The UK government is consulting on plans to ban old tyres for buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses and a new law could be introduced this year and come into force early 2020. Tyres aged 10 years and older would be banned from use on buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses under the new proposals. However, further clarity about precisely what the new rules will cover is needed.
Automechanika Birmingham has opened today. The show, which aims to bring together professionals within the automotive aftermarket and vehicle production sector in the UK and Ireland, was opened by mechanic and motorcycle racer turned television presenter, Guy Martin at the NEC Birmingham (Halls 18-20). More than 500 exhibitors will take part, giving visitors the opportunity to learn about the latest innovations and product launches in the aftermarket and vehicle production industry. The tyre segment is represented with stands for Yokohama and the National Tyre Distributors Association.
Well-known industry insurance company Jelf reports that it has designed specific insurance programmes for the tyre sector in collaboration with the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA). According to Jelf, the insurance market for the tyre industry is diminishing quickly with only a small number of motor trader insurers willing to write insurance policies.
The Reverend Richard Coles will be the closing speaker at the NTDA’s 2019 Tyre Industry Conference (3 October, International Convention Centre (ICC), Birmingham). The broadcaster, writer and Church of England priest is known for a variety of television appearances, including Have I Got News For You, and a memorable run on Strictly Come Dancing. He first found fame as one half of the 1980s band, The Communards, which enjoyed three UK Top 10 hits, including the biggest-selling single of 1986, Don’t Leave Me This Way.
One key outcome of the establishment of both PROF and the Roadside Rescue and Recovery APPG is that Sir Mike Penning committed to reviewing the safety of so-called “smart motorways”. His speech within the houses of Parliament at the launch of PROF saw the Sir Mike admit the information he had when he was one of the MPs that signed off on smart motorways did not reflect the correct situation.
The recovery industry has joined together to form the Professional Recovery Operators Federation (PROF), which was launched at an event in the Houses of Parliament on 12 February. PROF focusses on representing the interests of professional recovery operators in Westminster.
The NTDA has become a stakeholder in the Slow Down Move Over (SDMO) UK campaign group joining longstanding campaign members such as LV=Britannia Rescue and Call Assist.
Following its 5 December 2018 statement saying the association would take action against non-member misappropriation of the association’s name, the NTDA has indeed been taking action against a number of UK tyre retailers falsely claiming to be members of the association.
The NTDA is taking action against a number of UK tyre retailers who are falsely claiming to be members of the association, displaying the NTDA logo on their recovery vehicles, websites and marketing collateral, or who are advertising that repair work carried out at their tyre depots is carried out to “the NTDA standard”.
The NTDA has announced that multi-talented Bristolian Mark Watson is host the 2019 Tyre Industry Awards, which are to be held during the Association’s 90th Annual Dinner, sponsored by Land Tyre Service, at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Birmingham on the evening of Thursday 3 October 2019.
The European Union has made its conclusive statement on the introduction of anti-dumping tariffs on truck and bus tyres and retreads manufactured in China. As previously announced, the EU will impose fixed rate anti-dumping duties on the products, with the final regulation 2018/1579 implemented from 23 October. This ends speculation that percentage rates could be applied. In fact, the EU has revised tariff levels up, almost across the board.
During the NTDA Tyre Industry Conference held on 4 October 2018, NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay announced that the NTDA and the TRA are working to explore “the clear synergies between the two associations”. In the first instance, this will involve an exchange of representatives between the NTDA Executive Council and TRA Steering Group and the establishment of a joint Working Group to explore the possible benefits such an alliance can deliver.
The winners of the 2018 “Tyre Industry Oscars” have been announced at the 89th National Tyre Distributors Association annual dinner, with a Bridgestone double in the tyre manufacturer and staff training and development categories headlining the event. More awards were added this year for excellence in tyre retail, with small, medium, and large business categories, as well as an overall winner. Presenting was television personality Mark Durden-Smith, who injected welcome energy and humour into procedings. Tyrepress also announced the results live via its Twitter feed.
This year Amazon really stepped up its presence in the tyre space, especially in the USA where the company is now dominant across online retail in general. To be specific, a whopping 50 per cent of everything bought online is from Amazon. But these figures are not just an American phenomenon. In the UK, 33 per cent of online retail is conducted through Amazon. This makes Amazon the fifth biggest retailer in the UK, just behind the big supermarkets. The point is that, now we know Amazon is moving into the tyre space, anything that is happening in the US has resonance in the UK market as well.
National Tyre Distributors Association chief executive Stefan Hay and national chairman Prashant Chopra have opened the 2018 Tyre Industry Conference, stating that the annual forum is “more important than ever” given the current business climate. Chopra added that the current period of uncertainty pre-Brexit has seen an increase in numbers for the association’s membership, with core tyre retail businesses such as Morecambe’s Westgate Tyres alongside more tangentially related firms like Banner Batteries having joined the association in the past 12 months.
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