Hans J. Rupp At Hofmann
Hans J. Rupp has been appointed Director of Sales worldwide at Hofmann Werkstatt-Technik (Pfungstadt/Germany).
Posts
Fast Fit For All Brands At VW
Product NewsAuthorised VW dealers will integrate a fast fit service in Germany under the name “Car Center” by the end of 2001 open to all car brands. Besides brakes, exhausts and shock absorbers the offer will also include accessories like alloy wheels.
Pirelli Makes It Clear
Product NewsIn reply to an article in NEUE REIFENZEITUNG entitled “Bremsspuren im Odenwald” (“Pirelli Shows Brake Lights in Germany”) Dr. Wentz assured the “Darmstädter Echo” in an interview that the company was about to conclude an extraordinarily good 1999 business year and that there would be no personnel cuts. The correct version is: In the year 2000, Pirelli Germany (by which we mean Pirelli AG, Metzeler, Drahtcord and Pirelli Reifenwerke) will not be sacking 140 white collar workers, as previously reported, but only 45. On the other hand, Pirelli says it is going to employ 48 more blue-collar workers. These are the official figures from the office of Dr. Wentz, which we have no cause to doubt. Having said that, the numbers do not correspond with information that we have from other sources and they apply only to the year 2000. Further details will be given in future issues of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG. In October 1999, Pirelli chief Tronchetti Provera explained, against the background of falling profits, the need to reduce staff numbers in the Tyre Division by 800 in the year 1999.
Higher Turnover For Metzeler
Product NewsThe turnover of the motorcycle tyre division of Pirelli Germany (brands: Metzeler & Pirelli) in 1999 amounted to 94.9 million Euro; 1.4 p.c. more than the previous year. In motorcycle tyre terms, Pirelli is the market leader in Germany, Italy and Europe as a whole.
New Record in Winter Tyres Sales
Product NewsNever before so many winter tyres were sold in Germany. The dealers association BRV estimated 17 million units (= +15.3%) for 1999. Also the aftermarket in summer tyres was in plus (+0.9%) with 23 million in total.
Price Adjustment For Precipitated Silicas And Silicates
Product NewsDegussa-Hüls AG of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) is to increase prices by 5% for precipitated Silicas and Silicates effective from June 15. The company argues that energy cost increases could no longer be offset by other measures. Silica is an important component for the reduction of rolling resistance in ‘green tyres’, as are rubber silanes and rubber blacks.
New Pirelli Germany Finance Chief
Product NewsMichael Schwöbel (37), who has been with Pirelli since 1982, has been appointed to the board of Deutsche Pirelli Reifen Holding GmbH, with immediate effect, responsible for finance and control. His predecessor, Claudio de Conto, has been appointed Director of Planning and Controlling at the parent company in Milan.
Internet And Tyre Dealers
Product News“Tomorrow already, today will be yesterday” – there is hardly anything else coming so close to this fact than the internet. Whereas two years ago in Germany, the percentage of people being connected to the internet was around 9 per cent, this figure went up to 16 per cent in the last quarter of 1999 and achieved more than 20 per cent, i.e. 13.4 million online users by the end of March 2000. And, relying on market researchers, the peak is still far away. It is supposed that in Germany another 10 million people will use the internet by the end of the year. Thus, probably the number of people with particular homepages will continue to rise very quickly. Meanwhile, this fact has also got about in the tyre business, which can be underlined by the variety of companies who presented their websites on the REIFEN 2000 in Essen. Would it now be possible – after books, software and music – to download tyres, too? Of course, tyre dealers still have an advantage: there must always be someone for mounting the tyres. For certain reasons tyre dealers do not really want to get to like being in this position, as they often feel to be “degraded to service operators”. In this case, however, they should realize the opportunities of the internet for being able to “distinguish themselves as service operators”, although there is hardly anyone today, who can foresee the development of the tyre dealers’ business over the next five or ten years. Find out more in the November issue of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG.
Management Changes At Yokohama GmbH
Product NewsJunichi Okishima, who has been managing director of Yokohama Germany for five years, is returning to Tokyo at the end of this year to take up new challenges within the group. His successor will be Noria Karashima.
Flagship Brands From Cooper-Avon At Reifen 2000
Product NewsCooper-Avon Tyres Limited will be exhibiting a number of flagship products from both its Avon and Cooper brands at the “Reifen 2000” international exhibition in Essen, Germany from 20-23 June. For the motorcycle market the company will be unveiling for the first time the “Azaro” with Avon’s variable belt density (VBD) technology. Furthermore two new winter tyres – “CR75″ and CR85” – will make their debuts at the show as well as the new 4×4 tyre named “Ranger H”.
A Job With Future, But Vacant
Product NewsThe image of jobs in tyre repairing and fitting is not the best in Germany. In spite of being a “job with future” and a high level of unemployment (more than 10 per cent) not enough young peoble wants to occupy the vacancies.
Servicing The Car Fleet Market
Product NewsThe car fleet market varies from country to country across Europe, but in countries such as Germany and the UK, it is an important percentage of the car market. Increasingly, the owner of the car fleet is paying a fleet management company to maintain the cars and carry out maintenance, tyre replacements and so on. Many leasing companies expect to expand on a pan-European basis, which means that, increasingly, the service provider has to have continent-wide coverage. In the UK, the market leader in this field is Kwik-Fit Fleet, followed by ATS Euromaster, FTM Tyrefit (an affiliation of independent retailers, giving nationwide coverage and which has linked up with point S for coverage on mainland Europe) and National Tyres & Autocare. All these have operations outside the UK. It is easy to see the attraction of the fleet market – it is estimated that sales of tyres, batteries and exhausts to this sector are worth £180 million in the UK alone – and for the tyre manufacturers, it is strategically important as a means of increasing market share. The fleet customer is extremely demanding; not only in terms of service, but also in management reports and information, so the fleet service provider has to be much more than a mere tyre supplier. The market is very competitive and the motto of the provider is ‘service, service, service’. The attitude is summed up by Simon Roper, Managing Director of Kwik-Fit Fleet, who says, “Nobody takes tomorrow’s business for granted.”
Management Changes At Pneuhage
Product NewsPeter Schütterle is once again in the driver’s seat at Pneuhage after the resignation of three managers. Hanshugo Sürth, Kurt Scholl and Holger Abeln left the company on 13th March. The company, one of the largest tyre retail and wholesale groups in Germany, made a loss last year. This came as a big surprise – possibly even for Schütterle, the owner of the group, who until now has not been involved in the group on a day-to-day basis.
Quality Award For Dunlop
Product NewsDunlop Germany has been awarded a top level “Formula Q” award by the Volkswagen Group. Dunlop was the only tyre producer to gain the award for Supply Reliability, Productivity and Error-free Quality. Every year Volkswagen awards 20 of its 8,000 suppliers for their outstanding performance.
Continental To Introduce Short-Time Working
Product NewsDue to the low demand for truck tyres, Continental is to introduce short time working at three factories in Austria, Belgium and Stöcken, in Germany. The 400-strong workforce at the Stöcken plant has been divided into two, with only one half working at a time on a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off basis.
