product News

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.

22nd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Launches New Tyre Testing Web Site

Product News

Dunlop have been testing tyres at the Fort Dunlop testing facility in Birmingham since 1923, but this department recently joined the information superhighway with a web site of its own – dunloptyretesting.co.uk. Tyre testing in Birmingham has come a long way since the first tyres were observed on simulator roads at 10 miles per hour. Today the company boasts speed tests of up to 400 km/h. “At Dunlop, we test not only for durability but also for performance. We have recently acquired ISOIE/17025:05 accreditation meaning we are classified as a laboratory standard facility,” web site literature explained.

Currently the facility is equipped to carry out the following tests: ECE 30, ECE 54, ECE 75, ECE 108, ECE 109, FMVSS 109, FMVSS 119, Gulf standards, Saudi Arabian, Australian, FMVSS 139 (when required), rolling resistance to ISO18164, high and low speed uniformity, accelerated ageing, long term endurance testing, high speed camber testing, high speed variable slip angle, pulse braking, burst testing, laser tyre profile measurements, tyre dissection, load deflection, dislodgement.

22nd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

From Motocross the Pond

Product News

Dunlop Motorcycle has given a launch date to its new motocross tyre for the UK market. Following what the manufacturer terms a successful year in the American market, the new D952 arrives on British shores in February, giving UK users the opportunity to see what all the fuss is about.

The D952 has been developed for the multi-terrain, recreational motocross market and will work on a wide variety of surfaces. The tread pattern is based on the popular D752 pattern, though it includes slightly larger tread blocks with sturdier bases and a more durable compound.

22nd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

New MD, GM at Apollo’s Zimbabwe Operation

Product News

Two new senior appointments have been made at the Apollo Tyres’ owned companies Dunlop Zimbabwe and National Tyre Services (NTS). In a statement, Dunlop Tyres Group chief executive officer, Dr. Luis Ceneviz, said Mr. Kennedy Mandevani, who is currently Dunlop Zimbabwe managing director, will assume the position of group managing director for National Tyre Services. Mandevani’s portfolio will cover both NTS and Dunlop, said Ceneviz.

21st January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

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