TechMan showed its new collaboration with BookMyGarage.com at the company’s recent return to Automechanika Birmingham. In addition, TechMan exhibited its latest updates to its popular garage management system, with the latest integrations including a new advanced tyre search.
During my regular routine of social media maintenance, I came across the following post on the @Tyrepress Twitter feed from Fast Ford, Mini Magazine and Total BMW editor, Daniel Bevis: “I defy you to find a more wretched tyre than a 7-year-old Luckyland Happygalop.” Now, to make it clear, Bevis was very much stating his personal, subjective opinion both in relation to that particularly floridly-named brand’s quality and in his specific choice of adjectives. However, since he raised that especially vocal opinion, there are at least two broader points to be made. Firstly, consumers have never been more empowered to research their purchases pre-sale and then air their views relating to tyres. And secondly, the ongoing proliferation of brands in the market makes the ability to discern quality and understand each brand’s provenance as important as ever.
Tyres have always been a highly technological product, but the influence of technology in the distribution and retail parts of the business hasn’t always moved at the same pace. Recent years, however, have seen the role of Internet and e-commerce take-off. That progress was compounded during the last couple of years of pandemic-related lockdowns. Now, as workers at one of the UK’s leading tyre retail chains recently told us, online orders and bookings account for the lion’s share of business. Indeed, those particular staff members reported that online orders make up as much as 90 per cent of the business they deal with each working day. With that in mind, in October’s magazine, Tyres & Accessories takes a closer look at the Digital Tyre Business, which for the purposes of that feature includes the e-commerce, e-tail and stock management parts of the tyre business.
For more relating to the online tyre business, look out for the Digital Tyre Business feature in the October 2022 edition Tyres & Accessories magazine. Not a subscriber? No problem, click here to become one.
In July, TyreSafe held its first post-lockdown in-person day conference and awards event. More recently the NTDA named the winners at its annual Tyre Industry Awards event. And our sister publication WhatTyre.com has also published names of the winners of its 2022 WhatTyre Tyre of the Year awards. What these three things have in common is that they all aim to give credit where credit is due. They all aim to reward success.
Car service and repair booking platform GaragesNear.Me, has revealed its refreshed website. After ramping up its presence in the UK aftermarket over the last few months, GaragesNear.Me has been working behind the scenes on its website to ensure it is fully search optimised and user friendly for both customers and garages.
GaragesNear.Me, a car service and repair booking platform, has hailed its first national show, the UK Garage & Bodyshop Event at the NEC in Birmingham, as “a fantastic success.” The company hosted a variety of visitors on its stand, introducing itself to garages visiting the show and encouraging them to join up to the platform, which many did.
The number of dealers in the UK subscribed to open-access commercial tyre service app e-jobsheet has reached 60. The app connects dealers to several tyre manufacturers, allowing commercial tyre service providers to save administration time and money when conducting third party work. Dealers can also present their own direct fleet work to the highest standards.
Following Sumitomo-owned Blackcircles South Africa’s marketing launch in January 2022, the business is now considering ways to expand into other non-car tyre segments.
CAM International have signed an agreement with Continental Tyre’s fleet management division, Conti360° Solutions, to help e-jobsheet app subscribers directly connect with fleet management software – via the TiDaeX platform.
Tyrenet has launched an on-line solution designed to enable stricken truck and van drivers to “quickly place an enquiry to repair or replace a tyre 24/7”. According to the company, Tyrenet.net will enable a driver to get back on the road in 90 minutes, halving experience of three-hour downtime.
In August 2021, the people behind Blackcircles ZA announced that the company would tap into “the enormous growth of e-commerce in the country” by launching Blackcircles.co.za in South Africa. Four months later at the end of 2021, the site went live.
On 14 January, Delticom AG signed a contract for the sale of its majority shareholding in Delticom North America Inc. with Tire Capital LLC. The Hannover, Germany-based online tyre company expects to receive between US$7.5 million and $8 million for its 75 per cent stake in the US subsidiary, the sales price being subject to customary market adjustment mechanisms. Delticom anticipates a finalisation of the contract in the second half of February.
French competition regulator the Autorité de la concurrence has approved the Michelin Group’s move to acquire sole control over French tyre e-tailer Allopneus SAS and its subsidiaries. In a statement published on 28 December, the Autorité said it cleared the deal unconditionally in the belief that it is “not likely to harm competition.”
Online training specialists OurVirtualAcademy have released two new courses in their Tyres suite. With winter fast approaching, and with snow already on the ground in some areas, tyres and the grip they can provide in adverse conditions have never been more important. In Mud and Snow Tyres, you will look at the detail of M+S tyres, including all-season tyres, winter tyres and the 3 peaks mountain snowflake. The second course Aquaplaning, looks at what aquaplaning is and the associated importance of tyre tread and tyre pressures.
At the end of the year, it is customary to look back at the preceding 12 months as well as to look forward at what the future has to hold. One way our culture sums up the past year is to nominate a fitting word that encapsulates the spirit of the age. Last year our word of the year was “unprecedented”. This year the (OED) Oxford English Dictionary word of 2021 is “vax”, which offers us all – as if it were needed – a reminder of the continuing presence of Covid-19 during the last year.
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Techman
Glen Carstens-Peters; Unsplas
Cam International
Tyrenet