Labelling
Goodyear has revealed details of its latest efforts to take a lead in the post-labelling era of tyre development, refreshing its passenger car range with the launch of the Efficient Grip Performance. While the tyre is inched out of the highest possible European Tyre labelling score (AA), with the 205/55 R16 tyre scoring AB 68dB it is not far away at all.
MAM has announced plans to showcase its latest tyre market solutions at the forthcoming CV Show. Autopart Tyres, which is designed for tyre distributors, auto-centres, garages and workshops, will be a primary focus, according to the company. Built around MAM's powerful Autopart management application, the suite comprises a number of innovative components that can be combined into a single integrated system.
Pirelli has identified the popularity of what it calls “crossover utility vehicles” (CUV), which continued to grow in popularity over the past year. The more compact SUV has begun to bring new motorists to the segment, with both the safety and comfort of its larger cousins, but also the promise of improved fuel economy. Pirelli’s Scorpion Verde in particular has provided an option within its range to motorists attracted to a more efficient SUV, designed as a low rolling resistance 4×4 tyre.
The diversity of TyreSafe’s membership is a major strength of the road safety organisation, and its latest recruit, tyre management software provider Cam Systems, increases this factor even further. As a supporter, Cam Systems will assist TyreSafe in a wide range of campaigns aimed at raising the awareness of correct tyre maintenance.
Goodyear has introduced its EfficientGrip Performance tyre line at the Geneva motor show. The range will ultimately be available in 90 sizes from 14 to 18-inches, with 23 sizes available as of the start of March 2013. According to Goodyear, 21 tyres out of the currently-sold 23 tyres in the EfficientGrip Performance portfolio has been given an ‘A’ label rating for wet grip and a ‘B’ rating for rolling resistance, plus what the tyre maker says are “some of the lowest decibel values available on the market for such a range of sizes.”
By the time you read this it will be nearly six months since tyre labelling became mandatory in the UK and across Europe. However, while the rules associated with this regulation have been anticipated for years, and indeed a rolling introduction began in May 2012, nearly a year after we all began talking about who got what label there is still something of a gap when it comes to enforcement. We have talked through the various options available to the British government in the pages of Tyres & Accessories before (see our 2012 Tyre Labelling special supplement for more on this) so there’s no-need to retrace those steps here. However the central point that rules are only as strong as their enforcement still stands. And the need is getting more urgent. As long as we don’t have an enforcement body in place there is a disincentive for dealers and other parts of the tyre trade to invest what’s necessary in systems and training to ensure labels are being talked about during the sales process. In its place all we have is de facto Andrex-soft enforcement.
Following on from its highly rated performance in the ADAC summer tyre test, Michelin’s Energy Saver + has claimed a top ranking in another German auto publication. Gute Fahrt’s summer tyre test awarded the tyre top place with a "very good -" rating overall. Comparing twelve 205/55R16 W tyres on a Volkswagen Touran, Gute Fahrt judged the Energy Saver + to deliver the best all-round performance in wet and dry conditions.
The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association has welcomed the European Commission’s publication of the Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package, its proposed new rules to improve the safety of consumer products circulating in the EU and to step-up market surveillance concerning all non-food products, including those imported from outside the region.
Michelin’s Energy Saver + in size 185/60 R15 H has topped the latest ADAC and Stiftung Warentest Sommerreifentest ahead of 28 other tyres in two sizes. The top mark in the other size, 225/45 R17 W/Y, was shared by Continental’s SportContact 5 and Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2. In total 16 out of the 29 tyres achieved a score between 1.6 and 2.5, indicating a “good” rating. The tests, designed to examine performance on small and medium family cars, were performed on a Volkswagen Polo in the smaller size and on the Skoda Octavia. The full test results will be published in the March 2013 edition of the ADAC.
Solvay is investing 75 million euros in building an 85,000 ton a year Highly Dispersible Silica (HDS) plant in Włocławek, Poland. Combined with further capacity expansion at its site in Qingdao (China), these two investments are designed to increase Solvay’s global highly dispersible silica production capacity by 30 per cent.
During this Tire Technology Expo in Cologne, Germany, ETRMA secretary general Fazilet Cinaralp shared some information on the subject of the European tyre label and its enforcement. “As the label uses a system of self regulation and self declaration, there is a need for regular ex-post controls at point of sales,” she commented. “For this reason, in June 2012 the European Union created a committee solely responsible for tyre labelling.”
A high profile exhibitor and participant at this week’s Tire Technology Expo has been Lanxess. Senior personnel from the German specialty chemicals company were present at the Cologne-based show to share the role Lanxess products play in the manufacture of environmentally-friendly, label-friendly tyres.
Kraiburg Austria recently offered Turkish retreaders information on the introduction of the TSE-ECE 109 regulation in an event organised by Tatko Otomotive Istanbul. The distributor invited 40 customers who are affected by the implementation of the Turkish tyre labelling requirement. The Turkish retreaders have been given just six months to meet the requirements. Tatko has already been certified as conforming to TSE-ECE 109 for its own retreading business for three years.
German publication “AutoBild” reports it has uncovered the first case of sham tyre labelling. Shortly before Christmas, AutoBild posted news that “the first falsification has found its way from China to Europe.” According to AutoBild, a range of tyres produced by a particular Chinese manufacturer feature a label bearing a wet braking pictogram that differs from the one approved for use with the EU tyre label. Other aspects of the label that was used, including size, colour and form, are also unrepresentative of the label approved under EU regulations.
Continental presented its estimation that the UK car, 4×4 and van tyre market remains worth around 33 million tyres at the launch of its partnership tyre supply deal with Mercedes-Benz World, a performance demonstration facility on the historical site of the Brooklands circuit. This number is similar to 2011, though Conti noted several trends affecting the make-up of this figure in 2012, most notably the growth in part worn tyre sales, estimated to represent just under 10 per cent of the total market. Initial signs of the impact of tyre labelling, introduced as a mandatory measure in November, are minimal, with premium segment sales holding up. Conti calls any current definitive assessment too early to truly assess, however premium tyre sales have held up well. Meanwhile the quality segment has come under pressure from aggressive pricing on either side, with brands in this segment struggling to maintain share, according to Conti.
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