Texa is promoting its successor to the Axone 2000 diagnostic tool, the Axone Smart. According to the company, its latest product features “all the required updates provided by today’s modern technology” and the standard software is upgradeable from “light to “plus” for additional information.
Tyres & Accessories has launched a new online service giving everyone in the tyre industry the chance to access the latest news and information wherever they are. Tyrepress.com/mobile gives readers access to our complete database of 20,000+ articles in a design that has been specially formatted for the small screen.
Toyo Tire USA Corp. has expanded its online fitment guide with the release of a mobile version for Android phones, reports Tire Review. The Tire Finder now works with Apple iPhones, iTouches and Google Android operating system handheld devices.
Taking the paper consumption out of marketing – and in the process creating a somewhat product-appropriate way to disseminate literature on the new product – Pirelli has adopted QR Code technology, launching Scorpion Verde on Pirelli Tyre’s mobile telecommunications platform.
At the moment coverage is restricted to French roads, yet the ViaMichelin real time traffic information map scheduled to go on sale in May 2010 gives motorists everywhere a taste of services awaiting them around the corner. Information for all of France will be accessible through a total of 22 matrix codes, 21 of which focus on specific cities and one for the whole country.
Following a twelve month period which saw the unveiling of upgraded website and newsletter services, plus the introduction of an all-new Twitter news feed, Tyres & Accessories has taken a further step towards becoming your complete industry news provider. We are proud to announce the trial introduction of our new hands-free news service.
Haweka is gearing up to launch its Axis 4000 truck wheel aligner in the US. The heavy duty commercial vehicle alignment system will be distributed in this market by Haweka USA and the company comments that the Axis 4000 “promises to revolutionise the heavy-duty alignment of a full range of commercial vehicles such as long-haul trucks, buses, multi-axle cranes and agricultural vehicles” in the same way that existing Haweka product lines have benefitted car wheel balancing.
RUD-Erlau, purportedly the inventor of the tyre protection chains (TPC), is to show it most advanced technology at this year’s Bauma show in Munich (19 – 25 April 2010, C2 Booth 311/406). According to the company, RUD-Erlau’s TPCs are more than doubling the kilometres-life of costly OTR/earthmover tyres and aiding mobile plant safety in mines, quarries, steel foundries, demolition, scrap handling and glass recycling. Furthermore, the cost-benefits of RUD-Erlau TPCs are said to include: up to 7 times increased tyre life, assured plant availability and significant savings per tonne.
Dunlop has released an application for iPhone and Blackberry devices designed to give consumers information on the tyre best for the user’s car and the features and benefits of the selected tyre. The application allows users to search for the most appropriate tyre for their car by selecting their vehicle model. It also allows users to find out where their nearest Dunlop stockist is at the press of a button. It provides all the information available on the brand’s website, but with what the company says is an easier and simplified viewing format specifically designed for the smaller mobile screen.
ATS Euromaster has increased its share of business with Motiva Group from 30 to 100 per cent, under a new tyre fitment policy which has seen the company select Michelin as its preferred tyre brand across its fleet of over 3,500 cars. The new agreement spans each of Stoke-on-Trent-based Motiva Group’s leasing and rental arms, including Motiva Vehicle Contracts and M-Way Vehicle Rentals. The deal replaces a previous arrangement which saw tyre fitment shared between Kwik-Fit and ATS Euromaster, with a predominantly Pirelli-based policy.
Infleet recently moved its call centre to RAC House adjacent to the M6 Motorway in Walsall, West Midlands. The centre houses vehicle support technology and the company says the move will enhance the roadside tyre breakdown support that Infleet supplies to its fleet customers. Infleet Commercial Director Chris Comport said: “RAC have managed our call referral facility very successfully over the last five years at another location, but when they offered us a move to RAC House in Walsall we had no hesitation in accepting…Short but efficient call centre desk time is crucial in dispatching one of our 700 service providers to a vehicle in distress within a speedy process.”
The Industrial Tyre Association (ITA) has issued a new guidance note about the fitting of industrial solid tyres using tyre presses. The industry association reports it was keen to raise standards in the industry after hearing incidences of serious injuries caused by the incorrect use of tyre presses. As a result, the ITA became involved with a working group, consisting of industrial tyre fitters and trade bodies as well as the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), to form a best practice approach.
Harley Davidson distributors in the US have reportedly declared nitrogen tyre inflation the safer choice for bikers. According to Sheffield-based company PCL, which will now supply its Accura nitrogen inflation units to the depots, users are impressed with “its performance and reliability, citing the best features as size and the automatic purge and fill function.” Harley Davidson distributors across the US opted for PCL’s mobile cart as a nitrogen replacement solution when they stopped using compressed air for motorcycle tyre inflation. The units are supplied via Baltimore-based Industrial Diagnostics.
National Fleet is confident the bespoke services it provides fleet market customers are not only high quality and customer-driven – the Stockport headquartered company considers itself the UK’s leading provider of such services, and as evidence of this distinction points to its fleet of mobile vehicles and independent fleet partners – who combined provide access to over 200 vehicles that enable customers to receive an on-site fitting service at their own choice of location. This service, National Fleet adds, is available round the clock, every day of the year, and is free of charge during normal working hours.
Tire Review – Doran Manufacturing and DriverTech have reached a collaborative development agreement to integrate the Doran 360 TPMS with DriverTech’s Windows-based onboard computing and mobile communications system for Class 7-8 trucks. The companies said that integrating the tire pressure monitoring capability into the DriverTech TruckPC, tyre pressures for tractors and trailers can now be monitored in both the truck cab and at fleet headquarters in real-time. “We are excited to offer the capability to communicate tire pressure information and critical low pressure warnings to both the driver and fleet managers,” said Doran General Manager Jim Samocki. “We are proud to be working with a high-caliber company like DriverTech, to expand their capabilities into tyre pressure monitoring.”
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