Italy’s leading aftermarket tyre distributor, the Fintyre Group, has reached an agreement to acquire the Pneusmarket network from the Marangoni Group. This transaction marks Fintyre’s entry into the tyre retail business.
Toyo Tire & Rubber reports that effective 1 January 2016, Fabio Merli will give up his current role as sales director at Toyo Tire Italia S.p.A. and become the subsidiary’s new president.
Zenises recently held its first Italian convention to present its brand portfolio at the historic 900 year old Castello della Castelluccia in Rome.
Fifteen partners from various Italian regions attended the gathering at which the 2016 brand development strategies in Italy were unveiled. In addition to cementing Zenises commercial agreements, new marketing concepts were also presented to ensure that the Italian market will be well served for 2016.
On 3 November Michelin announced a series of pan-European tyre manufacturing restructuring plans designed to address the dual pressures from the on-going negative effects of the 2008 global financial crisis and the sharp increase of low-cost imports – especially in the truck and bus tyre segment. In short this means the closure of its Ballymena truck tyre plant, alongside investment in its Dundee and Stoke facilities; as well as the closure of its Pneu Laurent retreading operation in Germany; not to mention further significant investments and some closures in Michelin’s Italian tyre production plants.
At the same time as making plant closure announcements relating to the closure of its Ballymena truck tyre and Pneu Larent (Germany) truck retreading plants, Michelin announced that it is investing in its Italian tyre manufacturing operations.
On 29 September Marco Polo Industrial Holding S.p.A purchased 45,143,033 ordinary Pirelli & C. S.p.A. shares representing approximately 9.5 per cent of the company and 190,307 savings shares from certain investment funds managed by Paulson at a price of Euro 15.00 per share.
For the first time, an Italian Rally Championship round will take place in the heart of the country’s capital city, and Pirelli describes its participation in the Rally Roma Capitale as a “big step into the unknown.” But although rallying in Rome is uncharted territory for the tyre maker, Pirelli appears to be on top of the matter.
Marco Polo Industrial Holding S.p.A. , which is indirectly by China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina), through China National Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd., has confirmed that the regulator (Consob) has approved the firm’s offer document related to the mandatory tender offer of the ordinary shares of Pirelli & C. S.p.A. listed on the Electronic Stock Market and the voluntary tender offer launched by the same firms.
Vipal Erope reports that its VRT3 tread has demonstrated 8 per cent better mileage when tested against similar competitor treads. To make its point, Vipal used the streets of Puglianello, Italy to host a battery of tests in what the company describes as the first performance comparison in Europe. Such a claim must refer to the comparative testing of pre-cure retread material brands, as there have been numerous comparison tests between new tyres.
A change of date has been announced for the ‘Flex in the City’ seminar jointly organised by the European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) and two Italian organisations, ANTEL (the Italian National Association of Local Authority Technicians), and ARGO (the Italian Recyclers Association). Due to “circumstances beyond ETRA’s control,” the seminar will now take place in Treviso, Italy on 22 October rather than 23 October.
Tyre maker Pirelli has won its trademark infringement lawsuit against Huawei. A Turin court (Tribunale di Torino) ruled that although the Chinese mobile phone manufacturer may still launch an upcoming product under the ‘P8’ name, the company will no longer be able to use a logo that Pirelli claims too closely resembles its trademarked ‘elongated P’ logo.
The lawyers defending 11 former Pirelli managers convicted over asbestos-related deaths say they will appeal the charges. Yesterday a court in Milan convicted the managers of culpable homicide over the deaths of 24 workers employed at the company’s Bicocca plant in the 1970s and 1980s. The employees died from tumours said to have developed due to exposure from asbestos at the facility.
Online retailing is revolutionising the European tyre market, and the reasons for this are plain to see – purchasing online is easy and internet retailers generally offer a wide choice. It is no secret that rising online sales are making life harder for local tyre centres, however our affiliate website in Italy shares that certain online operators there are taking advantage of a legal loophole in order to offer even lower prices – prices that ultimately threaten high street tyre dealers’ very survival.
Qingdao Nama Industrial Co., Ltd., a Chinese tyre supplier whose brand portfolio (led by NAMA), has established distribution networks in the Middle East and Africa, gave its car and truck tyre ranges a European debut at May’s Autopromotec.
An endurance test carried out by Italian motoring magazine Quattroruote has placed the effectiveness of Pirelli’s ‘Seal Inside’ technology under the magnifying glass. A vehicle fitted with set of tyres featuring the self-sealing material, one containing a 4mm thick nail and a self-tapping screw, was driven at speed for several hours. At the end of the test, the evaluation team detected only a very slight loss in air pressure.
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