Have you ever considered tackling a 48 kilometre mountain bike ride and a half-marathon in Arctic temperatures? Could you climb a 30m-high ice wall, endure 30 kilometres of cross-country skiing, and navigate a team of huskies through alpine woodland in temperatures as low as –45 degrees celcius? Men and women from around the UK are prepared to give it a go as they apply to be part of the 2006 Fulda Challenge team.
Bekaert has put in a bid to take over the ECC card clothing division of Carclo, which deals in plastic components and specialist wire products.
ECC has facilities in the UK, France, Italy, Turkey, USA, Canada, China and India, and achieves annual sales of €24 million.
The value of the acquisition is estimated at €13 million. Carclo and Bekaert are expected to reach an agreement in the coming weeks.
The company first invested in this market in 2002 with the acquisition of Sobelcard in Zwevegem, Belgium, which produces half products for card clothing manufacturers.
Following the introduction of its Choices+ programme last year, Lassa is continuing with its plans to support distributors in Western Europe by introducing a new dimension to its Lassa Choice programme. The company’s latest addition comes in the form of the recently launched “Marketing Choices.”
In Lassa’s words, Marketing Choices is designed to help distributors maximise the effect of their own marketing communications programme. Marketing Choices includes information on marketing activities including advertising, direct mail and sponsorship through to the hosting of successful sales incentive campaigns and consumer promotions.
Beissbarth’s wheel aligner technology continues to be the top choice for motor sport, says Beissbarth UK, announcing that the ML8R Easy Wheel Aligner has been selected by the RML team for one of their busiest seasons.
The Chevrolet Lacetti WTC will tackle rounds three and four of the 2005 World Touring Car Championship in Magny-Cours, France. In Magny-Cours, the team will be closely watched by Nick Reilly, CEO of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology in South Korea. “We’ll do our best to put up a good show for the boss,” said Mark Busfield, project manager, Chevrolet WTCC, “we are now looking at qualifying in the top 15.”
(India/Rubber Asia) In 2004 India recorded the fastest growth among the top 15 passenger car producing countries in the world, according to the Paris-based International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA). As per the OICA’s latest rankings, India’s car production grew 30 per cent in 2004. Brazil came second with 17 per cent growth. What’s more, India is just a step away from being one of the 10 largest automobile producers in the world. The country jumped up two places to 11th.
Feedback from the fourth Automechanika Asia trade fair, held in Kuala Lumpur in early April, has been voted a success by visitors and exhibitors.
There were 126 exhibitors from 17 countries (Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, PR China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and USA).
At the beginning of April, Yokohama Rubber Co, made its Europe Office in Dusseldorf, Germany, a subsidiary called Yokohama Europe GmbH. Yokohama Europe will oversee Yokohama’s European marketing and sales strategies. According to the company, the move is part of efforts to strengthen Yokohama’s marketing strategy by more closely managing local operations. The new company will help reinforce sales by concluding comprehensive contracts with leading store chains around Europe and by accelerating original equipment marketing to European automakers.
Yokohama now has sales companies in 10 countries in Europe – in the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, and Russia.
European passenger car registrations amounted to 1,709,616 units in March this year. The figure represents a decrease of 4.7 per cent compared to March 2004. According to the ACEA the statistics were affected by the Easter break falling in March this year, adding that there had been a, “sluggish economic environment in the first quarter of 2005.”
The UK felt a decrease of 5.1 per cent, along with Germany (-0.4%), Spain (-3.6%) and Italy (-8.6 %). France was the only country that posted a national increase, of 2.5 per cent.
The UK recorded 442,940 passenger car registrations in March compared with 466,954 last year.
New research from independent market analysts Datamonitor suggests that Europe’s 146 billion euro light vehicle aftermarket is in decline. The analysts say that revenues could drop by one per cent compared with those of today – a 1.2 billion euro shrinkage.
Pirelli & C SpA has said it will increase tyre prices in Italy by 5 per cent on 1 April, the AFX news agency has reported. According to the manufacturer, the price increases come in response to rises in raw material and energy prices.
Lassa has announced that it will be exhibiting at the Autopromotec 2005 show in Bologna on 18 – 22 May. Autopromotec 2005 is attracting an increasing number of national and international visitors, according to the company. Demonstrating its faith in the show, Lassa describes the exhibition as a “valuable opportunity to further penetrate the Italian and international markets, and primarily to support their key customer base within Italy.”
VMI has developed a new tyre building system, designed to produce lot sizes as small as one tyre. The company behind the technology, launched at Tyre Technology 2005 in Cologne, claims it can improve quality, reduce cost and minimize floor space. The company reports that a single unit capable of making 1200 tyres a day, requires three staff and occupies significantly less floor space than the conventional equivalent.
Four years after launching the Meteo Esc, Marangoni Tyre has updated its winter tyre range by releasing the Meteo HP passenger car tyre. As the name suggests, the Italian company’s latest product is designed as a high performance winter offering. The new tyre will be available in time for next season (2005/2006) in 15 popular sizes with indices mainly between T and H, but with three going all the way up to V. The Meteo HP will be available in 15 to 18 inch diameters and in 65 to 40 series ratios. Tyres & Accessories spoke to Marangoni Tyre’s global sales and marketing director, Derek Carruthers, and asked how the company planned to market its new winter tyre in the UK.
Italian tyre manufacturer Marangoni presented its latest winter tyre to members of the European press last week. The Meteo HP was launched in the South Tirole region of Italy and will be aimed squarely at the high performance segment. The new tyre type will be available in time for next season (2005/2006) in 15 popular sizes with indices mainly between T and H, but with three going all the way up to V. The new tyre will be available in 15 to 18 inch diameters and with low ratios of 65 to 40.
The UK’s Fulda Challenge team is back on home soil after competing in the annual arctic adventure; unfortunately the outcome was not one they had predicted.
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