PDP Diagnostic evenings (Premier Distribution Partnership) have welcomed over 2,000 UK garage customers at introductory evenings to launch a unique Diagnostic Support Programme.
With the help of ADS’ Frank Massey and other leading aftermarket experts, PDP have put together a unique and comprehensive programme unavailable elsewhere in the aftermarket, with the clear goal of educating their UK garage customers in the latest diagnostic and repair techniques.
GiTi Tire is to hold a secondary share offering at the Hong Kong stock exchange. According to IIR Group Ltd, the issue is expected to raise between 3.1 and 3.9 billion Hong Kong dollars (US$400 million – US$500 million) and will be managed by Credit Suisse and UBS.
The Abu Dhabi Police’s traffic and patrol department has recorded 1,056 offences relating to faulty tyres since the launch of a safe travel campaign on June 1. Citing burst tyres as one of the main reasons for fatal accidents, Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Al Shehi, director of the Capital Traffic Department, told Dubai based newspaper Gulf News that three people were killed and 72 people were injured, eight seriously, in tyre-related accidents between January 1 to June 30 this year. In 2007, such accidents claimed the lives of 24 people, while 152 people were injured – 29 seriously.
Tecalemit Garage Equipment Co Ltd, a UK supplier of MoT and vehicle servicing equipment is set to launch its new range of heavy duty Pit Jacks for the HGV market.
The new SS 8708 Pit Jack is developed to feature a host of safety and operating features: the new model includes a ‘quick-stroke’ device which brings the lift pads rapidly up to the load point. It also benefits from a mechanical safety latching system and mechanically assisted descent. The 15,000 kg Pit Jack has a compact design, and provides a lifting stroke of 310mm.
An investigation into the explosion at the Goodyear chemical plant in Houston last month, which killed employee Gloria McInnis, has begun. While her death has been ruled accidental, The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has decided to launch its own enquiry alongside the company’s own probe.
Goodyear is cooperating fully with the investigation, having hosted the CSB since Tuesday. The CSB spokesman Daniel Horowitz stated that they had interviewed witnesses, who confirmed that the accident was caused by the over-pressurisation of a heat exchanger during maintenance, and requested a number of documents from Goodyear. Meanwhile, Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman released a statement saying that the company had been in touch with the CSB since the day of the fatal accident.
Fluid maker Gunk has gone green with the launch of an environmentally-friendly version of its multi-purpose degreasers and cleaners. Gunk Green – distributed exclusively in the UK by Gadco Europe – is a powerful, effective, all-purpose cleaner and degreaser. What makes Green Gunk different is that it is now packed with the latest cleaning and degreasing technology as well as biodegradability and low-odour. Gadco anticipates demand for this new range will build year on year and will possibly outsell the Gunk Orange label by 2010.
The Michelin Athletic Club in Ballymena, Northern Ireland has played host to the launch of the Ballymena Business Excellence Awards 2008. Michelin is the event’s sponsor and enjoys a major role in the local community. Their truck and bus tyre manufacturing plant is one of the area’s largest employers and the firm has recently invested a further £14 million in new machinery for the factory.
Aluminium wheel producer and suppler Superior Industries International has appointed Parveen Kakar to the position of senior vice president, Corporate Engineering and Product Development. The 42-year old has been with Superior since 1989, most recently serving as the company’s vice president, Program Development. Kakar holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from India’s Punjab Engineering College.
Fancy yourself a racer with your kitted out Fiesta, sports alloys and low profile rubber? How fast can you go on those performance tyres of yours? The tyres Steve Bennett plans to use on his latest ride will provide a level of performance that puts your pride and joy to shame….
Last week, Michelin North America invited select media to Laurens Proving Grounds, its testing facility, in Laurens County, South Carolina, for the launch of its two new tyres, the Pilot Sport All-Season Plus and the Pilot Sport PS2 ZP. The tyres were put to the test in exercises in wet braking, wet handling, dry handling and comfort against competitors’ tyres.
The Pilot Sport A/S Plus, though not visibly different from the original Pilot Sport, contains technology that allows for improvements in all-weather performance, wet grip and tread-life, according to Michelin.
The tyre features three specialized rubber compaounds across the tread, helping to elevate a car’s performance in virtually every type of weather, from wet to dry to winter conditions. Directional tread pattern and wet-weather silica compound combine for extreme wet-weather control. The tapered grooves of symmetrical tread design channel water away from the tyre’s contact patch to provide excellent wet grip in wet conditions, the company said.
The FIA is inviting will tenders for a new feeder series for Formula One. This championship, called Formula Two, will be launched in 2009 and used as an inexpensive platform to develop emerging driver talent for Formula One. It is hoped this can be achieved within a budget of around 200,000 euros a car per season.
Formula Two, in its previous incarnation, was eliminated in 1984 and replaced by the unsuccessful Formula 3000 championship. If Formula Two is re-introduced, a question mark would hang over the fate of the current GP2 series, which is solely supplied by Bridgestone; some believe that a new feeder series would be the death of GP2, and the possibility exists of a new tyre war emerging.
Following a surge in demand for tyres with heavier load carrying capacities, Goodyear has unveiled a newly upsized Sure Grip Implement. From August 2008 the 12.5/80-18 size Implement will offer support to heavier machine loads, increasing from a 10 ply rating to a 14 ply rating.
Goodyear is the first tyre manufacturer to feature a 14 ply rated tyre as leading competitors only offer a maximum of 12 ply. The increase will allow the new tyre a maximum nominal carrying capacity of 3000kg which represents an increase of 1140kg across the axle. The tyre is designed primarily for soft underfoot conditions, in which greater traction is a must.
The new tyre will be featured as OE fitment on agricultural machinery manufactured by Case New Holland and rough terrain specialists, Manitou.
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Any garage wishing to subscribe to the new Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair, recently launched by Motor Codes Limited, can do so right now via the user-friendly website http://service.motorindustrycodes.co.uk
To allow businesses plenty of time to prepare for the consumer launch planned for August, the straightforward on-line process describes the code and enables garages to subscribe easily and instantly. Over 5,500 garages had already signalled their intent to subscribe when the code was launched to the trade at the Office of Fair Trading in May and now that the web-based system is live, many more will be encouraged to sign up.
Wixom, Michigan-based tool manufacturer K-Tool International (KTI) has announced a number of new products, updates and promotions with the launch of their new 2008 AirAware Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPSM) Sensor and Service Pack Application Catalogue.
The catalogue, published by marketer Schrader-Bridgeport International, Inc, includes part listings and a tool and accessory section within its 44 100-per-cent-recycled pages. Among KTI’s new products are: software for TPM tools, enabling their usage on all vehicles in 2008, and for the programming interface module to support Microsoft Vista; the TPMS T-10 torque tool for the easy installation of replacement Schrader snap-in TPMS sensors; 23 new sensors covering 163 new applications; and a new TPMS quick reference kit.
BFGoodrich has launched the new Long Trail T/ATOUR 4×4 tyre, which is designed for mainly road use and occasional off-road use. The new Long Trail T/ATOUR is designed to offer high levels of safety through its braking performance and road holding on dry, wet and loose surfaces. According to the company, the tyre is also one decibel quieter than its predecessor – something that is particularly important for road-going 4x4s.
The new tread pattern’s wet grip performance is provided by a combination of four longitudinal grooves to clear standing water, and heavy siping to grip wet and damp surfaces. Dry road performance is enhanced by a central rib in the tread that is made rigid by tie-bars. The combination of on and off-road performance comes thanks to staggered shoulder blocks, which are designed to give traction on loose surfaces including grass, mud and sand.
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