Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe has joined the European Road Safety Charter, a pan-European initiative with the aim to increase road safety across Europe. The signing ceremony took place in Gothenburg, Sweden on October 26, 2009, in the presence of the Swedish minister for enterprise, energy and communications, Åsa Torstensson, representatives from the European Commission and the ERSC Secretariat.
Paragon Group has appointed former HiQ retail director, Neil Burrows as business development director. Burrows left HiQ in September 2008 after a failed management buyout attempt.
Burrow’s new role will reportedly include taking overall responsibility for all account management and client relations. According to the company, its creation reflects Paragon’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement of the service offered to all clients across its three businesses – Paragon Automotive, Paragon Fleet Solutions and Paragon Remarketing. Neil Burrows will also take responsibility for delivering a coordinated marketing, new business and corporate communications strategy for the group.
75 per cent of tyre referrals now come through the DriveRight system, according to the tyre and wheel data specialists. Company data shows DriveRight assists in facilitating over $4,500 worth of wheel and tyre business every second in the US alone. In the UK, 95 per cent of alloy wheels and 75 per cent of tyre referrals are said to be sourced using DriveRight data.
With consumers more commercially aware and web-savvy than ever, some tyre shoppers are wooed by user-friendly interfaces proving step-by-step guides to selecting a range of tyre options. Yet those inside the industry realise that while a GUI presentation is important, the integrity of the data at the back end is critical to business.
Goodyear Dunlop’s first apprentices in 15 years celebrated the end of their first year with the company and the successful progression onto their B-Tec and NVQ III qualifications with a visit to the HiQ British Touring Car Championship at Rockingham. The electrical and mechanical apprentices and their mentors got to see first hand the work of Dunlop Motorsport, following the steep learning curve of 12 months at the business’ Wolverhampton and Birmingham manufacturing sites. The company says that the scheme is developing highly skilled engineers of the future.
Transense has entered into a supply agreement with Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK for its tyre tread depth and pressure field inspection kit. According to the company, this represents “a significant order for Translogik”, the company's sales subsdiary. Goodyear will now deploy these kits as part of its new fleet management system. The system will provide its customer fleets with real-time mobile data capture and transmission capabilities. The announcement follows the success of the recent pilot programme, a full UK launch is scheduled to commence later this year, followed by a Europe wide deployment throughout 2010.
Titan International has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Goodyear Tire & Rubber to purchase certain farm tyre assets, including the Goodyear Dunlop Tires France (GDTF) Amiens North factory. The agreement is subject to the French Goodyear operation’s “satisfactory completion” of a social plan related to consumer tyre activity at the Amiens North facility, along with completion of due diligence, a definitive acquisition agreement and other standard acquisition approval requirements.
Bandvulc Group, the Devon-based retreading and fleet servicing operation, is aiming to significantly increase Fulda brand truck tyre sales in the UK. Speaking at the company’s Fulda-brand launch event at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground yesterday (17 September), Bandvulc managing director Patrick O’Connell explained that the company has already equalled the Goodyear Dunlop group brand’s 2008 UK sales volume. Starting as they mean to go on, the company reported that it has already transferred the Tesco fleet's doubledeck OE onto Fulda new tyres.
In order to witness the benefits of wheel alignment in action, Goodyear recently invited Tyres & Accessories to see a demonstration of tractor wheel alignment technology at Harper Adams University College in Shropshire. Over the years Goodyear Dunlop has developed a long-term partnership with Harper Adams and is therefore able to use this leading agricultural educational establishment’s specialist facilities (which include an off-road test track and specialised covered and open test ploughing fields) from time to time with which the company.
During the demonstration Jason Hoare, part of the technical support/sales team within Goodyear UK’s agricultural tyre department, stressed that being just 14 millimetres out of alignment (a measurement that is dwarfed by the size of your average tractor – and that has been known to be found on brand new vehicles) can reduce tyre life by 33 per cent and absorb nearly six horse power when travelling at 50 km/h.
Sava has announced the launch of three upgraded tyre ranges designed to offer enhanced performance and value for long and regional haul trucks, trailers and coaches. The Slovenia based Goodyear Dunlop subsidiary reports that its Avant A3plus steer tyre and Orjak O3plus drive tyre have benefited from new construction and tread compounds, giving the tyres significantly improved mileage, durability and stability compared with their predecessors. The new carcass construction is shared in the Cargo C3plus trailer tyre and features a revised belt package lay-up that delivers reduced heat build up and improved durability.
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH is to cut 140 of the 1340 tyre production jobs at its Hanau production facility, according to local news reports. This year production is expected to fall from 7.4 to 6.8 million tyres will fall. The company’s management is planning to produce just 5.6 million tyres in 2010. The scrapping has not helped us,” regrets Jörg Pohl, chairman of Goodyear Dunlop’s Hanau tyre production plant. Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH employs over 7400 workers at seven sites across the country.
The importance of correct wheel alignment is already widely conveyed in the truck and passenger car segments. In these parts of the market customers have been hearing about how correct alignment improves road comfort, fuel consumption and prevents premature wear for years. But what about the off-road and agricultural segments? Is it worth aligning vehicles that are literally designed to face the axle jolting lumps and bumps other drivers try to avoid? Goodyear and Haweka certainly think so.
In June Goodyear and Haweka teamed up to promote an agricultural wheel alignment programme that will see the two-companies promote the benefits of wheel alignment to customers, dealers and vehicle sales offices. Goodyear is communicating the tyre alignment message because, according to the company, tough economic times mean improving fuel consumption and preventing the costs that come with premature tyre wear are more important than ever. A similar partnership between the German branches of the two companies has been in operation for some time.
The Bandvulc Group has entered the new tyre market by becoming the leading stockist of the Fulda range of commercial tyres in the UK. Covering sizes from 17.5 to 22.5-inch, Bandvulc will wholesale and distribute the Fulda brand alongside its own products and the recently agreed small order Goodyear/Dunlop arrangements.
Goodyear Dunlop’s Truck Business Unit this week announced a new strategic partnership with McConechy’s Tyre and Exhaust Centres. Under the partnership agreement, McConechy’s will become the group’s truck tyre logistics provider for independent dealers throughout Scotland. The partnership is, comments Goodyear Dunlop, the final piece of the jigsaw in its tyre delivery system. McConechy’s will join truck tyre specialists Bandvulc, who cover England and Wales, and Goodyear Dunlop’s factory direct delivery system to service the whole of the UK.
UK Employees from Midlands tyre manufacturer Goodyear Dunlop have started work on raising £30,000 for the company’s chosen charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust, by abseiling down the 120ft side of Fort Dunlop in Birmingham. 12 associates from across the company took part to show their support of the company’s new corporate charity, including company directors Darren Hayes-Powell, Nigel Sowerby and group managing director Mark Brickhill.
Brickhill commented: “Having raised in excess of £5,000 in sponsorship from the event, I would like to thank all of those involved for conquering their fears and kick starting this fierce fundraising campaign. Teenage Cancer Trust is a fantastic charity, and we are thrilled to be supporting the development of a unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that will be the first in the county for 13 to 16 year olds.
“We have been so touched by the work that the charity does and I’m certain that all of our associates will get firmly behind the fundraising to help to make a difference to the lives of the young people who face this terrible illness.”
Production at Goodyear Dunlop’s Fulda factory in central Germany had barely began to return to half-normal on Tuesday June 30 when the plant received a second bomb threat. The police was called and again the site was sealed off to minimise danger to employees and suppliers. Whether the caller is the same man alleged to have called a day earlier, causing production to stop for twelve hours, is not clear.
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