Merityre Specialists Ltd is celebrating the company’s golden jubilee having supplied tyres, batteries and exhausts to motorists for 50 years. The company was formed in Sunbury on Thames in 1961 and now operates 21 branches throughout Southern England.
In every area of achievement, a passion for what you are doing is an important ingredient for success. This even applies to the humble automotive exhaust and was the case in 1984 when Howard Warren and Charles Cotton established CES (UK) Ltd. The two men’s love of cars and motor racing helped drive CES (UK) on to become a significant presence first in the British exhaust aftermarket and then as a supplier of an enviable range of aftermarket vehicle components. Tyres & Accessories recently spoke to CES (UK) managing director Steve McCann, who shared how this original passion is still propelling the company on the course of continued growth.
Following the approval of its acquisition by Itochu Corporation, investment in new Kwik-Fit outlets is continuing with plans to open ten new centres this year and a similar number in 2012. Confirmed centre openings this year are in Farnham, Heywood and Scunthorpe, with other locations expected to be revealed over the coming months. These new sites add to those opened in recent months in Brentford, Brierley Hill, Bury St Edmunds, Charlton, Ipswich, Luton, Newport Pagnell, Rugeley, Thetford and Walsall. Prior to the launch of the latest centre investment programme, Kwik-Fit operated a 669-centre network, supported by a mobile fleet of more than 200 vehicles.
Peterlee, County Durham based engineering company GT Group intends to add some 200 new employees to its current workforce of 300 after securing £50 million contract to supply exhaust gas control system for Russian vehicle manufacturer GAZ Group. GT Group intends to boost output of its heavy-duty diesel engine exhaust gas control systems to 100,000 units per annum within three years.
“Optimised airflow, first-class sporty sound and craftsmanship” – this is how German specialist manufacturer Eisenmann Exhaust Systems describes its newly-released complete system for the BMW 3-series E46. Consisting of a middle and rear silencer along with one of six available tailpipes, the system is produced from high-quality stainless steel and fits all E46 models including the 320i/ci (170 hp/125 kW), 325i/ci (192 hp/141 kW) and 330i/ci (231 hp/170 kW). Tailpipes are available as round double pipes in 70, 76 or 83 millimetre diameters, duplex double pipes with 70 millimetres diameter and oval tail pipes in 160×80 millimetres, either as a single-sided or duplex system. All variants are available in the Sport version with EG-ABE or in the Race version for use on the racetrack. The system is available at an introductory price until May 31.
Derbyshire-based exhaust manufacturer Scorpion Exhausts has launched a system for the Mini Countryman that it says offers “genuine performance gains and a sublime soundtrack.” The UK designed and hand-fabricated exhaust system utilises T304 63.5mm aerospace grade stainless steel tubing and precision CNC mandrel bends to optimise gas-flow and improve throttle response across the rev range.
A new low-cost ‘fit and forget’ ceramic coating offering surface temperature reductions of 125°C has been developed by coatings specialist Zircotec for diesel engine applications. The coating features a new ceramic formulation and this, together with changes to the manufacturing process, has enabled the company to reduce costs for the new Performance Diesel product – the first Zircotec application specifically developed for commercial vehicle manufacturers – by fifty per cent. Zircotec believes the coating will prove an attractive option for truck and bus manufacturers challenged by the higher temperatures experienced with new Euro VI emissions regulations and testing methods set to be introduced in late 2013.
Halfords-owned Nationwide Autocentres, which purportedly performs more MOTs than any other garage group, has released details of research showing how cars perform when it comes to the annual road worthiness test. It found that three year old Renault Meganes examined in 2009 had a one in four chance of failing, while similarly aged Vauxhall Corsas had a one in five chance. According to the company the data was collated more than six months ago, but it still raises some interesting points on the the frequency of test failures of particular models.
A new range of type approved catalytic convertors, or CATs for short, has been released by Klarius Group company Klarius Emission Control. The Manchester based company reports the newly-released range is its most extensive ever and says product quality confidence is such that it is offering the range with a lifetime warranty – a move it believes to be a first for the aftermarket. The range includes CATs to fit several thousand vehicles, and Klarius international business development director Paul Hannah describes its key attractiveness to the market as being a combination of good design, competitive price, guaranteed quality and excellent availability.
After months and months of price increases from tyre manufacturers, owing to the fact that demand for raw materials such as natural rubber has gone through the roof, it is now clear that the same pressures are affecting those purchase automotive parts too. Asking the question, what is driving current price increases? Dave Cheetham, exhaust maker Klarius Group’s chief financial officer, has warned that further price rises are inevitable in the aftermarket auto parts supply chain as well.
National Tyres and Autocare has opted to re-stock its 210 retail branches exclusively with Klarius type-approved exhausts made in the UK, according to the exhaust maker. National will also be stocking Klarius replacement CATs, Lambda sensors and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs).
Demand from fleet customers for mechanical work on company cars and vans at Kwik-Fit is said to be soaring. The fast fitter comments that operators are looking to reduce operating costs and this appears to be a significant contributor towards Kwik-Fit’s record breaking 2010. The company reports that demand for MoTs, vehicle servicing and brake part replacement rose by up to almost 50 per cent last year, and in 2011 a “core goal” is to further increase the volume of mechanical and MoT fleet work performed through Kwik-Fit centres.
On January 10 the new facilities at HiQ Crewe were officially unveiled by local MP Edward Timpson. The fast fit network states that following its upgrade the Nantwich road centre is now able to boast a full provision of automotive services for motorists; facilities installed as part of a £100,000 investment by owners Andy Bucknall and Ken Lawton include an ATL class 4 MOT bay. The facility has been extended to accommodate two extra bays and motorists are now able to observe their vehicles’ treatment from a new customer lounge.
ATS Euromaster has launched a new payment card named ‘ATS Assist’, offering a single payment option for all motoring needs, regardless of vehicle type, covering drivers for everything from tyres to fuel and windscreen replacement to vehicle rental. Individual cards available for every car, van, truck and trailer. A single weekly or monthly invoice is sent to managers detailing all transactions, vehicle by vehicle, eliminating the need for drivers to collect receipts and claim expenses, thus reducing administration. The collective online information also provides a clear fleet cost analysis, enabling businesses to identify purchasing trends and potential cost savings more readily.
When Clampco UK was founded in 2001, the company largely focused upon the supply of exhaust clamps and fittings to the exhaust and tyre fast fit sector. The firm was well received and its customer base grew to some 2,000 garages within a few years, yet during this period signs of decline in the exhaust market as a whole became apparent to Clampco. As Clampco managing director Stuart Hubble shares, it was clear the company’s only option for growth lay in diversifying and enlarging the product range on offer. With this in mind, Clampco focused its energies on investigating what other everyday items could be sold through its existing customer base. Two of the first additions to this wider range were tyre repair consumables and wheel balance weights – this was, notes Hubble, a “natural progression” from tyres and exhausts. Subsequently, Clampco added items covering the full spectrum of workshop requirements, including hygiene and safety products plus workshop cleaning products such mops, buckets and brushes. In addition to this, a full range of fast fit garage related tools such as impact wrenches and torque wrenches were added to the Clampco line-up.
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