Michelin has announced pioneering plans to equip all its new car tyres with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips by 2023. Continuing its long history in the development of tyre-orientated RFID technology (including the global launch of a truck tyre RFID solution in 2012) Michelin says up to 1.5 million RFID-equipped car tyres will be delivered as early as 2020.
Motorsport Network, which runs the Autosport International Show has introduced the Autosport International (ASI) Connect, a digital networking event for the motorsport industry. ASI Connect will take place on 10-11 March 2021. While the online-only event is designed to “harbour the spirit of Autosport International, delivered in a digital format”, Tyres & Accessories understands that it is not a replacement for the show but rather an addition to the ASI portfolio. An announcement on the scheduling of the main show is expected in the coming weeks.
Black Friday has established itself as a fixture in the retail run-up to Christmas here in the UK and in Europe, and even tyre distributors benefit from the associated purchasing euphoria. Heuver Tyrewholesale shares that it sold more tyres in one day than ever before, giving the company a Black Friday that represents the “pinnacle of an upward curve” that began with the sudden, corona-related increase in online orders in March.
Online car parts business Autodoc is reporting sales of 600 million euros in the first three quarters of 2020, up 40 per cent compared to the same period last year. In 2019, the company’s revenue between January and September amounted to a total of 434 million euros. Autodoc chief executive Alexej Erdle has now set his sights on the previously announced sales target of 800 million euros by the end of the year, up from 615 million euros in 2019.
Goodyear has launched an enhanced version of its eJob automated fleet inspection tool. From a fleet perspective, eJob offers full transparency of all maintenance and fleet inspections carried out, visible within seconds of job submission, from anywhere in Europe. The application is designed to support Goodyear FleetOnlineSolutions (FOS). According to the company, the new advanced platform provides fleets and tyre dealers managing fleets full overview including all vehicles, their location, applied tyre policy and agreed terms as well as warranty.
Following what was generally regarded as an insightful presentation on the impact of coronavirus on global, European and UK tyre markets, the panel for our “New Tyres in Corona-World” Virtual Tyre Industry Conference 2020 session (James Ward, senior insight manager, GfK; Andrea Manenti, VP north region, Bridgestone; and Pravesh Amtha, Sales General Manager Consumer UK&I, Goodyear) moved into a discussion relating to how manufacturers are working on creatively supporting the tyre trade in the face of the second lockdown and ongoing pandemic- and economy-related complications.
No-one envisioned just how many challenges the tyre market would have to face this year. As has generally been the case, the trade rose to the occasion by repeatedly pivoting to adjust to mid-pandemic customer demands and government requirements. At the bricks and mortar end of the business this has meant ensuring premises are Covid-secure and there are continuing supplies of PPE – as well as maintaining high standards of tyre service and supply. However, this year has also significantly closed the gap between exclusively conventional bricks and mortar tyre retail businesses and pure play tyre e-tailers, with consumers increasingly planning tyre purchases and looking for contactless servicing options online.
Hella might be best known for its bulbs and ADAS, but the international automotive has announced that it expanding its global software competencies with a new Global Software House. Hella currently employs around 2,000 software experts worldwide, particularly in the field of embedded software in functional development for radar sensors, battery and steering electronics and lighting control, for example.
As popular as our annual social media ranking is, we are often asked where we get the numbers from. Our table is designed to be as transparent as possible, but in order to offer a little more detail, here’s a description of our methodology.
As Tyres & Accessories annual global social media ranking enters its seventh edition, this year there is a new winner. Last year’s champion, Pirelli, has fallen two places to third position. At the same time, Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ Falken brand rose an impressive eight positions to take the top spot. And Pirelli wasn’t the only well-known name to downshift, with two other brands taking retrograde steps. At the same time, in a reflection of what has taken place in the UK-only ranking, the top 10 has a new entry, with previously 10th-ranked MRF being overtaken by another large Indian tyremaker.
In October’s magazine, Tyres & Accessories takes a closer look at the latest developments in the multifaceted online tyre business. This article specifically looks at online tyre buying and pricing in conjunction with tyre pricing and selling-way data specialists Encircle Marketing. However, this is just one dimension in the online tyre business. In addition to online tyre retail, there is also the question of online marketing, an area in which social networks are playing an increasing important role (see separate article for further details). And on top of this, there is the electronic infrastructure necessary for the tyre business to participate – beginning with increasingly smart web sites and going onto integrated pricing and marketing tools.
For the fourth year in a row, Michelin can be found at the top of Tyres & Accessories’ 2020 UK social media ranking. Indeed, such is Michelin’s dominance in the annual table, only Goodyear (in 2012) and Dunlop (in 2016) have done enough to overtake the UK arm of the French tyre brand since our research began in 2011. In both cases, Michelin still managed to take second place.
Michelin has launched a new web portal that gives commercial vehicle customers quick “direct access to expert online tyre advice, the latest promotions, services and news about its tyre range”, according to the company. Michelin MyPortal replaces Michelin MyAccount, launched five years ago, and has been designed to provide users with “additional benefits and improved functionality”.
Apollo Tyres has appointed Hizmy Hassen to the newly-created position of Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Hassen will be based at the company’s London office, and will be responsible for leading the strategy and operations of Apollo Tyres’ digital journey, including responsibility for Information Technology. Hizmy Hassen will report to Neeraj Kanwar, vice chairman and MD, Apollo Tyres Ltd.
It is somewhat ironic that the number 2020 has inherent associations with perfect vision and yet this year has turned out to be the most unpredictable in a lifetime. For example, no-one saw President Trump’s twitter-borne sideswipe at Goodyear’s tyres coming last month – how could they? However, on a more serious note, the effects of uncertainty has real-life impact. And this month has seen more than its fair share of such harsh realities in the tyre industry.
This article appears in full in the October edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine. Not yet a subscriber? You can change that here.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
Michelin
Autosport International
Autodoc; Dirk Dehmel
Goodyear
Craig Adderley; Pexels
Hella
Gerd Altman; Pixabay
Peter Linforth; Pixabay
Photo Mix; Pixabay
Michelin
Apollo Tyres
Free Photos; Pixabay