Sören Mellstig proposed as new Trelleborg chairman
After 14 years as a board member of Trelleborg AB, including 11 years as chairman, Anders Narvinger has confirmed that he will not be standing for re-election at the 2013 Annual General Meeting.
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Jason Cooper becomes Michelin operational sales manager, CV tyres
Career TracksMichelin has appointed Jason Cooper as UK & Republic of Ireland operational sales manager for its truck and bus division. Cooper brings more than 17 years of experience with Michelin to the role. This includes the last 18 months as sales process and training manager for Michelin, and four years in a dual role as sales process and training manager and national sales manager for the car tyre product line in Delhi, India.
Embracing changes, building relationships: KRT at 40
Company NewsKings Road Tyres is 40 years old this year. While you could be forgiven for associating the more famous Kings Road in Chelsea with the Group’s name, it actually derives from the Richmond street of the same name, where what was Thames Haulage decided to get into the tyre business due to its large outlay on rubber for tipper trucks. Though it has evolved during the last 40 years from these beginnings to comprise divisions dealing with tyre wholesaling, tyre services and a retail outlet, the company places great emphasis on the continuity of its personnel. Indeed, KRT’s 40th anniversary as a company is also credit control manager, Barry Hill’s 40th year with the company, while the company’s owners – Commercial director Mark Cooper, Financial director Simon Lister and managing director Adrian Bader – have industry experience of over a century, much of which is with the KRT Group. The Group employs over 200 people, with a sales team of over 25 in Wholesale, over half of which has been with the company for 20 years. “KRT is where it is because of the continuity of people,” Bader says.
Michelin appoints UK, RoI commercial director truck and bus
Career TracksMichelin has appointed Guy Heywood as commercial director of its truck and bus operations in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Heywood, 45, has been with the company for more than 14 years, having served the last two years as national sales manager of its commercial vehicle tyre operations. Heywood also spent four years as production manager at the Stoke-on-Trent-based Remix plant. Reporting to Marc de Bellescize, sales director for Michelin’s European Truck Tyre Division, Heywood replaces Bill Schafer, who is returning to the USA to take up a position within the Michelin group there.
Sailun Tyres Europe team grows
Career TracksSailun Tyres has announced details of a string of new appointments to its European sales team. The first was the appointment of Martin Lumb as new business development manager, Europe & Middle East. Lumb joins the Sailun team from 1 November 2012 having previously worked for Infinity and Goodyear.
Nokian Tyres announces 2013 “production adjustment” at Nokia plant
NewsNokian Tyres has informed stock exchanges that it will start statutory negotiations on 5 November 2012 to adjust production “to meet the market situation” at its Nokia plant. The company said it would aim to adjust the utilisation of the production capacity and create cost savings. The company said that the negotiations, which will affect 600 workers and staff in car tyre production, could amount to up to 45 job cuts.
Motorists want rules changed for emergency vehicles
NewsAlmost half of motorists believe that traffic stopped at an incident should keep a lane space free for emergency service vehicles, according to the latest poll by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
They also agree that those who fail to get out of the way of an emergency vehicle should be fined. This approach is being trialled in Europe.
F2 bosses praise Yokohama after first season supply
Motorsport, PremiumYokohama’s Advan range of tyres acquired a new fitment this year. In addition to the brand’s continued supply of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, Advans were also seen fitted to another big FIA Championship, Formula Two. Yokohama HPT, the UK distributor for the Japanese brand, provided wet and dry tyres to the entire field and declared itself delighted the performance of the tyres, the feedback from the organisers and drivers, and the exceptional quality of the racing action. Richard Gates, F2 Race Operations manager, said the organisers had been “impressed” with both tyre performance and technical support. He also hinted at a relationship between the series and Yokohama that could extend beyond the current deal, which ends in 2013: "The new partnership has also been commercially viable which is imperative in today's climate and we're looking forward to continuing this relationship in the future."
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CAM debuts Retail CRM and demonstrates tyre labelling solutions
NewsCAM Systems previewed the first stages of its new Retail Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application to its retail customers at the recent Brityrex exhibition. According to the company, the new system granulises data providing them with options for more effective customer capture, contact and sales conversion for operations conducted at the counter, on the phone and over the web.
Kortokrax named Cooper manufacturing VP
Career TracksPhil Kortokrax has been appointed vice president of manufacturing for North American tyre operations at Cooper Tire. Kortokrax joined Cooper more than 20 years ago, beginning in Information Technology and moving into manufacturing leadership roles at the company's Findlay plant. In 2000, he returned to Cooper corporate offices as manager, and then director, of internal auditing. Five years later, Kortokrax became general manager of Max-Trac Tyre Co. Inc. (Mickey Thompson), a subsidiary of Cooper. In 2008, he returned once again to Cooper's corporate offices as VP of dealer channel sales.
Pirelli to reduce tyres’ performance gap at Indian Grand Prix
NewsPirelli will take its hard and soft tyre compounds to India when Formula One visits the Buddh circuit for the second time this weekend, just like in 2011, though this year the P Zero Silver and P Zero Yellow tyres are softer compared to their equivalents last year. The tyre supplier says a better knowledge of the circuit and some real data have allowed Pirelli to be less conservative this time, and the brand is confident that these tyres should lead to even closer racing. Last year, the performance gap between compounds was around 2 seconds. Another factor affecting tyre strategy is the 600m pit lane – the longest in F1 – which adds considerable time to pit stops.
Oudshoorn to leave Apollo Vredestein
Career TracksRob Oudshoorn, CEO Apollo Vredestein BV, is to leave the company on 31 December 2012 after 18 years as CEO. Luis Ceneviz, currently CEO of Apollo Tyres South Africa has been named as his “intended successor”. According to the company, Oudshoorn will be joining the executive board of the Dutch Company Pon Holdings. Apollo representatives said they wish him “all the best in his new endeavour,” in a statement announcing his departure.
Cooper appoints marketing VP
Career TracksCooper Tire has appointed Michael Simon to the post of Vice President – Strategic Marketing and Planning, North America Tire Operations. With a career in the automotive sector that spans nearly three decades, Simon spent 20 years with Goodyear, starting as a new college graduate in 1985, and through a number of increasingly responsible positions. Following Goodyear, Simon joined Eaton Corp. as Director of Sales, Performance Products and Aftermarket Division, where he focused on the $2 billion Automotive Group's non-traditional growth segments.
GiTi Tire appoints German TBR Sales, Marketing manager
Career TracksGiTi Tire has appointed Michael Kaletta as national Sales and Marketing manager for truck and bus tyres. Kaletta will be responsible for all aspects of the commercial vehicle tyre market, including the formulation and delivery of growth targets through a dedicated sales team. The appointment is designed to strengthen GiTi Tire’s German operation significantly, though the five members of the sales team already possess over 100 years of collective experience in the sector. Kaletta will report directly to Richard Lyons, managing director – GiTi Tire Germany, and play a key role in further establishing the profile of GiTi Tire’s leading brand, GT Radial as a “leading mid-tier proposition with an excellent price per kilometre delivered through a seamless buying experience”, GiTi Tire said.
NTDA chairman Stephen Callow in focus
Career Tracks, UK NewsLest anyone ask “who’s that giving this year’s speech”, NTDA chairman, Stephen Callow used the opportunity to give some background to how he came to hold this responsibility. In his words, he was like many in the wider tyre industry, “born with rubber in [his] veins.” He is a second generation tyre specialist thanks to the influence of his late father, Ronnie Callow. Ronnie, as Stephen explained in his inaugural chairman’s speech, was a “colourful” character – a description, he noted, that those who remember him would agree with.
