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Hankook Design Acknowledged at iF Awards

Hankook Tire has picked up awards for the design of its enfren and Optimo 4S tyres at the iF Product Design Awards 2009 ceremony, held in the German city of Hanover. The two tyres became the first passenger car tyres to ever win the design award organised by the International Forum Design. They were both awarded in the ‘Transportation’ category, and were judged according to their technology, environment friendliness, functionality, safety and design quality.

The tyres are appraised independently for their quality and performance in terms of the environment and fuel efficiency, and Hankook attributes the tyre’s recognised innovative qualities to its consistent 5 per cent investment into its Kontrol Technology programme, which it states is one of the highest proportional levels of R&D investment in the tyre industry. The enfren tyre was launched in Korea in June 2008 and according to the Korea Automotive Technology Institute reduces rolling resistance by 21 per cent and improves fuel economy by two per cent. The Optimo 4S is currently the only tyre in the world and first all-season tyre ever to receive the famous German eco-label, the Blue Angel (Der Blaue Engel, in use since 1978 and considered to be the world’s first environmental-related label for products and services).

3rd December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Appoints Seal Communication to UK/Ireland PR Role

Michelin has appointed Birmingham based agency Seal Communications to handle both its consumer and trade public relations in the UK and Ireland. Seal Communications will begin in this capacity as of January 2009, promoting Michelin’s tyre range plus its map and guide products in a variety of print, broadcast and online media.

3rd December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

UK Batteries Introduces ‘Vehicle Optimisation’ System

UK Batteries, the driving force behind the Platinum and Energizer brands of aftermarket batteries, has successfully introduced a bespoke ‘vehicle optimisation’ IT system that it believes has transformed its delivery fleet into one of the most efficient in the aftermarket. And thanks to a brand-new computer programme that has been carefully written by the dedicated UK Batteries IT department and is fully integrated with the company’s online ordering system, every run of deliveries is now plotted and executed using satellite navigation technology.

By prioritising deliveries and working out the most fuel-effective and quickest delivery routes, a live real time information feed allows the UK Batteries customer service team to tell customers precisely when their new product delivery or scrap collection will be completed. This has helped UK Batteries to reduce its annual fuel bill.

2nd December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

US Tyre Shipment to Decrease More than 6% in 2008, Says RMA

According to the Rubber Manufacturers Association, US tyre shipments are projected to decline by more than six per cent this year compared with 2007, with a further one per cent decline predicted for 2009. Total tyre shipments were below 300 million for the first time since 1997, when shipments were 290 million units.

The decrease in tyre shipments, says the RMA, reflects the sharp downward revisions in the domestic economic conditions predicted for both the consumer and commercial sectors. Overall, combined OE and replacement tyre shipments for 2008 light vehicle and truck categories are anticipated to decrease by more than 20 million units to approximately 290 million total shipments, compared to the 310 million total shipments in 2007. A further slight decline of approximately three million total units to nearly 287 million total units is anticipated for 2009 as an economic rebound is unlikely to occur until the latter half of the year.

2nd December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

GEM ‘Puts the Pressure’ on Manufacturers to Supply Accurate Gauges

Road safety association GEM Motoring Assist (GEM) has urged all vehicle manufacturers to include an accurate tyre pressure-measuring device as part of the spare tyre equipment kit supplied with new cars. In voicing this request, the association says that defective or under-inflated tyres were a contributory factor in the death of 43 motorists in 2007 and played a part in nearly 1,000 further accidents.

David Williams, chief executive of GEM, is supporting the work of TyreSafe and the safety organisation’s argument that tyres play a fundamental role in the performance and safe handling of a car. “Many gauges on fuel station forecourts are not accurate and constant use of them could give drivers a false sense of security,” said Williams. “Including an easy to use digital tyre pressure reader as part of the tool kit of any new car with simple instructions of how and when to use it would cost very little to the vehicle manufacturer and be a real safety benefit for the owner.”

2nd December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

More than 60% of UK Drivers Soft on Tyre Pressure, Says Michelin

Michelin has taken its “Fill up with Air” roadshow throughout the UK and Ireland, checking and adjusting drivers’ tyre pressures in a campaign intended to highlight the potential safety benefits, fuel savings and reduced emissions that are directly related to having the car’s tyre pressures correctly set. A disturbing statistic to emerge from the roadshow is, says Michelin, that more than 60 per cent of cars on British roads are running with incorrect tyre pressure; 35 per cent have dangerously under-inflated tyres.

1st December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Secures Hargreaves Fleet Deal

Goodyear Dunlop’s Truck team have secured a fleet deal with Hargreaves Services, the UK’s biggest bulk haulage company. The deal will see 879 vehicles fitted with the latest Max Technology tyres from Goodyear during the company’s five year contract with the truck tyre giant.

1st December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Motorists Facing ‘Trade or Upgrade’ Dilemma, Says Kwik-Fit

We’re all familiar with the ‘move or improve’ dilemma – where homeowners weigh up the cost benefits of moving home versus making home improvements. But new research from Kwik-Fit shows that, with money tight and new car sales down, more motorists are facing a similar conundrum in deciding whether to ‘trade or upgrade’ their car. The company’s research found that some 6.4 million motorists aim to make a number of upgrades to their existing vehicle over the next 12 months, in order to make it look and feel more like new.

27th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

PCL: US Election Debate Brought Tyre Pressure to the Fore

Despite reportedly “drastically reduced visitor numbers at SEMA 2008,” PCL says its stand attracted the usual flow of customers to its stand. Tyre inflations products were said to have been an especially hot topic this year due to Barack Obama’s campaign comments about tyre inflation. Whilst John McCain was quick to ridicule Obama’s statement that the expansion of offshore drilling could be prevented by keeping tyres inflated, it is true that ensuring tyres have the accurate pressure can reduce CO2 emissions, save fuel and prevent potentially fatal accidents.

PCL says the company has experienced high acceptance on the US market, with a fast-expanding customer base satisfied with the performance of its market-leading products. Visitors to SEMA were reportedly keen to check out the automotive industry’s most advanced handheld and mobile nitrogen inflation equipment, and find out how every little helps when it comes to energy savings and safety.

20th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Europe Outlines Green Performance in New Brochure

It’s as fresh as the morning dew upon a rainforest fern frond – Bridgestone Europe has published its updated environmental report, which sets out the company’s commitment to high environmental standards and the latest steps it is taking to achieve them. In keeping with its theme, the colour brochure is printed with vegetable-based inks on FSC label recycled paper, and is aimed at all organisations and groups interested in the company, including shareholders, government authorities, journalists, car manufacturers and other business partners.

19th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Primacy HP to Benefit Vauxhall ecoFLEX

Michelin reports it has developed a tyre – the energy-efficient Primacy HP – specifically for Vauxhall’s new Insignia ecoFLEX. The tyre is said to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres, thereby lowering CO2 emissions by more than four grams per kilometre. In this way, the tyre contributes to the Insignia ecoFLEX’s notable performance in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, which for the 160-horsepower vehicle are fewer than 140 grams per kilometre.

19th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Firestone Plant Awarded ‘Green’ LEED Certification

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire’s (BFNT) Warren County tyre production facility in Tennessee has earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council. LEED certification is a recognition of outstanding environmental building design and utilisation that is rarely given to existing manufacturing sites. This is, says BFNT, the first LEED certification for a tyre factory in the world.

18th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti’s HDL Eco Plus on Top in Fuel Economy Test

Independent testing conducted in Quebec, Canada has found Continental’s HDL Eco Plus drive tyre to deliver up to 2.4 per cent superior fuel economy versus its test competitors. The test used a controlled evaluation tool based on the Society of Automotive Engineers J1321 test method, reports Conti, however the tyre maker has not disclosed which competitor products were evaluated.

18th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

T&A's exclusive first look at Kwik-Fit’s £10 million National Distribution Centre

Before Kwik-Fit invested in a National Distribution Centre, there was a problem with tyre deliveries. All of the fast-fit chain’s main suppliers were delivering to all of its 670-odd active branches two to three times a week, which was expensive for the delivering manufacturers and disruptive to the Kwik-Fit branches. The answer? Build a specialist centre in cooperation with a leading third party logistics supplier and deliver all the brands in one go. Keen to get an effective new service up and running as soon as possible, Kwik-Fit GB Ltd appointed CEVA Logistics to manage and operate the new Corby-based National Distribution Centre (NDC) and its transport operation in June, before stocking up the site and getting systems up to speed this summer. In October, four months and somewhere in the order of £10 million of investment later, Tyres & Accessories met with Kwik-Fit Fleet sales director, Mike Wise; head of supply chain, Neil Arnott; and Toby Leybourne product director-tyres for an exclusive tour of the state-of-the-art site.

Looking back to the 1970s and 1980s Kwik-Fit sold just 25 different sizes. As anyone in the trade knows, today it is a completely different story and there are up to 700 different size and brand products in the premium segment alone. Something that, according T&A’s Kwik-Fit tour guides, is “a monster to control.” At the same time the floor and storage space available to individual Kwik-Fit branches remains pretty much the same as it was two decades ago. Toby Leybourne summarized the pragmatic thinking behind the project like this: “Having 90 depots inside the M25, for example, means logistics is key, but now Kwik-Fit’s nightmare has become an opportunity.” Head of Kwik-Fit Fleet, Mike Wise added: “Virtually every new vehicle launched comes to the market with a new tyre size…The proliferation of tyre sizes has made it a necessity that Kwik-Fit has its own distribution operation and is not reliant on tyre manufacturers to deliver tyres to centres, which can take several days.”

17th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyota iQ to Debut With Bridgestone Ecopia as OE

Bridgestone has announced that its Ecopia EP25 tyres will be supplied as original equipment for Toyota’s ‘iQ’ model, which is scheduled for release in Japan on November 20 and in Europe in early 2009. The iQ will be fitted with the low rolling resistance tyre in 175/65R15 84S size.

In a press statement announcing the OE deal Bridgestone says it believes the company can make a significant contribution to addressing worldwide environmental issues such as global warming through the development of tyres that provide greater reduction in rolling resistance, and thus improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In calculating carbon dioxide emissions at each stage of the tyre lifecycle, from raw materials to disposal, Bridgestone discovered that 87 per cent of total emissions occur during the usage stage.

17th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors