The commercial availability of Sumitomo’s Enasave 97, albeit in small volumes, has demonstrated the feasibility of producing tyres containing very little in the way of fossil fuels. Introducing completely or nearly fossil fuel-free products in greater quantities is a goal held by all tyre majors, and Continental’s head of material and process engineering has shared some details about the German tyre maker’s progress in this direction.
On 16 July, Bridgestone’s domestic tyre subsidiary, Bridgestone Tire Japan, opened a new facility that integrates its Osaka Bandag retreading factory and waste tyre processing plant into a single location. The new 7,100 square metre plant takes in used casings collected from the within Osaka and Kyoto, Hyogo Prefecture, Wakayama Prefectures and has the capacity to produce 3,000 truck and bus retreads per month, including Ecopia retreads. This figure is 30 per cent higher than the combined output of the two previous facilities. Tyres not suitable for retreading are shredded and sold as fuel.
Goodyear has announced its plans to introduce a new generation of truck tyres, with two completely new ranges to launch onto the European market in September. Kmax and Fuelmax steer, drive and trailer tyres will focus on providing the manufacturer’s optimised longevity and fuel efficiency options respectively. Therefore the new tyres represent an interesting departure from other premium brand manufacturers’ portfolio strategies, taking the emphasis off the type of operation – long or regional haul for example – and put it on the fleet’s economic priority.
The Road Haulage Association is disappointed at the refusal by the Office of Fair Trading to consider an investigation into the issue of UK oil pricing. Such was the strength of feeling over high fuel prices that over 32,000 signatories, including FFUK supporters, members of the public and members of Parliament, added their names to the petition that was handed in to the offices of the OFT on Monday, 15 July.
Trelleborg has been selected as the official partner for Massey Ferguson’s Super6 Demo Tour, a European wide road show across ten key markets presenting the Massey Ferguson tractor range. Trelleborg views the tour as an opportunity to strengthen further its strategic partnership with the leading tractor manufacturer, while taking the opportunity to showcase its latest product innovations. The tour’s latest stop is in Rome on 17 July with its interactive mobile stand, the ‘Blue Box’, displaying the latest Trelleborg innovations and digital services.
The Petrol Retailers’ Association (PRA) fully supports Robert Halfon MP's campaign and petition for a full Office of Fair Trading (OFT) enquiry into Oil Pricing Process. The PRA submitted a formal complaint in February 2012 to the OFT regarding competition in the market for retail road fuels. Its call for a full UK Market Study was supported by many other trade associations and the cross-party group of MPs led by Robert Halfon.
"The unexpected crash in the exchange rate for the Pound for the US Dollar, from US$1.58 to 1.48, in just four weeks from mid-June is hitting wholesale fuel costs", said Brian Madderson, Petrol Retailers’ Association (PRA) chairman.
Bridgestone Americas has launched a new premium drive radial in North America, the M760 Ecopia. The tyre is primarily designed for use in on-highway, long-haul and regional service. It also can be applied for pick-up and delivery service. According to Bridgestone, the M760 Ecopia works well on single and tandem axle trucks, making the tyre ideal for a broad range of fleet applications.
ATS Euromaster has developed a new Service Value Calculator (SVC) in order to demonstrate the financial benefits of managing tyres to truck, bus and coach operators. Programmable with customers’ operation-specific information the SVC measures the financial benefits available through regrooving, retreading, pressure optimisation and general tyre husbandry, such as turning tyres on the rim and twinning. ATS-E produces a 10-page tyre savings report based on the inputted operational data partially yielded from a preliminary fleet inspection, summarising the annual projected savings from introducing ATS-E’s tyre management service.
Trelleborg is supporting the Massey Ferguson Super6 Demo Tour, a European wide road show across 10 key markets presenting the Massey Ferguson tractor range. The event, which will see Trelleborg further strengthen its strategic partnership with the leading tractor manufacturer, will allow Trelleborg to showcase its latest product innovations.
There are signs that new car demand is recovering as the SMMT reports that new vehicle registrations broke the million car market in the year to June 2013. This represents growth of some 10 per cent in the first half of 2013 totalling some 1,163,623 units. It was the 16th successive monthly rise in June, with this figure growing 13.4 per cent to 214,957 units.
All sectors grew, but private demand increased the most over the first half of the year, up 17.1 per cent, after a 21.3 per cent rise in June.
Data from Bridgestone’s Safety Campaign 2012 has revealed that 78.3 per cent of tyres on the 28,700 cars inspected across Europe throughout the year were under-inflated to varying degrees. Additionally, 25.6 per cent of the tyre population was found to be worn below 1.6mm. The company completes a survey during its safety check workshops across Europe each year, and the latest data shows an increase in the number of tyres found to be under-inflated.
Cooper Tire has replaced its mid-range Lifeliner GLS in the US with a new model, the CS3 Touring. The new all-season tyre is available in T, H and V speed ratings, and sizes designed for highway and urban driving in today's modern passenger car and crossover vehicles. Cooper says the launch of the CS3 in combination with its current premium CS4 Touring tyre “offers a wide breath of sizes and feature options, giving appropriate choices for each consumer.”
It was announced last week that Volkswagen of America set a new Guinness World Records achievement for the “lowest fuel consumption- 48 US states for a non-hybrid car” by achieving a phenomenal 77.99 mpg (3.02 litres per 100km). In a Passat TDI Clean Diesel car, with two drivers, the record was achieved on a set of Continental’s PureContact tyres with EcoPlus technology. The record betters the previous mark of 67.9 mpg and also beats the hybrid vehicle record of 64.5 mpg.
Groupauto, the UK’s largest trading group, is keen to highlight the fact that the market is changing and the dominance of basic lead-acid battery technology will soon begin to decline. The automotive battery is becoming a much more technical component and with the increasing amount of electrical equipment fitted to even the most basic of vehicles, the demands placed on it are much greater than ever.
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