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.
Heuver Tyrewholesale has announced plans to open a distribution centre in southern Germany. The new warehouse in Bayreuth was scheduled to become operational in April. Currently Heuver is coordinating the flow of incoming goods, in order to ensure sufficient start-up stocks. According to the company, Bayreuth will become an important European point of support for the Aeolus brand. The first containers of Aeolus tyres have reportedly already been unloaded.
BioSyn Resources LLC reports that it has entered the European market with the its ultraclean multi-functional military jet fuel. According to the company, BioSyn completed the first exports in February. The first customer is Somerset-based Tyre Renewals Ltd. Tyre Renewals reportedly plans to fuel its diesel engines operating in enclosed environments with the jet fuel. This specifically refers to engines driving oil pumps that operate inside buildings. The BioSyn is said to have been selected as it is “devoid of hard-to-burn components” and “does not produce nauseating fumes.”
With commercial tyre sales show continual year on year growth, Hankook is once again appearing at the Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC 24 – 26 April 2012.
The company will be presenting a range of tyre solutions at this year’s show including the Hankook e-cube AL10, TL10, AH22+ and RA18 and specifically new sizes for the e-cube. The Hankook AL10 e-cube tyre for the steer axle is now also available in super single size 385/55 R 22.5 for better fuel economy.
Hankook Tyre Australia says the relocation of its New South Wales warehouse will improve distribution to dealers in that state. YCH Logistics, located at Sydney's Eastern Creek, will be the new central depot for Hankook tyres in the state; the facility replaces the warehouse currently located at TOLL Logistics in Yennora. The Yennora warehouse will continue to operate until the end of March.
Continental AG has appointed Jürgen Braunstetter as head of the newly created command level function, Supply Chain Management Automotive – a position directly below Executive Board level. In this new position, Braunstetter takes on overall, across-the-board management of the supply chain for Continental’s three Automotive divisions. This involves coordination with the purchasing, quality and information technology departments. It is intended to further increase flexibility in the supply chain and allow for a faster response to market shifts.
The Klarius Group has named Glynn Cureton as Group Product and Procurement Director. He joins Klarius from a senior position at Unipart. Cureton has responsibility for the full product portfolio management including over 100,000 lines of OE quality replacement Klarius and QH branded parts.
Prices for Yokohama consumer tyres will rise by up to eight per cent in the US as of 1 March 2012. Yokohama Tire Corporation says the increases apply to all passenger car, performance and light truck lines, and some in-line adjustments will also be announced at a later date.
Sibur-Russian Tyres has announced the promotion of Dimitry Sokov to the role of chief executive officer. The chief operational officer’s appointment to the position takes effect 6 February. Sokov replaces Vadim Gurinov as chief executive officer; Gurinov now serves as chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.
UK vehicle tracking, telematics and systems integration, Isotrak has announced an open forum event at its Milton Keynes head office for LGV fleet operators. The event will be run as an open forum, chaired by Isotrak’s product manager, Jon Hannah, who will encourage an open discussion to provide operations and logistics personnel with the opportunity to gain insight into operational issues faced by similar organisations and to contribute actively to the agenda topics.
On 23 January Apollo Tyres held its inaugural Apollo Fleet of the Year awards. With the awards, the tyre maker’s aim was to acknowledge the importance of safety, technology, sustainability and customer service initiatives to fleet operators in India. Taking away the large operator award was VRL Logistics, while Sangha Freight Carrier secured the honour in the medium operator category. The two top winners and other awardees were selected from more than 5,140 entries received from fleet operators across India.
Taking pole position for this year's round of price rises is Yokohama Tire Corporation, who on 3 January announced a planned increase of up to eight per cent on all its commercial truck tyres in the US. The new prices will take effect 1 February, and the company says further in-line adjustments will be announced at a later date.
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