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National Fleet – Offering Service When and Where You Want it

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.

12th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyrepac Soft Launches China Operations

Asian retail tyre portal Tyrepac has announced the soft launch of its China operations, in Guangzhou, China. The company reported on October 8 that consumers can now purchase tyres online via its www.tyrepac.com.cn website.

8th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

BF Srl Launches New Website

At the beginning of September BF Srl introduced customers to its new website: www.bfwheelweight.com. The site was recently upgraded to offer all visitors an easy way of identifying the product they are looking for. “With a few clicks you can gain access to the whole range,” company representatives told Tyres & Accessories.

The system is updated directly from the BF’s head office, advising all customers of the latest news relating to the company and the automotive field. A new page dedicated to the technical department, is designed to meet particular customer requirements.

5th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Viking International Making Operational Improvements

Viking International says that it has made a number of positive developments over the last year to streamline efficiency and improve customer service. Kevin Parker was appointed as Group managing director at the start of the year, and has been entrusted with heading the Viking brand as well as retaining responsibility for sister company, National Fleet. Parker believes that the companies have the potential to deliver a fruitful collaborative effort, providing an increased service offering to customers, from wholesale tyres and automotive parts, right the way though to fleet solutions for its dealers.

5th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Micheldever IT and Telecoms Manager Shortlisted for Award

Luke Claughton, Micheldever Tyre Services IT and Telecoms Manager has been shortlisted for one of the IT industry’s most prestigious awards. Claughton is a finalist in the Young IT Professional of the Year which will be announced at an industry dinner in London on the 12 November. Luke has been with Micheldever Tyre Services for six years and has been responsible for upgrading and enhancing the company’s IT system.

“We are absolutely delighted that Luke has been shortlisted for this important award”, said Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) CEO, Paul Fox. “We set very high standards here at MTS and this nomination is a reflection of our staff going that extra mile and exceeding excellence in their particular field and being recognised by their peers. We look forward to Luke bringing home the award next month.”

5th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Blackcircles.com to Launch New Service This Month

Online tyre retailer Blackcircles is set to launch a new service that will see the company foray deeper into the aftermarket. (For full report see November’s Tyres & Accessories magazine) Earlier this summer the company announced that it would expand its network of independent garages by 30 per cent by the end of the year in preparation for the move. Blackcircles currently counts 1,200 independent garages in its network. The South East and North West are said to be prime regions for new garages to meet demand.

In recent years Blackcircles.com has grown to a turnover of in excess of £10, after having only launched in 2001. In an earlier report, the Financial Times quoted Welch as saying sales were as much as 80 per cent up year-on-year. While year-on-year sales growth is currently quoted at 60 per cent it remains nonetheless impressive. 2008 turnover was £11 million, but in 2009, it is predicted to be £15 million.

2nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Online Tyre Sales Still a Mid Range Market

With 70 per cent of us now having access to the Internet, and consumers making an average of 2.1 virtual purchases a month, maintaining the right online presence is as important as ever. According to the 2009 Oxford Internet Survey, the two most common online activities are researching product purchases and actually buying them (about 80 per cent of web users having done each). However with a multitude of distractions out there in cyberspace, tyre businesses have developed complex e-marketing strategies designed to lure customers to their sites with low prices, before up-selling them onto more expensive products. Some of the clearest evidence to date shows that the Internet is an increasingly competitive mid-range market, not a budget bargain basement as some say.

Comparing online price monitoring data with the results of market research conducted by Encircle Marketing shows that national fast fits continue to be the most expensive places to buy, with tyres costing £86.22 between January and August 2009. No surprises there. The fact that tyres are cheapest at pure e-tailers (£65.91) on average, won’t surprise many either. In fact, with the exception of average prices at autocentres rising to meet those at car dealerships (£78.68 and £79.18 respectively) the pattern is pretty much the same as it was last year.

2nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cam Commits to £1.3 Million Software and Services Programme

Cam Systems, the leading provider of software solutions and services to the UK independent tyre industry, has announced that it is investing £1.3 million in a customer charter called Cam 20:20. According to the company, Cam 20:20 sets out the its aims to serve customers more effectively by providing “wider IT options…and by ensuring the transparency of Cam’s performance against defined customer service levels.” In other words, the company is furthering its joined up approach to tyre business systems, with new products and a set of new service level agreements.

Cam 20:20 is the result of customer surveys conducted by Cam that highlighted the requirement for both more tailored and, at the same time, more comprehensive services from one systems provider. This means the launch of a 32 bit version of the company’s popular Cameo software, which runs on the latest windows operating systems and vastly improving reporting capabilities – even opening up the possibility of Google-style analytics. At the same time, Cam’s .NET system rewrite will deliver document management software (for purchase and sales ledgers, fleet management and call centre options) in the early part of 2010.

To support the introduction of Cam 20:20, the company has created a dedicated customer services team after appointing Steve Bazeley to the new role of customer services director. And new service level agreements (SLA) provide a more tailored approach to IT service needs. Customers can opt for Premium, Business or Standard agreements.

2nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

EDIWheel eBusiness Standard Comes to the UK

In the five years Tyres & Accessories/Tyrepress.com has been publishing a dedicated e-Commerce feature, one of the most common themes has been the real need for an integrated approach to selling tyres online. Now this need is being answered with the introduction of the EDIWheel eBusiness standard into the UK, linking and automating the whole approach from stock availability through to invoicing.

The online tyre market is estimated to occupy a 4 per cent market share across Europe, however, the true potential for eBusiness in the UK tyre industry is yet to be fully realised for two main reasons. Firstly the amount of ordering websites that are not integrated with the dealer’s order processing systems or processes. And secondly, the absence of an agreed industry wide eBusiness standard for core business processes such as ordering and invoicing.

According to the group of collaborating tyre manufacturers involved, these issues are being addressed by key members of the tyre industry with EDIWheel (Electronic Data Interchange Wheel – wheel representing the distribution cycle and not a physical wheel) eBusiness standard which enables the automation of stock availability checking, ordering, order confirmation, dispatch advice and invoicing. Specifically, a forum hosted by TIF about EDIWheel for tyre manufacturers, software developers, dealers and wholesalers has been scheduled for mid-November.

2nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyotires.eu Reports 352 per cent Increase in Web Traffic

As Toyo retained its 7th place ranking in this year’s online brand equity report, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH representatives have reported that the European headquarters’ website (toyotires.eu) has experienced a 352 per cent increase in visitors since the beginning of 2009. If you include growth since the company refreshed its online presence this time last year, traffic has actually grown by over 3000 per cent. Toyo marketing and strategic planning manager – Europe, Mike Rignall, gave Tyres & Accessories an overview of how the company has achieved this growth, and how it plans to sustain it.

While the tyre business in general has seen better years (although Mike Rignall points out that Toyo are experiencing a much better period at this end of the year), Toyo has clearly experienced strong online success in terms of digital marketing. Rignall wouldn’t put a figure on it, but T&A understands that Toyo sky-high percentage increase figures refer to unique users, which the Japanese tyre manufacturer uses as its preferred benchmarking metric. From Rignall’s perspective, the best part about the increasing figures is the fact that the growth is continuing to date. The number of unique users grew 23 per cent in August, for example, and another 24 per cent in September.

2nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cam Signs Exclusive Distribution Agreement with EDP

Tyre business systems provider, Cam Systems, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with EDP France and EDP UK for the UK tyre industry. The move is being seen as a significant step today in the company’s “business process optimisation strategy” and as a move towards RFID. The agreement covers all software and local support and installation services associated with EDP’s products, incorporating the company’s desk bound management platforms: Tyre parc; Fleet Check; and Fleet Check Lite.

Mike Allen, managing director of Cam Systems explained: “As service providers in the UK seek to increase productivity whilst also saving process costs, it became apparent that we needed to provide them with an option for a world class fleet inspection platform. The EDP software was designed in France, largely in conjunction with Michelin Europe, so its development credential is superb."

1st October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Etyres Reports Increased Sales Despite Recession

There may be a recession on, but without giving any specific figures away, etyres is reporting year-on-year sales growth in the last 12 months. Combining mobile fitting with a successful website, etyres describes itself as the UK’s first online tyre company. But it’s not just the company that speaks highly of itself, the most recent Plimsoll report into the UK Tyres, Exhausts & Batteries industry said etyres’ sales growth and profit margins “are better than the industry’s largest player.”

Managing director Tony Bowman, commented: “We have put down deep roots in the Internet tyres industry and this has enabled us to grow stronger and faster than our rivals. We began operating as Fleet Mobile Tyres back in 1992, but later recognised the potential to sell to the public through the exciting new market place – the Internet. Everything, from our use of familiar faces, like Eamonn Holmes and Vicki Butler-Henderson, in our videos, to our tyre price comparison chart, is aimed at showing the customer they are in the hands of experts.

1st October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Thorite Releases “Air Power”, Cataloguing Pneumatic Products

UK compressed air and fluid process systems specialist, Thorite has launched the latest edition of its free ‘Air Power’ catalogue, illustrating hundreds of top quality pneumatic products. In addition to large ranges of automotive aftermarket and industrial service air tools from Chicago Pneumatic, there’s the widest range of compressors in the UK (each with free UK mainland delivery) and a comprehensive choice of spray guns & equipment.

30th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

UA, SEMA Together on Accredited Seminar

(Tire Review) The University of the Aftermarket and SEMA are collaborating on an accredited marketing program. University of the Aftermarket has accredited the SEMA “Online Marketing Conference,” a day-long business marketing workshop that will take place on Monday, Nov. 2 in Las Vegas, the day before the SEMA Show opens.

30th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pneus Online Launches Fourth Generation e-Commerce Website

European online passenger car and motorcycle tyre provider, Pneus Online has launched the fourth version of its website (www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk). The company has sold tyres on the internet since 2001 and have used this experience to develop a new optimised platform so that each customer is able to order the desired tyre in a few clicks.

17th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors