Goodyear Dunlop is now sole tyre supplier to the 500 vehicle fleet operated by A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd after the West Midlands-based logistics firm signed a service agreement with the tyre maker. The deal, which will involve A.F. Blakemore fitting a combination of Goodyear’s Regional Haul range and NextTread products, was brokered by Truck Tyre Solutions – a member of Goodyear Dunlop’s TruckForce network.
The Euromaster Group has announced that it is to expand into Portugal, the 16th European country in which it has operations. The Group has a network of 48 locations in the country, and more than 2,000 across the continent. The Group says customers of its UK-based ATS Euromaster stores will be able to access its all-round service options for UK cars, vans and trucks visiting the continent.
Luca Negri has been appointed Pirelli’s new industrial director for the UK. He takes over from Paolo Battistini, who will return to Pirelli’s Milan office to work in the Company’s Industrial business unit. Negri will be based at the tyre maker’s Carlisle site.
According to Thierry Chiche, Michelin’s senior vice-president Russia & CIS, the tyre maker plans to invest 35 million euros this year developing facilities within the country. Thierry shared this news during the Moscow International Automobile Salon 2012, which began yesterday, and said the funds would primarily go towards expanding the product portfolio manufactured at Michelin’s Davydovo factory near Moscow.
Supported by German logistics provider Fiege, Toyo Tires Europe is now distributing tyres to its business clientele via an internet-based B2B platform. The platform has already been rolled out in Germany, Italy, the Benelux countries and, most recently, the UK.
The first week of the Olympics has gone swimmingly for logistics firms delivering in and around London, says the Freight Transport Association (FTA).
Off-road tyre manufacturer Mitas has appointed Vladimir Rada its new chief financial officer. Rada is a Czech national who has worked at AcelorMittal Distribution Solutions since 2007 in various finance and controlling related positions. In addition, interim CFO Marek Beran has been appointed head of central logistics, while Mitas’ US investment director Vladimir Dusanek has moved to Prague to oversee central controlling.
Domestic and European freight haulier Eurovision Logistics has appointed ATS Euromaster to supply, fit and service Pirelli tyres on its fleet. The Hull-based business trialled the policy from September 2011, when ATS-E fitted a single tractor unit and trailer in the Eurovision Logistics fleet with a mix of Pirelli new and remould tyres to demonstrate the lower tyre wear it could achieve. Dominic Yeardley, managing director of Eurovision Logistics, was convinced: “From early on in the trial we saw a marked improvement in tyre efficiency on the trial vehicle. Quality of service is critical to getting the most from your rubber; ATS Euromaster looked after these tyres as if they were its own. They promised to make our tyres more efficient and they haven’t disappointed.”
Infinity Tyres’ truck products were recently displayed at the Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC, Birmingham. The manufacturer said that the brand’s presence on the stand was a measure of its support of the UK market and its authorised UK and Northern Ireland dealer, RH Claydon. Infinity also said the show is widely recognised as a premier meeting place for British and European transport, distribution and logistics businesses.
Thornleigh Freight has announced it is overhauling the look of some of its vehicles, turning them into a striking Hankook branded fleet. Thornleigh Freight has worked with Hankook for over 10 years and has recently signed a new contract to store and distribute Hankook products. To cement the partnership even further Thornleigh Freight also chose to develop some Hankook branded vehicles to form part of their existing fleet.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it is to spend an additional £1 billion with UK suppliers over the next four years amid continued global demand for the Range Rover Evoque.
JLR has increased the value of UK supply contracts by £1 billion, in addition to the £2 billion supply contracts it awarded to more than 40 UK suppliers in March 2011. These suppliers provide components, facilities and services to support the Range Rover Evoque production line at Halewood on Merseyside.
American transmission company Competition Clutch has opened a dedicated UK sales office and logistics centre. The company has partnered with Universal Automotive in Kidderminster, from whose 40,000 sq ft facility Competition Clutch products will be available to UK end-users and retailers. The manufacturer said the move will build on the sales success of its diverse race-quality clutch range in its native USA and in UK motorsport.
Five months after its foundation stone was laid in December 2011, Starco’s new central warehouse in Winsen, 30 kilometres south of the German city of Hamburg, is virtually ready for business. The company reports that the relocation of staff and stocks from its previous warehouse in nearby Lüneburg is almost complete, and Starco is set to benefit from the major expansion in capacity the new central warehouse delivers; the Winsen facility offers 11,400 square metres of indoor storage with 12 metres headroom (a doubling of the previous six metre headroom) giving space for 20,000 euro pallets. A further expansion that will bring capacity up to 30,000 euro pallets is already being planned, and the location can handle additional expansion when the need arises.
Commercial vehicle venture Speedline Truck, created by global wheel manufacturer Ronal, has appointed SP Holding as the UK aftermarket agent for its new range of forged truck wheels. Marketed through an independent sales and distribution centre based in Italy, the new range represents the Ronal group’s response to what it perceives as a growing demand for forged aluminium truck wheels.
When Carl Steele from Lincolnshire was found guilty of causing in excess of a quarter of million pounds worth of environmental damage during a two year tyre dumping stint, you could be forgiven for thinking the justice system would force him to pay his debt to society.
As Tyres & Accessories reported at the time, the 33-year-old was indeed sentenced to 15 months in November. However he has now been released after serving just five months of his sentence. Perhaps the most ironic part of the story is that despite amassing an estimated £2.5 million through illegally dumping tyres in Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Worcestershire and Yorkshire he only has to pay back £122.
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