Investors Keen on Dunlop Nigeria Shares
Stockbrokers and dealers said existing Dunlop Nigeria shareholders and new investors are considering using the company’s forthcoming share offering as a way of taking strategic stock positions.
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White & Company Move to Michelin Tyre Policy
Product NewsWhite & Company plc, the largest independent removal company in the UK, has adopted a fully managed Michelin tyre policy which sees each vehicle in its 155-strong commercial vehicle fleet undergo a detailed monthly tyre inspection. Checks are carried out by ATS Euromaster utilising an electronic data capture (EDC) system which allows their technicians to record each tyre’s condition and tread depth onto a small handheld computer, before uploading the results via mobile phone to a central database. Once collected, the results are sent by email to Michelin, which co-ordinates any tyre replacements or regrooves that are required directly with ATS Euromaster.
Tyre Manufacturers to Turn Out at Autosport Show
NewsTyre manufacturers including Dunlop, Kumho, Vredestein, Pirelli, Yokohama, Toyo, Hankook, Maxsport and Hoosier will all exhibit at January’s Autosport/Aftermarket show. Others are expected to follow later. With the help of its exhibitor base, The Aftermarket Show will again focus on a number of tyre related issues, which include wheel balancing alignment and calibration, tyre disposal, tyre fitting and tyre safety.
Goodyear Dunlop Aims to Close the Gap with Michelin in France
Product NewsSince Goodyear Dunlop Tire France was founded on 1 January 2004, the group has increased its market share 4 percentage points to 23 per cent of the 32 million-unit strong French passenger car tyre replacement market. The company’s next goal is to close the competitive gap between itself and domestic market dominator, Michelin.
On a global level the size of the three leading players (Bridgestone, Goodyear Dunlop and Michelin) is relatively comparable. In France it is a completely different story. According to French Automotive information source autoactu.com, Michelin holds a 45 per cent market share of car, 4×4 and van tyre sales in France, while Goodyear Dunlop’s 23 per cent puts it in second place.
Facing the Facts
Product News, UK NewsIn his inaugural speech as chairman of the NTDA Tyre Wholesalers Group (TWG), Ashley Croft did not waste any time in highlighting the issues he wishes to address during his tenure. Referring to certain manufacturers’ use of logistics companies and the place of wholesalers in the UK tyre business, Croft opened a discussion to which there is no quick resolution – calling on manufacturers to resist the urge to increase their direct market control and rather further their relationship with the professional wholesale membership that the TWG represents.
In his own words Ashley Croft is “a great believer in not perpetuating things if they have served their purpose.” Croft commented that there is still “unfinished work to be done” and the fact that he accepted immediate past chairman Peter Gaster’s invitation to take over at the TWG would suggest that Ashley Croft remains a firm believer in the usefulness of the group.
Soopa Toobs Expands
Product NewsSoopa Toobs says that it has had a busy year, characterised by stiff competition and a difficult marketplace. Despite this, the company has, over the past 18 months, taken on more warehouse and distribution staff and has now fully opened its new warehouse, which increases warehousing capacity by 300 per cent.
The Prost Legend, Take Two
Product NewsBetween 1985 and 1993, legendary French driver Alain Prost won four Formula One World Championships, (all of them using Goodyear tyres). Thirteen years later, the Prost name tops an international podium again with Alain’s son, Nicolas Prost, winning the Formula Three event at Montmelo, Spain last weekend, the penultimate round of the Spanish F3 Championship. Prost used Birmingham-built Dunlop tyres to carry him to this landmark first win.
Consultant Appointment For Infleet
Product NewsInfleet have appointed Clive Powell as a senior consultant to assist in the company’s aggressive business plan growth. Powell, who until recently was a director of Goodyear Dunlop’s UK Commercial Tyre strategic business unit, will work with managing director Bill Hall and commercial director Chris Comport on several major development opportunities.
SEBI Directs Ruias to Make Open Offer
Product NewsThe Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has directed the Pawan Ruia group, promoters of Dunlop and Falcon Tyres, to make open offers for both the, reports Business Standard. The regulator has also directed the company to pay interest of 10 per cent to the shareholders as penalty from February 2006, over and above the offer price for violation of the takeover code by the promoters.
Two SEMA Awards For Dunlop Direzza
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear’s Dunlop products took two top awards during the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Dunlop’s Direzza Sport Z1 tyre received two SEMA International New Product Awards. In separate awards, Australia’s Hot 4s & Performance Cars magazine and Greece’s top enthusiast publisher Option Press also recognized the brand new Direzza Sport Z1 tyre. Developed and built in Japan for professional drifting, the Direzza Sport Z1 delivers high grip, excellent control and consistency, according to Dunlop. The tyre will be available in Spring 2007 in 17 sizes.
Dispute Over Power Bill Shuts Dunlop India Factory
Product NewsA mere two months after Dunlop India’s Ambattur factory restarted production, a cut in power supply has halted work yet again. The plant had recently reopened after eight years when the Ruia Group acquired the ailing tyre company. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) cut supply to the plant at the end of October as current consumption charges for September were unpaid, thus halting production at the factory.
Dunlop Launches BARC/Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup
Product NewsDuring October Dunlop Tyres launched its latest motorsport series, the BARC/Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup. At the same time the company announced plans to upgrade its motorsport (particularly MotoGP) tyre production facilities in Birmingham. Tyres & Accessories met up with the Dunlop Motorsport team at Donington for the launch of the new series.
The new BARC/Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup, designed to be something of a stepping stone to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, will take the form of a production saloon and sports coupe cup. The plan is for the new series to “star” at Dunlop’s 2007 Great & British motorsport festivals, alongside the existing Radial Enduro, BiDuro, Ginetta and Mini Championship events.
Tyres Are Britain’s Best Invention
Product NewsThe pneumatic tyre has been named as the best British motoring invention of all time. While the exact lineage of tyres is disputed (Robert William Thomson, from Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, may have come up with the idea in 1845, but John Boyd Dunlop was the first to patent it in 1888), an Auto Express list puts the tyre above disc brakes and cat’s eyes in terms of motoring innovation. Other British inventions in the top 20 include the laminated windscreen, the pedestrian crossing, bumpers and self-cancelling indicators. Caravans came 19th.
SEMA Show 2006: Dunlop Muscles Up
Product News(Las Vegas/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. introduced a new Dunlop-branded line, an “extreme sports performance tyre with race-like characteristics for drifting, on-track and autocross motorsports.” The street-legal Direzza Sport Z1 is “Dunlop’s new halo tyre for enthusiasts who want maximum dry-weather traction on the street or at the track,” said Silvana Valencic, Dunlop’s segment marketing manager. The tyre unveiled on the opening day of the 2006 SEMA Show.
Dunlop India Reopens After Inactivity
Product NewsDunlop India Limited’s plant in Sahagange, reportedly the oldest tyre plant in Asia, restarts production today (Tuesday 30 October) after years of inactivity. Dunlop’s Ambattur plant re-opened a little over a month ago. “We are dealing with old machines at Sahagange. The problem has been compounded by damage and thefts when the plant had be closed,” S K Paul, managing director of Dunlop India, told reporters at the opening of the Ambattur plant.
