Dunlop Archives - Page 85 of 112 - Tyrepress

Posts

Dunlop Appeal for Iconic Images to aid Motorsport Safety

Dunlop Tyres are appealing for motoring enthusiasts to submit photography for inclusion in a coffee-table photobook encapsulating the thrill of the drive. The book will then be sold to raise money for the Motorsport Safety Fund which helps aid improvements in safety standards at motorsport events.

James Bailey of Dunlop Tyres said: “We really want to produce a photobook that celebrates the best and most emotive elements of driving. We know that many driving enthusiasts are also passionate about photography and we would like to give them the chance to see their work in print.

22nd June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Age Shall Not Weary Them…

With depreciation, traffic jams and high fuel costs an established part of life and the threat of a “user pays” road system hanging over our heads it is perhaps little surprise that many people take a wistful glance at yesteryear, to the days when a jaunt in the jalopy was considered an exciting day out and a motorist’s hand signal did not involve extending the middle finger. But for some fond memories just aren’t enough, and thanks to them vehicles from what the bygone age of motoring remain on our roads.

But it is not always easy to keep them there. With each passing year the pool of vintage spare parts dwindles and performing repairs on these relics is in most cases way beyond the scope of many mechanics. But at least vintage car owners don’t have to worry about tyres – there are a number of companies dedicated to supplying owners with authentic period rubber for their vehicles, and the largest of these companies is the UK’s own Vintage Tyre Supplies.

22nd June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Considers Expansion of Dunlop SA Plant

Apollo Tyres is planning a major capacity expansion at its Dunlop South Africa facility, Indian newspapers have reported. The project is expect to go into action in 2008/09. Mr S. Sarkar, Chief of Corporate Strategy and Marketing of Apollo Tyres, told Hindu Business Line that Apollo has already ramped up the production of the South African facility from 150 tonnes to 170 tonnes a day through “various de-bottlenecking exercises.” Productivity increases could lead to another 20 tonnes of output capacity being generated this financial year.

15th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Hi-Q Gets to GRIPS With Customer Service

A bespoke point of sale customer service system has been installed throughout the entire HiQ network in a move to improve the experience for customers visiting stores. The Goodyear Dunlop Retail Integrated Point-of-Sale System (GRIPS) is a unique customer relationship management system which is being introduced to all HiQ stores in the UK and its sister companies across Europe.

The unique Windows-based point of sale system is the result of £1.5 million investment in customer service which will provide employees with detailed pricing information and enhanced customer profiling at all of HiQ’s 130 stores across the network. “GRIPS is the result of an intensive research and development programme and reflects a substantial investment in customer service,’ comments Gary Price, GRIPS project manager.

15th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Christian Salvesen’s Tyre Plan Proves ‘Difficult’

Profits at Christian Salvesen fell 19 per cent, at least partly due to the higher than expected start-up costs encountered in its distribution deal with Goodyear Dunlop and Continental Tyre Group in the UK. The firm posted underlying pre-tax profits of £12.5 million for the year to March 31 and extended the UK transport division’s operating losses to £4.6 million for the year.

“Progress during the year was slower than hoped, due in part to a difficult start-up for our national tyre distribution partnership with Goodyear Dunlop. The unplanned start-up costs were a significant factor in the increased losses for the year. As part of the turnaround plan for our UK network business, we are investing in new systems to achieve rapid improvement in operational efficiency. For the longer term, we are investigating options that will require more fundamental infrastructure changes,” said the company reporting its full-year results.

7th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Buy-Out Points to Far Eastern Expansion for Dunlop Aircraft Tyres

Private equity business ABN Amro Capital, part of Dutch group ABN Amro, has acquired a 74.6 per cent stake in Dunlop Aircraft Tyres. Royal Bank of Scotland will provide senior debt facilities, according to local news sources. Growth plans are now envisaged with expansion planned both in the US, where where Dunlop Aircraft has some retreading business, and particularly in the Far East, where a new satellite operation is envisaged.

China is seen as the most likely site fro any such satellite operation, but the exact location of that has yet to be decided. However, the proposals are expected to come to fruition in the next 12 to 18 months.

31st May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone UK Names New Motorcycle Division Manager

Bridgestone UK has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Andrew Whitehead as manager for its motorcycle division. According to an official company statement, Whitehead’s primary role will be to “secure Bridgestone’s market share of quality motorbike tyres.” This portfolio includes the new Battlax BT-021, a long-term replacement for the successful BT-020, the market-leading sport touring tyre.

“It’s an exciting time to join the motorcycle division following the official launch of the BT-021,” said Whitehead. “It’s a fantastic product, and the positive feedback we’ve received about the handling and performance capabilities of the tyre leads us to believe it will make a real impact in the market. The BT-020 is an incredibly tough act to follow, but my focus is to ensure the BT-021, and the rest of the Bridgestone motorbike range, can generate equally impressive unit sales.

Andrew Whitehead, 44, formerly worked in a sales capacity for Bridgestone’s truck division following a six year stint at Dunlop, where he was also responsible for truck and motorcycle tyre sales.

25th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Revamped Hi-Q Outlets to Be Unveiled Soon

June sees Neil Burrows take on the responsibilities of retail director at Goodyear Dunlop UK. So, as a way of welcoming him into his new position, Tyres & Accessories interviewed the company’s former marketing director and asked what the future holds for the recently re-vamped Hi-Q retail franchise.

At the end of 2005, Goodyear Dunlop UK announced plans to separate its consumer and commercial tyre retail businesses into two distinct Hi-Q and TruckForce networks. The move was designed to solve the perceived problems that had been encountered by the two sides of the business’ lack of synergy. This radical shake-up proved to have a dramatic effect on the network, with company’s aim being to improve its focus on both sides of the business. On the passenger side this meant introducing a strong “hard-franchising” policy, designed to keep standards and brand image consistent.

24th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Borrowed Safety

Tyres & Accessories has previously reported on the problem of unsafe used tyres offered for sale in a number of African countries and the resultant risk to life and limb, and therefore we were interested to learn of one company’s plans to offer an alternative to these hazardous items. Dunlop Nigeria and Oceanic Bank International have launched a collaborative venture which they hope will make it easier for motorists to obtain new tyres rather than relying on their used counterparts.

The collaborative effort, to be known as the Dunlop Tyre Acquisition Scheme (D-TAC) was recently launched in Nigeria and Lagos, and provides a means by which customers can purchase Dunlop tyres at a discounted rate using the bank’s credit facilities, a means of purchase that has yet to gain wide acceptance in these countries. Under the terms of the financing deal arranged by D-TAC motorists will pay just a fraction of the cost of their new Dunlop tyres up front, bringing safe tyres within the reach of many who could otherwise not afford them.

23rd May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Mini Goes Large at Oulton Park

This bank holiday the British Dunlop Motorsport Festival of 2007 hits Oulton Park in Cheshire on the forthcoming Bank Holiday Monday. After the season’s opening gathering at Snetterton in Norfolk, organizers are expecting another strong crowd to gorge themselves on a feast of Sports car racing, Production Saloon car racing, Mini racing, in fact a wall to wall racing spectacular from nine o’clock in the morning right through until six in the evening.

The action isn’t confined to the track either; also on the bill is the return of the popular Dunlop Great & British Mini Festival. Last year hundreds of Mini owners and their passengers took part in special parade laps around many of the country’s top racetracks and at Oulton Park they’ll be able to do the same again.

On the race front Scotland’s Oli Mortimer will be looking to continue his domination of the Mini Challenge championship. The promising youngster won all three races in his Cooper S at the recent Snetterton meeting and is out for more of the same at Oulton.

21st May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Most Satisfying – J.D. Power

Michelin has come out tops for customer satisfaction in the winter tyre market amongst vehicle owners in Japan for the fourth year in a row, according to the results the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2007 Japan Winter Tire Customer Satisfaction Index (W-TSI) Study. This particular study is now in its fourth year and employs five criteria to determine overall customer satisfaction with their winter tyres: tyre performance in snow-covered road conditions, icy road conditions and regular road conditions, as well as appearance and quality/durability. Customer evaluations are scored on a 1,000 point scale to determine the across the board winner.

Seven tyre brands were included in the study, and Michelin’s overall index score of 636 points saw the French manufacturer not only securing first place but also topping all five individual criteria that determine satisfaction. Close behind was Bridgestone on 606 points, who also performed strongly in all five individual areas. Both Bridgestone and Michelin earned the highest rating in tyre performance on icy road conditions, and were the only two manufacturers to rate an overall score above the industry average of 587 points. At the other end of the scale the lowest overall score was recorded by Falken, who received 532 points.

18th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

ContiTech Releases Statement on Dunlop Oil & Marine Investigations

In the wake of allegations regarding price fixing practices in the marine hose manufacturing industry, Germany’s ContiTech AG has released the following statement:

The investigation into employees of Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd. has taken the management of ContiTech AG by surprise. Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd. was taken over by ContiTech AG with the acquisition of Phoenix AG at the end of 2004 and has since been integrated into the Fluid Technology business unit.

ContiTech AG does not yet have sufficient information regarding the matter. The employees therefore have to be presumed innocent. ContiTech will cooperate with the authorities in their investigation. Should it be determined that the allegations are true and that violations of law have indeed been committed, ContiTech AG will take the necessary actions.

18th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Named as 2nd Pan-Government Supplier

Goodyear Dunlop, along with its HiQ and Truck Force networks, have been appointed as the second of the two suppliers of tyres and associated services for a three-year framework agreement for a pan-government tyre sourcing initiative led by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA), in conjunction with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC). A government spokesman told Tyres & Accessories that the framework is divided equally between the two suppliers.

18th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Adds to Mixed Service Truck Tyre Range

Peterborough’s TruckFest show – an event co-sponsored by Dunlop Tyres UK – was chosen as the launch venue for new additions to two of the tyremaker’s new product lines. The SP382 and SP482 tyre ranges, designed specifically for vehicles operating in on and off-road conditions, have both received new additions.

The SP482 range has welcomed the introduction of tyre that Dunlop claims now ensures all popular sizes are catered for, a 12R22.5 drive tyre. This tyre range is most commonly used on tippers, concrete mixers, cranes and other construction plant equipment that operate on-road most of the time but also find employment in locations such as construction sites and quarries. Therefore the tyre offers high road mileage while delivering the necessary off-road traction and resistance to stone cuts.

15th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin and Goodyear Dunlop Chosen for Pan-Govt Supply Agreement

Michelin, with its service partner ATS Euromaster, has been appointed as one of two suppliers of tyres and associated services in a three-year framework agreement for a pan-government tyre sourcing initiative led by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA), in conjunction with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC). The other supplier is understood to be Goodyear Dunlop who will service the agreement through its HiQ and Truck Force retail networks. According to sources close to the arrangement, the contract is divided equally between the two suppliers.

Available to all Public Sector Organisations (PSOs) across the UK – encompassing a combined vehicle parc of more than 300,000 vehicles, ranging from cars and motorbikes to vans, trucks and earthmovers – the deal represents the largest tyre framework agreement of its type ever established in the UK. It also includes the option of a 12 month extension until January 2011 and is estimated to be worth tens of millions of pounds.

The agreement has been set up to deliver significant efficiencies as a result of combined volumes, additional leverage and collaborative working between central government departments and wider public bodies nationwide.

14th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors