The size of the UK truck tyre market by sell-out unit volume fell 9.8 per cent in 2018 set against the backdrop of European import tariffs, according to GfK data presented at Autopromotec 2019. But what do the tell us about the effectiveness of the tariffs?
Following the announcement made on 28 December 2018, on 10 May 2019, European FinTyre Distribution (EfTD) announced that it has completed the acquisition of 100 per cent of German tyre firms Rs ExclusivReifengrosshandel GmbH and Tyrexpert Reifen+Autoservice GmbH.
Following the news that it is refreshing its Goodyear halo brand as its UHP and luxury go-to moniker, Goodyear Dunlop UK Ltd has confirmed it will be removing Dunlop from its registered company name and in future will therefore be known just as Goodyear.
We were told that 29 March was the Brexit deadline. As we go to press in the week after that deadline passed, it is clear that we don’t know either when or how we are going to Brexit. As we discussed last month, the consensus amongst analysts and the automotive industry is that there will be a massive negative impact on vehicle manufacturing (and therefore automotive suppliers) in the UK. But what else do we have to look forward to?
The Volkswagen Group and further European partners are joining forces to form the European Battery Union (EBU) with a view to forging ahead with battery research throughout Europe. The new consortium is to be led by the Volkswagen Group and the Swedish battery producer Northvolt. The joint research activities of the European Battery Union will cover the entire battery value stream – from raw materials through cell technology to recycling. The prime objective is to accumulate much broader know-how on battery cell production.
While the UK new car manufacturing business has taken something of a battering in recent months, The Sunday Times reports that government ministers are considering offering state support for a huge shared electric vehicle battery “giga factory” modelled on Tesla’s enormous US battery manufacturing plant in the Nevada desert. That plant, which is known as Gigafactory 1, is set to have the biggest factory footprint in the world and already employees 3000 people. The UK project has so far been valued at around £1.7 billion.
As leading well-known tyre manufacturers transition into automotive suppliers, and mobility providers and as the vehicle parc become increasingly electrified, the value of entering the battery manufacturing space is obvious.
Is Brexit going to wreak havoc on the automotive business or is it all just another millennium bug flash-in-the-pan? If a no-deal withdrawal does spell havoc, is it going to impact the tyre business as much as the OEMs?
Marcus Broström has been appointed as Westlake Tyres’ Nordic sales manager.
Mexico-based retreading material supplier Galgo Pre-Q Europe recently relocated its European headquarters to a larger distribution centre located in Willebroek, Belgium.
If the UK plans to leave the European Union without a deal covering driving licences, UK licence holders living in the EU or EEA will have to exchange their UK driving licence for a local EU driving licence before 29 March 2019. If they don’t, after that point they may have to pass a driving test in the EU country they live in in order to be able to carry on driving there.
TRM Srl. and Carl Zeiss Optotechnik GmbH have signed a co-operation agreement.
As a result of the agreement, TRM will add Zeiss Shearography Systems to its portfolio and will be an authorized dealer for this product line. Furthermore, Zeiss will train the technical staff of TRM on Intact machines. This will allow TRM to offer qualified and authorized after sales service to Shearography customers. For Zeiss this will increase the availability of technical service throughout the markets.
Pyrolysis oil derived from end-of-life tyres can be used as fuel. That is the conclusion of a reported produced by RISE (the EU Research, Innovation and Science Policy Experts Group) along with Enviro and Ragn-Sells as a result of research that kicked off in October 2017.
Following their successful participation in the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, Toyo Tires have extended their partnership to their next premier event, the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
The 35th edition of the European Indoor Championships, taking place from March 1 to 3, are the pinnacle of this year’s European Athletics program. Elite athletes have the chance to compete in the most important European Athletics event in 2019 and become the new European Indoor Champion. More than 600 athletes from 50 nations will participate at the Emirates Arena.
Hankook Tire Europe has appointed Guy Heywood as the new marketing and strategy director for its European truck and bus business. Heywood has 20 years of experience in the tyre industry in leadership positions, most recently active as the commercial director for Michelin UK and Truck, Bus and Service director for the company’s North Europe area. Heywood is taking over from Seok Yun Kim who relocated to Hankook’s organisation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he has become managing director.
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