Giti Tire
At the end of November Andreas Giese, who held the position of marketing manager at Giti Tire Deutschland GmbH since the start of 2010, left the company. Until a successor is appointed his duties will be carried out by the company’s ‘DACH’ region general manager Rainer Harter.
Giti Tire has been recognised for its contribution to this October’s Tyre Safety Month, having been presented with the TyreSafe Manufacturer Award. The manufacturer undertook several initiatives through its network of 220 GT Radial Performance Centres (GTPCs) during 2013, culminating in October’s Tyre Safety Month. Each GTPC received joint-branded customer information packs with posters, leaflets and Mr McIntyre animations.
Giti Tire reports that it has agreed its first GT Radial distribution deal in Iceland, with Solning already reporting high demand for the initial stock of Champiro IcePro and IcePro SUV. The deal, which commenced at the start of November, is initially for extreme winter weather tyres with the parties already discussing summer stock, including the Adventuro A/T light mud and M/T maximum traction tyres, and the brand’s extensive truck and bus range.
Following its pilot introduction in Italy, a year ago Giti Tire rolled out its GT Assist commercial vehicle roadside service assistance programme in the UK. The launch of this 90 minute response service, which is operated in collaboration with the RAC, means that since the end of last year Giti Tire has been able to offer a full fleet portfolio of new GT Radial tyres, GT REE Tread mould cure retreads, along with tyre maintenance through its network of more than 180 independent dealers in the UK and Ireland.
Wetherby-based Moss Tyres has been named GT Radial Performance Centre Dealer of the Quarter. The business, which has been based in SandbackPark for over 20 years and operates sites in York and Hull, was chosen due to its continued investment in improving customer care and knowledge of the GT Radial product portfolio. In addition, Moss Tyres further improved customer service through team training sessions on the history and product attributes of every tyre in the GT Radial range
One size fits all is a poor solution when it comes to clothing, and it’s also an unacceptable compromise for tyres. What’s good for one market may gain a lukewarm reception in the next. For this reason Giti Tire, like other tyre majors, designs and manufactures market-specific products. This commitment to delivering tyres tailored to regional conditions and preferences was given a significant boost this year with the establishment of new research and development centres in the US and Germany. Towards the end of October, Tyres & Accessories visited Giti Tire’s new European Research and Development Centre just north of Hannover to find out more about the new facility and the people who’ll lead it.
As part of its efforts to build up its online presence, Giti Tire has appointed Neil Hendry to the newly created role of Internet Strategy and E-Commerce manager – Europe. Hendry is based at the company’s UK headquarters in Cheshire and responsible for the development of a coherent web and social media strategy to maximise internet presence throughout the continent
GT Radial has entered the growing multi-usage sector with the launch of the GSR225 Combi Road steer axle tyre. The tyre is initially available in size 295/80R22.5.
Giti Tire has announced the appointment of Lorella Maggiori as marketing manager for Italy and Spain. Formerly of Bridgestone Italy’s marketing department Maggiori will support Corrado Moglia, general manager – southern Europe, and work in partnership with the senior management and marketing teams of each importer across all passenger car, SUV, light truck and truck & bus programmes. Giti says it is currently growing in both countries, seeing both as key European markets.
What’s in a name? Keeping a good name means as much in business as in life. When it comes to online marketing it arguably means even more. For the last nine years Tyres & Accessories has surveyed the prominence and sentiment of tyre brand names in the online world. We’re not experts in the very specialist and highly technical research field so we have spent all this time partnering with a company in silicon fen, which knows a whole lot more about this than we do. Previously our research partners were known as Envisional, but in the year since our last report the company has re-branded itself as NetNames. Nevertheless it is the same system and therefore it continues to be comparable with our data archive.
Giti Tire has given its full support to TyreSafe’s Tyre Safety Month, with all 220 GT Radial Performance Centres (GTPCs) throughout the UK receiving joint-branded customer information packs. Throughout October, TyreSafe is running a ‘check your pressures’ campaign, and GTPCs have been issued with posters, leaflets, a Mr. McIntyre animation and a film to raise awareness of the importance of regular tyre maintenance. A dedicated infographic with tyre safety information for consumers has also been added to the GT Radial web site at www.gtradial.co.uk, where drivers can also search for their closest GTPC.
Giti Tire has announced the establishment of new technical centres in Germany and the US. The two sites will work in collaboration with the company’s MIRA-based UK facility as well as its centres located in Indonesia and China. Giti now employs more than 600 R&D personnel and describes the creation of a European and North American technical centre as marking a “significant development in the research and development capabilities of the company.”
Giti Tire has launched its new non-directional, all-position commercial vehicle tyre, the GAM831. Available in 295/80R22.5, the tyre extends the GT Radial mixed service offering, as the tyre has been developed for on and off road applications. It features a robust tread pattern and casing construction, with an extra reinforced sidewall to offer increased performance, even wear and good mileage in the most arduous terrain conditions.
The GT Radial brand has made much well-documented progress within the UK commercial vehicle tyre market over the past few years, and in December 2012, its manufacturer Giti Tire’s UK operation began rolling out a commercial vehicle roadside service assistance programme. Now in the third quarter of 2013, GT Assist has developed to consist of a network of approximately 220 dealer partner depots covering the UK and Ireland. Tyres & Accessories visited one of GT Radial’s longest standing customers in the UK, Manchester independent family business Tyre Save, to discuss the roadside service assistance programme with sales and marketing director Truck and Bus Tony McHugh and regional sales manager Truck and Bus Steve McDonald from GiTi Tire (UK) and Tyre Save owner Mark Davies and manager Stewart Little.
GT Radial has added the Champiro WinterPro HP tyre to its portfolio, with sizes ranging from 16 to 20-inch wheel diameters, including dedicated SUV fitments.
Designed specifically for the UK and European markets, the tyre’s development has focused on mid-to-large high-performance cars. According to the company, it has been produced using a sunflower oil-enriched compound that maintains the elasticity of the rubber at low temperatures and utilising an asymmetrical tread design. The outer blocks are designed to provide good dry and cornering properties while the inner block area has been developed to provide extra grip in wet and snow conditions.
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