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With Good Marketing You Can Be Successful

HMI (short for Trade Marketing Initiative) is a special relationship between the tyre trade and the industry, offered in Germany only by Goodyear. The marketing programme has been widened over the past year; for example the long-awaited Tyre Soft 2 software is now available at long last. At the annual meeting in Sonthofen, Mr. Zubanovic, managing director of Goodyear Handels Systeme GmbH, expressed little concern despite the problems the organisation is facing. He said that the tyre trade has to go for growth and seize every opportunity to expand – dealers who do not will prove to be uncompetitive in the long run. Goodyear MD Jarro Kaplan, who is president of Goodyear Eastern Europe, pointed out that teamwork with Goodyear is beneficial because it “always guarantees the trade a good year.”

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Lighter Steel And Alloy Wheels

Hayes Lemmerz is the world’s leading global manufacturer of automotive and commercial highway wheels and one of only a few companies producing wheels from both steel and aluminium. Regarding steel wheels, the company, whose headquarters are in the USA, is the worldwide market leader. Regarding aluminium wheels, Hayes Lemmerz is among the leading manufacturers in Europe. Recent years have seen a move from steel to aluminium wheels in original equipment. Looking purely at price, the steel wheel is absolutely unrivalled, but obviously the two criteria of weight and styling have proved more important to the car manufacturers. Realising that it was not enough that the steel wheel is cheaper, the manufacturers decided to become competitive also in the matter of weight. With its newest development of a steel structure wheel, Hayes Lemmerz has attained this target; this kind of wheel is now fitted in a 16 inch size on the newest Ford Mondeo model. But it must be said that is was not only an achievement of the wheel company but also for the producers of new kinds of steel which gives the wheel more rigidity and stability than before and offers the opportunity to make the wheels thinner and therefore lighter. Regarding styling, Hayes Lemmerz tries to mimic the smart aluminium wheels with new finishes that look like aluminium or chrome or are even coloured. Another opportunity is to create a very well-fitting wheel cap. Being also one of the most sophisticated aluminium wheel manufacturers, Hayes Lemmerz tried to develop lighter alloy wheels too. One competitor (Stahlschmidt & Maiworm) has already made much progress with hollow spokes and this kind of wheel is fitted on the top models of Porsche, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. The idea of Hayes Lemmerz engineers was not to use the spokes but the rim bead section for cavities: they call the invention “Hollow-Hump Technology”.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Makeover For Kleber Dynaxer – And The Kleber Logo

Kleber is introducing its new Dynaxer DR series of tyres, in 31 different sizes, for wheels from 14″ to 18″ and H, V and W speed ratings. The new tyres have been developed from the previous generation Dynaxer DR 502 and 503 series of tyres, with the emphasis being placed on three core areas; the compound, the mould design and the optimisation of the tread pattern. The compound has been chosen for its properties in grip and wear and the tread pattern designed for maximum water evacuation – these features make the Dynaxer an excellent wet-weather performer. A large number of tread blocks means lower noise and lateral grooves positioned along the tread pattern’s flow lines allows the even dispersion of water, giving peace of mind, whatever the weather. The mould contributes to the tyre’s good wear rate, thanks to its ability to evenly distribute the pressures enforced. This contributes too to reduced tyre noise and ride comfort. At the same time as the new tyre is introduced, Kleber has revamped its logo. The new logo is said to reflect Kleber’s three core values of peace of mind, serenity and reliability and is aimed at the trade and general public alike. Although not the most famous name in tyres, Kleber claims to be Europe’s sixth-best-selling range and has OE contracts with such manufacturers as Audi, Renault, Peugeot and Vauxhall.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

SUVs Come Under Fire In The USA

It is not only the Ford Explorer that might show a tendency to rollover in critical situations; the US Consumer Report has revealed through its own tests that the Mitsubishi Mondero (known in Europe as the Pajero) shows a tendency to lift two wheels in critical situations. That, according to the magazine, is not acceptable and is a safety problem. Mitsubishi denies that there is any safety problem at all.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyrexpo Europe Review

This year’s Tyrexpo show was held only a matter of weeks before a rival exhibition, being run alongside an already-successful aftermarket exhibition. It would be naïve to believe that the existence of two shows so close together has had anything but an adverse effect on both events, and the fear was that the tyre industry would be the loser if we had two bad shows. The total number of visitors to Tyrexpo Europe was a disappointment, but many of the exhibitors expressed themselves satisfied with the quality of visitors. Opinions were polarised – some were happy, others not, some said that the UK needs a dedicated tyre show, others were not so sure. One thing on which all were agreed is that we cannot afford the same two-exhibition situation in two years’ time. Our review covers exhibitor’s reactions – warts and all.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Run-flat Tyres Will Replace Conventional Tyres

For so-called run-flat tyres (meaning tyres that can be driven even at zero air pressure) in Europe and North America huge sales increases are on the horizon. Run-flats will replace conventional tyres now in use. This can happen only step by step because there is a lack of production facilities for a number of years. Another effect: if the new tyres become standard original equipment, the market for tyres will reduce by twenty percent, because a car fitted with run-flat tyres does not need a spare wheel. Is the development of such products an example of the tyre business shooting itself in the foot? Of course not because it is never possible to stop technical developments like these. And it should be noted that run-flat tyres are more sophisticated than conventional tyres, which compensates for the lack of every fifth tyre in oe. Because tyre pressure warning systems will, in the future, become mandatory on new cars, they need suitable tyres. Run-flat tyres without tyre pressure systems are not practical; the driver might not realise that he is driving at zero pressure at high speed. The reverse situation is possible – indeed already a reality in some models – as the car is fitted with a tyre pressure monitoring system but on conventional tyres. Nowadays, run-flat tyres have moved from the arena of the laboratory and testing and are on the way to becoming a growing part of the market. As with other new technologies, if a new standard replaces an old one, the race is on among new systems (for example which tyre pressure monitoring system is the best), materials (for example which reinforcements should be used for the carcasses) and other developments for the transition period (tyre repair sets).

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Continues To Win In F1 Circus

Bridgestone, the world’s second largest tyre manufacturer, invited a party of tyre dealers and important customers to the Monaco Grand Prix. And there was reason to celebrate as the first two drivers home were racing in cars shod with Bridgestone tyres. Michelin had to be content with third place, which went to Eddie Irvine. The Bridgestone management is using Formula One events to improve its relationships with important partners, plus involvement in motorsports breeds success – over the past three years brand image and brand awareness have improved significantly in Europe and Latin America. This not only helps to ensure that the ambitious volume targets are met, but has the effect of improving the consumers’ perception of the quality of the brand, which means that they are willing to pay a higher price for the tyres.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Magneti Marelli To Close UK Aftermarket Operation

Following a review of its UK activities, Magneti Marelli has announced that its UK aftermarket operation will close on December 31st. This comes as a result of weak demand within the UK replacement parts market. Business managers will work with customers up until then to assist in areas such as alternative product sourcing. Selected products, such as the aftermarket lighting programme, will continue for key accounts, supplied through the central warehouse in Milan. Magneti Marelli’s other aftermarket businesses in Europe are unaffected.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

EU Distribution Centre Of Hankook Officially Opened

Hankook Tires has recently completed the construction of its new European Distribution Centre at Rotterdam, enabling the tyre manufacturer to improve its service to customers throughout Europe. The EDC – a 10 million Euro investment – was officially opened on 7th March.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

First Ferrari President’s Prize Awarded To Bridgestone

Bridgestone became the first winner of Ferrari’s President’s Prize, one of only two to be awarded to suppliers of Ferrari and Maserati, marking excellence and innovation. Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo presented the award to Shoshi Arakawa, president and CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone Europe at a ceremony at Ferrari HQ. Also present was EC president Romano Prodi. The award was in recognition of Bridgestone’s role in helping Ferrari to the F1 Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships and for tyre development for Gran Turismo cars.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

A “Near Death Experience” – Simex Europe

Simex Europe has been in existence since 1988, gradually increasing the size of its Monza range of car tyres and steadily increasing sales volumes. Then, in August last year, disaster struck when the Montinex group went into Administrative Receivership, as the group was Simex’s biggest customer, accounting for 60% of its turnover. With most of its eggs in one basket, it was, according to MD Raof Daud, a “near death experience” for the company. Simex fought back by going into car tyre distribution and growing its dealer network, and the come-back has been long and hard, with the company poised to be back in the black for the first time since the crisis. An exciting time for a new man to come in to take charge – Mr. A. K. Lee has recently taken over as General Manager, as Raof Daud has moved to another company within the Sime Darby group after nine years as MD of Simex.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

On Its Way To Becoming A Global Tyre Brand

Vredestein boss Rob Oudshoorn is interested in making the Vredestein brand – already well-known in Europe – a global brand. In Asia, T-Trac and Protrac tyres are produced by sister company Elangperdana Indonesia for use in the Asia region of Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China etc. The Importer Tyreland is the business partner at the other end of the world in New Zealand. This has been learned from the latest company brochure News Flashes which is distributed to the trade. At the moment it is not easy to cover Vredestein stories due to the fact that there is obviously no press office in the Dutch company.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Recall Spreads To Europe

Ford is planning to recall 23,000 vehicles sold in Europe in order to replace the tyres. The vehicles in question are mainly Explorers and the figure is around 60 per cent of Explorers sold over the past decade. Other models affected are Ford Expedition SUVs and Ranger pick-ups, although the numbers of these are small.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

European Replacement For Bridgestone/Firestone

Bridgestone/Firestone is offering to replace, free of charge, a small number of tyres fitted to European Ford Explorers even though there have been no tyre related roll-overs in Europe. The tyres are P235/75R15 and P255/70R16 Wilderness AT with DOT numbers ending in 4, 5, 6, or 7. Additionally, these tyres with the last three digits of the DOT number from 108 through to 188 are also included.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Eighth Member Of RubberNetwork.com

Toyo Tire & Rubber has become the eighth manufacturer to sign up to RubberNetwork.com, the world-wide electronic purchasing and procurement marketplace. RubberNetwork.com will be launched in North America next month and further launches are planned for July (Europe) and September (Asia). The eight members represent over half of the world’s tyre manufacturing capacity.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors