Cimcorp has appointed Simon Hester as its new regional director for Australia and New Zealand/Oceania. With a rich background in civil engineering, ICT, logistics, according to the company, the appointment marks “a new level of Cimcorp’s presence in the Oceania region, making it a significant step for the entire company.”
Thanks to the recent agreement to transfer of brand rights, Dunlop is a name that’s been mentioned a lot lately. But one company may wish to hear less of it. In a refreshingly honest statement, Australia and New Zealand’s largest independent tyre importer and distributor has described its most recent financial results as “poor and unacceptable,” and while the Dunlop brand isn’t solely responsible for this predicament, it certainly hasn’t helped.
Uncertainty surrounds the distribution of Dunlop tyres in Australia and New Zealand, with the Goodyear & Dunlop Tyres subsidiaries in both countries (collectively Goodyear ANZ) notifying NTAW Holdings Limited on 8 January that it will terminate the distribution agreements both parties entered into on 20 September 2023. The termination will take effect upon the completion of Goodyear’s Dunlop brand rights sale to Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI). NTAW now intends to “engage with Goodyear ANZ and SRI in relation to the future distribution of Dunlop branded tyres in Australia and New Zealand.”
From 1 January 2025, Warwick Hay will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer at NTAW Holdings Limited, the largest independent importer and distributor of tyres and wheels in Australia and New Zealand. Hay, who is currently Chief Operating Officer at NTAW Holdings, will take on the CEO role as part of a strategic succession plan set in motion by the company’s Board in conjunction with existing CEO and Managing Director, Peter Ludemann.
On 18 September 2024, Australian tyre and wheel importer and distributor NTAW Holdings Limited announced an entitlement offer to raise AU$12.41 million (£6.52 million) in working capital to support its strategic expansion in Australia and New Zealand following appointment as regional Dunlop tyre distributor.
As of this month, New Zealand’s first national tyre recycling scheme is fully operational. The free collection of end-of-life tyres commenced on 1 September, half a year after the country added a tyre stewardship fee to the cost of every newly imported tyre, replacing the ad-hoc disposal fees that many tyre retailers used to charge. Penny Simmonds, New Zealand’s Environment Minister, considers the introduction of the Tyrewise scheme a “significant step toward addressing a long-standing issue.”
NTAW Holdings Limited, the holding firm for numerous tyre wholesale, retail and retreading businesses, reported mixed financial results for the Australian fiscal year that ended 30 June 2024, reflecting the challenging economic conditions in its key markets of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Despite these challenges, the company implemented initiatives aimed at positioning itself for future growth.
As of 1 July 2024, Goodyear has combined its Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) and ASEAN businesses into a single cluster, ASEANZ. It has appointed Prashant Lal to lead the cluster as Managing Director. The company anticipates that this “strategic move” will bolster its rapidly expanding Asia Pacific business and leverage broader growth opportunities.
Goodyear may have announced plans to close its Fulda and Fürstenwalde car tyre factories in Germany, but the tyre maker has confirmed that the Fulda brand will continue. Similarly, just a day after Goodyear announced that it is “pursuing strategic options” in relation to the sale of the Dunlop tyre brand as well as the company’s OTR tyres and Chemical businesses, Goodyear EMEA executives have reaffirmed their support for the Dunlop brand.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company approved “a rationalization plan in Asia Pacific to improve profitability in its Australia and New Zealand operations” on 19 September 2023. The plan exits 100 retail and fleet locations and nine warehouses at the cost of 700 jobs. In other words, it changes the company’s operating model to a third-party distribution and retail sales model instead of a company-owned approach. That specifically means moves such as the recent appointment of National Tyre & Wheel Limited (National) as the exclusive distributor of the Dunlop tyre brand in Australia and New Zealand.
National Tyre & Wheel Limited (National) is to become the exclusive distributor of the Dunlop tyre brand in Australia and New Zealand. Wholly owned subsidiaries of the importer and wholesaler signed agreements with Goodyear and Dunlop Tyres (Aust) Pty Ltd and Goodyear & Dunlop Tyres (NZ) Limited on 20 September.
Repairify Australia Holdings Pty Ltd and Capricorn Society Limited have entered into a joint venture agreement to deliver “leading-edge remote automotive repair solutions to repairers across Australia and New Zealand”. Repairify and Capricorn have equal ownership of the joint venture, which will be branded as Repairify and distributed across Australia and New Zealand by Capricorn through the Capricorn Preferred Supplier Network.
Following twelve months of technology appraisals, meetings with platform developers, due diligence, and alignment of vision and fit, Australia’s Triskel Group has selected end-of-life tyre (ELT) recycling technology from UK firm Carlton Forest Group. This partnership will result in a pyrolysis plant being built in Brisbane, with a further five plants following in the next five years.
Bridgestone China Asia Pacific (BSCAP) won Gold in both the CSR and ESG Leadership category, and the Best Environmental Excellence Award in the suite of awards facilitated by Pinnacle Group International. Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand’s ongoing commitment to the RYDA road safety education program and sustainable practices embedded within the Bandag retread business were highlighted as a significant contributor to the award victories. This is the fifth consecutive year that BSCAP has being recognised for its initiatives across the region at the Global CSR & ESG Awards.
New Zealand’s first nationwide regulated product stewardship scheme for recycling used tyres is expected to start operating in 2023. The Tyrewise scheme will address the estimated 6.5 million end-of-life tyres (ELTs) generated within the country each year.
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