Al Saeedi Group, a leading Dubai-based tyre distributor, has opened a new corporate, service and warehousing complex in the country’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ). The 100,000 square feet facility, was inaugurated by Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ports & Free Zone World in the presence of Y.K. Sinha, Consul-General of India, along with local dignitaries and executives representing world’s leading tyre brands.
Michelin has come top in JD Power’s latest OE tyre satisfaction survey in the SUV-sized vehicle-based tyre segments, with Pirelli winning in the mass-market segment. The “2006 Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction Study” was based on five performance factors: appearance, handling, ride, traction and wearability. The study found that tyre wearability continues to be the most important factor in overall OE tyre satisfaction. “In general, tyre manufacturers will see the largest return on investment if they are able to improve in the wearability factor,” said Carolyn McBeth, director of automotive component research for JD Power and Associates.
Click more for the full results.
ATS Euromaster has secured one of the largest tyre supply and management contracts awarded in 2006 after winning a three year deal with Fraikin. The contract includes the majority of the 14,000 vehicles under Fraikin’s management, ranging from small vans and rigids to 44 tonne tractor units and trailers. ATS Euromaster secured the contract – estimated to be worth approximately £3 million a year – after carrying out a complete review of Fraikin’s requirements.
The Dunlop range of industrial tyres is now available directly from Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK, rather than through a single authorised distributor as previously. This will allow for wider distribution and availability of this range of tyres for the industrial and construction markets, according to Andy Morris, UK director of OTR tyres.
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has launched a campaign which it says aims to “protect UK customers from unknowingly buying tyres that were not designed for road conditions in this market.” The campaign targets Asian and African manufactured tyres bearing the Dunlop and SP trademarks, but designed for their local markets, and not imported or recommended by the UK company. The company has issued the first of a series of claims against importers and distributors dealing in unauthorised Dunlop tyres. The claim was issued in the English High Court 1 September.
Goodyear Dunlop UK is listing winter tyres in its trade catalogue this season. The best-known product in Goodyear range is the UltraGrip 7, which has won awards including the prestigious ADAC test, and is on sale for the first time in the UK ahead of this winter. “Our Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D was runner up in this test, so the company is very well prepared for winter,” corporate communications manager James Bailey told T&A, adding: “Our most recent new product is from Fulda, the Kristall. This tyre is designed for SUVs and 4x4s – ideal for the skiing holiday!”
SRI Tire Trading Ltd., the tyre export wing of the Sumitomo Rubber’ Group, will increase the prices of the company’s Dunlop, Falken and Sumitomo brands in Asia, the Near and Middle East, North America, Central and South America, Africa and Pacific nations. In Europe the price of Falken and Sumitomo brand passenger car, light truck, truck and bus and motorcycle tyres will also increase. The price hikes are expected to take place at the beginning in September and will be in the range of 5 to 10 per cent.
The Ambattur unit of Dunlop India Ltd (DIL) is set to start production this week, a month ahead of the schedule, according to company chairman, Pawan Kumar Ruia. Ruia said initial start-up capacity of 40 tonnes daily would be ramped up to 130 tonnes a day by December. The first tyres to roll out would be for light commercial vehicles and truck tyres, while tractor tyres would be produced later.
Dunlop used the Great and British Motorsport Festival at Thruxton to put the latest Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyre to its toughest test in preparation for the forthcoming 2007 Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup for Production Cars. The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx road tyre was tested on two cars that are expected to grace the grids of the new production cup next year. The Hyundai Coupe V6 and Vauxhall Astra VXR Sprint were both chosen for initial tyre evaluation work as these powerful front wheel drive cars make the front tyres work extremely hard over a race distance.
The Britcar 24 Hours is seen by some as the jewel in the UK endurance racing crown. Following the successful inaugural event in 2005, the marathon race returns to Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit from 9-10 September and has attracted a diverse range of cars, and headline sponsorship from Dunlop. With the biggest starting line-up in UK racing, up to 80 cars are expected to take to the grid for the 24 Hour race, including Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs and TVRs.
Following Tyres & Accessories’ pioneering publication of online tyre brand penetration rankings last year, T&A has again enlisted the assistance of Cambridge-based e-marketing specialists Envisional. The report exclusively published in this month’s magazine shows some marked changes in the relatively short time since the 2005 survey.
While Michelin remained top of the virtual pile in terms of quantity, Pirelli beat the French tyre giant in terms of the quality of references to the brand. Goodyear and Dunlop showed that the two brands’ marketing investments have paid off. They remained relatively flat in terms of prominence, but made sharp improvements in terms of sentiment. In this respect (see magazine for sentiment chart) Dunlop jumped from fifth to second place overall, while Goodyear rose from sixth to fourth. Continental took the largest hit of the premium manufacturers, falling from third to sixth on the sentiment index. Interestingly, Uniroyal achieved the lowest number of negative references overall.
Samir Kumar Paul has been appointed as the new managing director of Dunlop India. Following the acquisition of the company from the Chhabrias, company owner, Ruia, had brought Ashok Jajodia, Dipak Rudra, Narayan Prasad Agarwalla, and Sajid Khan onto its board. The company has taken steps to compile and reconcile accounts for 2001-02, after getting access to statutory and other relevant records from its erstwhile registered office at Dunlop House.
Dunlop Zimbabwe, the country’s largest tyre manufacturer, is set to receive assistance from the local government’s Z$5 trillion Distressed Companies Fund. Industry and International Trade Minister Obert Mpofu revealed this week that the company was one of over 300 companies that applied for assistance from the fund. He said: “Dunlop is a very strategic company that we, as government, will not watch to the time it folds. On the part of government, we have resolved to make it one of the companies that will benefit from the Z$5 trillion facility that we unveiled for distressed companies”.
Motorcyclist, the US-based magazine for motorbike enthusiasts, has announced that the Dunlop Qualifier, Dunlop’s latest motorcycle tyre designed specifically for supersport and hypersport motorcycles, has been named the Best New Product of 2006. “When we first sampled Dunlop’s excellent new Qualifier sport radials late last year, we figured we might have our Best New Product nailed down early,” said Mitch Boehm, Motorcyclist editor.
Godyear Tire & Rubber Co today reported second quarter sales of $5.1 billion (up 3 per cent on 2005), a record for any quarter. Segment operating income reached $267 million, with net income amounting to $2 million. According to the company, the sales growth reflects improved pricing and product mix driven by demand for the company’s branded tyres in the consumer replacement markets, and the favourable impact of currency translation. Revenue per tyre increased 7 per cent compared to the second quarter of 2005.
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