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Dunlop Aircraft Tyres to Supply Fast Growing Turkish Carrier

The decision by Pegasus, Turkey’s fastest growing airline, to double its fleet with the purchase of 24 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft has been well received at Dunlop Aircraft Tyres. The Birmingham based operation has been selected to supply tyres for the new airliners.

“The news that Pegasus Airlines is doubling the size of its Boeing 737-800 fleet is positive for the company and our workforce in Birmingham,” said Dunlop Aircraft Tyres’ chairman, Ian Edmondson. “Tyres made at our site in Erdington are among those fitted to the fleet by a company in Turkey that carries out maintenance, repair and overhaul to the aircraft.”

26th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Robin Sharpe Appointed New Goodyear Dunlop Director

Goodyear Dunlop has appointed Robin Sharpe as its director of sales capability management EU – a newly created role based in Brussels. He will work closely with Hans Vrijsen, sales director consumer tires EU, and Jan-Piet Huylebroeck, director sales truck tires EU, as well as with country sales management teams.

Sharpe joined Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK in 2006 as sales and marketing director truck tyres after a 22-year career with Procter & Gamble in a variety of sales and operational roles. At Goodyear Dunlop he led the team which embarked on the restructuring of the UK truck organisation and in recent months he has acted as interim retail director for the HiQ fast fit centre network.

26th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Retreading Special – 2008

The latest edition of our regular Retreading Special feature again looks at the industry in the UK, Europe and around the world. Companies included in our September 2008 special include Goodyear Dunlop, Bandvulc, Galgo, Vipal and Goodway.

26th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

TransLinc Chooses Goodyear Dunlop as Sole Tyre Provider

Goodyear Dunlop has signed a ‘substantial’ fleet deal with Translinc, the UK’s leading provider of specialist fleet management and passenger services to local authorities, schools, health authorities and public sector clients. The deal includes all tyre orders for Translinc’s 2700 strong fleet of vans and trucks being looked after by Goodyear Dunlop’s TruckForce service network.

The contract includes the latest Goodyear Max Technology tyre that reduces cost per mile through improving fuel consumption and mileage with the help of low rolling resistance and innovative design. Supplying a variety of vehicles, from car derived vans to large refuse trucks, the majority on a contract hire with maintenance basis, TransLinc required a bespoke, cost effective tyre package to its customers.

25th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Wins 2008 Bol d’Or 24-Hours

Dunlop riders won the Bol d’Or 24-hour race at the weekend, in a one-two-three finish for Dunlop, and with it clinched the 2008 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship. This brings Dunlops total of Bol d’Or wins to 25 – with the last eight consecutive – more than any other tyre manufacturer.

French Suzuki Endurance Racing Team No.1, with riders Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien Da Costa, took the flag after one of the toughest races of the series, ahead of sister team Suzuki Endurance Racing Team No.2 and the Yamaha Austria Racing Team.

25th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop First Across the Line at the Bol d’Or 24-Hours

Dunlop riders won the prestigious Bol d’Or 24-hour race on the weekend of September 13 and 14. The tyremaker secured an enviable one-two-three finish, and with it clinched the 2008 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship. This brings Dunlop’s total of Bol d’Or wins since 1969 to 25, with the last eight consecutive victories. This is more than any other tyre manufacturer.

French Suzuki Endurance Racing Team No.1, with riders Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien Da Costa, took the flag after one of the toughest races of the series, ahead of sister team Suzuki Endurance Racing Team No.2 and the Yamaha Austria Racing Team. All three teams raced on Dunlop tyres. Winning the race gave the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team No.1 a strong enough points advantage to secure the 2008 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship with one race still to go. This is the ninth time the team has won the title and its fourth consecutive title.

24th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Given Control Tyre Contract

Dunlop has bagged the opportunity to produce the control tyre over the next three years for the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, which will switch to a single make of tyre for 2009. All cars registered for the 2009 BHRC will be required to use Dunlop tyres, with exceptions made only when there is not a suitable tyre size available in the Dunlop range for that particular type of car.

Championship organisers hope that Dunlop’s ramped-up support will allow the Championship to pursue increased televisual coverage. “Although, globally, we are facing uncertain times, this major commitment from Dunlop will allow us to consolidate and continue building the hugely successful BHRC,” stated a please championship co-ordinator Simon Marks.

18th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Falcon vs. Dragon: Indian Court Throws out TVS Plea

While the prospect of a Dragon fighting a Falcon seems attractive to the PlayStation generation, 12 September’s court hearing in New Delhi ended with both creatures standing to meet another day. The P K Ruia Group can continue to sell Falcon tyres with similar tread patterns to Dragon tyres, much to the chagrin of TVS Srichakra, the manufacturer behind the Dragon.

Justice SB Sinha said that Falcon, based in Karnataka, could go ahead with its product design, despite TVS’s submission that “it was the registered owner of a particular design of tread pattern for its tyres marketed under brand ‘Dragon’ and the same was developed after spending stupendous amounts on R&D,” according to Indian news source, The Economic Times.

12th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Gears Up for the 2008 Bol d’Or 24-Hours

Dunlop and its riders are gearing up for the 2008 Bol d’Or FIM Endurance World Championship 24 hour motorcycle race at Magny Cours, France. This takes place on September 13 and 14 and Dunlop is anticipating one of the toughest and closest races of the season. The current championship leader is the Dunlop-shod French Suzuki Endurance Racing Team No.1, with riders Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien Da Costa. This team leads the championship, with a significant points advantage over the second-placed Yamaha Austria Racing Team, which also races on Dunlop tyre. Winning the race would make the team the 2008 World Champion with a race still to go.

With almost half the teams on Dunlop tyres, this is a major event for the company. A total of 3,800 tyres will be sent to the race in five trucks, supported by a team of 15 Dunlop staff. Endurance racing is a vital element in Dunlop’s ‘Race to Road’ development program, providing the most demanding of all-round tyre performance requirements. This is illustrated by the conditions, as it would be very unusual not to see hot, cold, rain and dry track conditions during the race week end.

9th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sumitomo Rubber Buys Hwa Fong Thailand Plant

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Inc, has announced its intention to buy Taiwanese tyremaker Hwa Fong Rubber Co’s Thailand plant for 2.36 billion yen (roughly £12.5 million). The factory, which mostly makes tyres for two-wheeled vehicles, has an annual production capacity of 1.2 million units, according to Sumitomo. In addition to two wheel tyres the factory also produced industrial tyre products.

The announcement comes a year after Sumitomo established a new Thai division to sell tyre produced at the company’s new Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) Co. (SRT) tyre plant in Rayong, Thailand, southeast of Bangkok. Established in May 2005 at the Amata City Industrial Estate, the factory officially began production in December 2006 before being publicly launched in April 2007.

8th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Enters UK Bus Segment

When Bridgestone announced it had gained a contract with Swindon-based bus company Thamesdown Transport in July it marked a new stage in the Japanese manufacturer’s UK market development plans. Since then, the company has revealed that it has agreed three other strategic contracts (with Plymouth City Bus, Veolia and First Bus), designed to strengthen its position. The largest of these deals will see the company supply new Bridgestone tyres to 4000 buses. From an already strong position in the truck side of the roughly 1.4 million unit TBR market, Bridgestone is now aiming to position itself for growth in the bus side of the business too.

Speaking to Tyres & Acessories, Bridgestone UK commercial tyre director, Greg Ward, said that the manufacturer had been reviewing the market conditions for some time (about two years) before deciding 2008 was the right time to get involved with this market segment. What the company will have observed during this period is that there are many barriers to entering the part of the commercial vehicle market. And furthermore not many manufacturers are actually in a place to be able to successful serve this market in general. Asked why this was the right time to enter a marketplace that has and such a high entry point, Ward explained that Bridgestone and its partners now have the right “products, services and infrastructure,” to properly service this segment.

5th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo to Open Signature Stores

Apollo is to follow car manufacturers BMW and Fiat by opening its own signature stores to display and sell its products within India. The decision can be seen equally as a commercial and a prestige move. While the stores – which will be split between Apollo Radial World (ARW) stores for passenger cars and Apollo Trust (AT) for commercial customers – will open across the country, the ability to promote solely Apollo products through eleven flagship ARWs – the first of which has opened in Patiala – is undoubtedly appealing. This fiscal year will see also see 100 AT stores open nationwide, should the company’s plans be fulfilled.

4th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Makes Big Push for Birmingham Children’s Hospital

Birmingham’s city centre canal system received some unusual visitors on August 31 when Goodyear Dunlop employees rolled one of the company’s Marathon truck tyres along its banks in a bid to raise funds for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. This unusual challenge was thought up by the company’s truck tyre department, which was seeking to take on an endurance challenge in aid of the companies’ corporate charity. The two-mile push saw the team of 15 from Goodyear Dunlop’s Birmingham and Wolverhampton sites negotiate bridges and slopes in an effort to move the 62 kilogram, metre high Goodyear Marathon truck tyre along the historic canal route.

3rd September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Retail Director Leaves Goodyear Dunlop

Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK has announced that retail director Neil Burrows has left the company. The departure comes following the company’s decision to pursue a franchise-based strategy for the expansion of its HiQ retail business.

In March this year Goodyear Dunlop announced growth plans for HiQ via an “area zone” Accelerated Franchise Programme, adding that Burrows was to lead a management buyout bid covering all of the company’s owned stores. The bid process was significantly over-subscribed and, after careful consideration of all offers, the company announced that they had chosen to accelerate the growth of the nationwide vehicle servicing network through franchising rather than via management buyout.

3rd September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dextra Makes Enlightened Switch

With logistics operations and haulage companies continuing the quest to lower their outgoings in the face of heightened fuel costs, tyre management programs are competing to offer better value; providing greater efficiency – and therefore larger earnings potential – in addition to cost-cutting measures. ATS Euromaster has been particularly active within the market recently, this month announcing two new converts to the organisation’s fleet management service.

Dextra Lighting, the largest privately owned lighting manufacturer in the UK, is switching its entire commercial vehicle fleet to Michelin tyres in a move aimed at reducing its annual tyre expenditure. The company hopes that making the switch will lower costs by up to 10 per cent. The new fitment policy will be supported by a comprehensive service package from nationwide service provider ATS Euromaster.

3rd September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors