On June 11 the President of Finland awarded Kim Gran, the president and CEO of Nokian Tyres, the Finnish honorary title of “Vuorineuvos”. This traditional title is given to leading captains of industry, and comes with no responsibilities or privileges.
Information supplied by Pirelli indicates continued year-on-year growth in European OE and replacement sectors for both passenger car and commercial vehicle tyres. During May 2010 the OE and replacement passenger markets in Europe grew nine and 14 per cent respectively, the tyre maker estimates, bringing year-to-date growth to 28 and 11 per cent. For the commercial vehicle market, Pirelli estimates a respective year-on-year growth for the OE and replacement segments of 72 per cent and 16 per cent. Year-to-date, the European OE truck tyre market has grown 13 per cent and the replacement market 33 per cent.
A glance at any UK national newspaper’s society pages this week will tell you that Royal Ascot is upon us. Amongst the glamour of the zany hats and figure-hugging dresses will be Ivybridge motorist Julia Bertram, who will attend Ladies’ Day this Thursday (June 17), thanks to the Cooper tyres she bought from distributor, Victor Barry Tyres.
The new generation of mixed service tyres from Goodyear Dunlop Europe has been launched, and these products – the Omitrac MSS II steer tyre and MSD II drive tyre – enter the market along with the manufacturer’s claim that they will help operators save money in several ways. Amongst other qualities, Goodyear states the MSD II offers a 17 per cent greater mileage potential while both tyres offer good rolling resistance levels.
Bandag has added new dealers in Italy and Latvia to its European network. La Rinnova Del Pneumatico – Arké s.r.l, of Podenzano, Italy, and Juva SIA of Riga, Latvia, have both signed Bandag franchise contracts, bringing the total number of Bandag dealers in Europe to more than 140.
Bridgestone has introduced a new Bandag website highlighting its retread product portfolio for truck and bus fleets in Europe. According to the tyre maker, the www.bandag.eu site carries a ‘stronger message’ for end users, with more qualitative retread and product information, including the latest document downloads. The structure is built around Bandag’s Smart Choice marketing concept that provides an explanation as to why Bandag retreads are the most reliable, economical, natural and dependable retread choice on the tyre market.
UK new car registrations rose 13.5 per cent in May (compared with May 2009), the 11th successive monthly rise. 153,095 cars were registered in May compared with 134,858 in May 2009. Broken down by the two main channels, the results are particularly positive in the fleet sector, which reported a 16 per cent increase compared with a 12.3 per cent in the private market.
Volumes over the first five months of the year have risen 22 per cent. According to the SMMT, the growth reflects the weakness of the 2009 market, with May volumes still 14.6 per cent or 26,177 units down on the 2008 level.
A new Hyster H25.00XM-12 forklift truck fitted with an IMT TH3536 tyre handling attachment will be showcased on Elite Truck Bodies’ stand at Reifen 2010 in Essen. The idea, according to the company, is to demonstrate the most efficient way of handling and changing large tyres on vehicles operating in open-cast mining and construction applications.
TyreCheck, which supplies business automation, CRM, and fleet and tyre management solutions to the global tyre market, has announced that it is launching INContact at Reifen 2010. The latest release reportedly incorporates solutions for the new EU tyre energy labelling system in addition to its enhanced IN (Intelligent Newtech) fleet management and inspection products. TyreCheck managing director, Michael O’Dwyer, and commercial director, Jonathan Brennan, invite interested parties to stand 1 – 105 to find out more.
This year’s Reifen show coincides with the release of a totally new and fresh online presence for Euro-Tyre: At Essen the Dutch wholesaler, in addition to offering dedicated tyre expertise and displaying its extensive product portfolio, will premiere its re-launched website. The layout and structure of the homepage has been completely redesigned in order to increase its user friendliness to online shoppers.
US consumer confidence rose in May, the third straight month for plus results according to the Conference Board’s monthly survey, says Tire Review. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose to 63.3 in May, well up from April’s 57.7 mark. And consumer outlook for the next six months also rose, reaching 85.3 up from last month’s 77.4 result, the highest outlook result since August 2007.
The role compressed air equipment plays in the tyre business is often underestimated. But with the recession causing businesses to think more about energy costs and legislation; and with general opinion swaying us all towards being more ecologically friendly, this is something that the pneumatic experts at Tom Parker Ltd are hoping to change, with the launch of the Exhausted Air Recycling System or EARS. EARS is designed to capture the exhausted air from pneumatic tools and recycle this otherwise wasted energy back to the compressor, which improves efficiency and therefore saves money.
Because the new technology centres on recycling wasted exhaust air it represents a major advance in compressed air technology. It does this by running two lines between the compressor and the pneumatic tool in a way not dissimilar to veins and arteries in your own body – the primary airline acts like an artery sending out “clean” air to power the tool, while a secondary line is like a vein and returns used, or exhausted air, back to the compressor. By capturing and reusing this exhausted air, it reduces environmental pollution in the workplace with no airborne contaminants such as oil, dust or other pollutants being released. However it is also quieter, comfortable and more energy efficient due to higher output flows from the compressor, which maximises its power consumption and operating life.
Quality assurance managers for commercial vehicle fleets are being urged to check their supply lines as a leading wheel distributor warns that a rise in unqualified wheel sellers threatens to “contaminate the market with substandard products.” Motor Wheel Services (MWS) estimates that over 10,000 second hand and take-off wheels entered the market in 2009, of which the large majority were sold by companies who do not possess the technical abilities or examination procedures to ascertain the history and fatigue of a wheel. In a few very serious cases, the company’s field sales team have been made aware of old, repainted wheels being sold as new. And, as MWS reports, the serious implications of purchasing a faulty wheel include warranty, liability and safety issues.
Following its official unveiling at this month’s Truckfest, Motor Wheel Service Distribution reports that it has received orders in excess of £20,000 for its xlite range of forged aluminium commercial vehicle wheels. According to the company, companies such as J E Douglas & Son, Ball Trucking and Paul Stewart Transport have all taken delivery of new product, while several other haulage and coach operators have expressed a serious interest in future purchases.
Races seven and eight of this year’s FIA World Touring Car Championship – better known to you and I as the WTCC – are scheduled to run at Monza on Sunday May 23, and during this round of the series Yokohama Rubber will be title sponsor. Therefore, prepare yourself for the delights of the “FIA WTCC Yokohama Race of Italy.”
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