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A number of companies from around the globe have joined the ranks of the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). The newest members are Akar Makina Sanayi Ltd (Turkey), Marangoni Tread (Italy), Salvadori S.R.L. (Italy), Tire Lyna (Canada), Consolidated Tires, Inc, (USA), Sun Rubber Industry Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), Tony Pneus S.R.L. (Italy), Phoenix Tire (USA) and Santarosa Holdings (USA).
Dunlop’s Sportmax Roadsmart Motorcycle tyre has been ranked in first position in a Two Wheels Only Magazine tyre test. The tyre was tested in the wet and dry against the latest offerings from Pirelli, Bridgestone, Michelin, and Metzeler at the Millbrook Testing Facility in Bedfordshire.
James Whitham, top tyre tester for TWO and Isle of Man TT, World Supersport and World Superbikes champion shod a Ducati 848 to find the tyre that gave the best feedback and feel, as well as the best performance. “Straight away when you get on these you know that they are good” said James Whitham. “To get confident you need that feeling from a tyre that lets you know you can push all the way to the limit and beyond if you want to, but in complete safety. This is what the Dunlops do.”
Cambrian Tyres, said to be the UK’s largest motorcycle tyre distributor, continues to offer its dealers exclusive special offers and strong customer service. The ability to do this, says Cambrian, is down to the company’s bulk buying power capabilities and a dealer-centred philosophy. The distributor’s target of being a ‘one stop tyre shop’ for dealers has been realised since its early days, and today Cambrian reports it is the leading UK customer to each of the big seven tyre manufacturers.
Customer sales and technical enquiries are handled by Cambrian’s knowledgeable telesales team, a team that between them holds years of motorcycling and industry experience, enabling them to give customers what Cambrian Tyres calls the best, unbiased advice – advice that ensures the correct tyres are chosen. 2009 sees the company launch its B2B website where account holders can order tyres or view stock availability online, making ordering, whether within or outside business hours, even easier.
Mercy Ships is an international charity that delivers ‘hope and healing’ to the world’s forgotten poor. To get to isolated sites in West Africa the charity needs to traverse rugged terrain, and the going has now become more manageable thanks to a consignment of new 4×4 Dueler tyres donated by Bridgestone, an ongoing supporter of Mercy Ships.
The gift was handed over to Mercy Ships by Bridgestone Netherlands managing director Peter Van Der Wal at the company’s Dutch head office. “We have to be able to count on top quality equipment for our work in West Africa” said Aad van Noppen, Office and Procurement manager (Gifts in Kind) Mercy Ships, Netherlands. “The dirt tracks and terrain create some of the toughest conditions in the world for vehicles.”
Federal Tyres has joined the Motor Sports Association (MSA) as a fully endorsed member. The company states, “we are dedicated to innovation and deliver industry-leading products in the high performance end of the market.”
Federal’s 595 and RPM asymmetric tyre were accepted in the category 1a for road tyre; along with 595EVO as well as 595RS-R race-proven tyre in the category 1b for road legal competition tyres.
The Motor Sports Association is recognized as the sole motor sport governing body for the United Kingdom. It controls the technical and sporting rules across the various disciplines with over seven hundred motor clubs choosing to share agreed codes of practice under one umbrella. Related information will be officially published in MSA’s 2009 Year Book of Regulations.
Goodyear’s self-sealing commercial tyre technology has earned a “Nifty Fifty Award” for best new products in 2008. In its December issue, the US based publication Heavy Duty Trucking magazine selected the Goodyear Unisteel G316 LHT tyre with DuraSeal Technology for its Nifty Fifty Award, one of 50 new products selected on its “usefulness to the truck operator in terms of innovation, serviceability and performance.” Previously, Goodyear’s G395 steer tyre and early applications of DuraSeal – on the G287 and G288 tyres – were honoured with the Nifty Fifty recognition.
Thanks to a successful 2008 – in which the newsletter circulation grew by more than 40 per cent – Tyre Industry Publications, publishers of Tyres & Accessories magazine and the Tyrepress.com e-Newsletter, has moved to a new address. From the start of 2009, the company’s editorial office will be at 6A Salem Street, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 5PR. Telephone numbers and email addresses will remain unchanged.
Editor Chris Anthony said, “we are very excited about 2009 as we look to build upon a great year for the newsletter, which has seen a massive jump in circulation following the move to html formatting. The new year will see the launch of a new website at www.tyrepress.com and our newly expanded office space reflects the exciting period of growth we hope to continue.”
The EU Commission has granted approval of the takeover of Continental AG by the Schaeffler Group. According to an official statement released by the company shortly after the approval was granted on Friday 19 December, “the Schaeffler Group will now conclude the takeover without delay.” Schaeffler will pay 75.00 euros per share to the depositary banks of those shareholders who have tendered their shares to Schaeffler, on or around 8 January 8 2009. The depositary banks will then credit these payments to the shareholders’ accounts. According to the company, shares tendered for sale can be traded up until 2 January 2009.
“The takeover of Continental AG is a decision of far-reaching strategic importance for the Schaeffler Group. With Schaeffler and Continental we’re bringing together two excellently positioned German technology leaders. This merger will create one of the most successful global automotive suppliers with outstanding expertise in the high-growth fields of energy efficiency and alternative powertrain systems. It is our target to spearhead the global market,” emphasized Dr. Jürgen M. Geissinger, Schaeffler Group president & CEO.
American Tire Distributors announced on Friday afternoon that it has purchased Simi Valley, California-based Am-Pac Tire Distributors. Am-Pac is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Itochu Corp. Terms of the deal were not announced. Both Am-Pac and ATD are member distributors of American Car Care Centers; it is not know what this deal will mean to the structure of the 1,100-dealer marketing group. ATD became an ACCC member distributor in September 2004 with its purchase of then ACCC member Target Tire.
Am-Pac also runs its own Tire Pros associate dealer program, which has approximately 300 member dealers. Some 90 of those member dealers are affiliated wholesalers for Am-Pac. The deal gives ATD some 100 distributor centers across 36 states, adding to its already vast distribution empire.
“By combining the resources of these two organizations, American Tire Distributors will be better positioned to service our customers,” said Dick Johnson, ATD chairman and CEO. “We will have an unmatched breadth and depth of product, a strong offering of dealer marketing programs, and a distribution network that is without equal in our industry. All of these attributes will make us a better distribution partner for our dealers.” (Tire Review/Akron)
In early December, Avon Tyres announced the launch of a new sports tyre range. As with most of the company’s product range, much of the work that went into developing and testing the new VP2 was done right here in the UK, and the man responsible for the tyre’s design is confident it delivers marked advantages over its predecessor.
The name VP2 stands for Viper 2, and as the moniker implies the product is an across the board replacement for the Viper range launched in early 2005. “We chose to call it the VP2 for strategic reasons in our global markets, however,” explains Avon Tyres’ product and design manager Peter McNally, who designed the VP2. To cater to the demands of today’s multi-discipline riders and the vast array of performance machines available, the VP2 is available in three different types – Sport, Supersport and Xtreme. All three varieties come in a number of popular fitments.
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The second year of short-listing for the Apollo Tyres’ “Mission 2018” tennis scheme concluded on the weekend of December 21-22 in Hyderabad, India, with the induction of 15 children from across the country. This number adds to last year’s 21 children who have been training over the past 12 months at the FIST Academy in Bangalore, taking the total number of Apollo Tyres tennis scholarships to 36.
Westfield Sportscars Ltd has welcomed the selection of the Caterham Superlight R500 as Top Gear’s Car of the Year 2008. Commenting on the announcement, Julian Turner, Westfield’s managing director said: “As a company already working intensively on the development of a lightweight electric race car, we welcome the recognition by the knowledgeable Top Gear Team of the significant potential performance of a lightweight vehicle powered by a smaller engine. The combination of smaller engines with the lightest chassis possible – without compromising safety, the use of alternative fuels and the application of eco-friendly methods of production; this approach should be a clear choice for the majority of manufacturers.”
On 18 December Continental Group opened its first Continental tyre shop in Amman, Jordan. The shop is located in Al Madina Munawra street in the western part of Amman. and was opened in partnership with Nasco Automotive, the exclusive importer of Continental products in Jordan since 2007.
Nasco Automotive offers all Continental summer tyres and General Tire-branded passenger and light truck, commercial vehicle and industrial tyres. The selected distribution channels in Jordan are wholesalers as well as retailers. “We have been carefully selected to represent some of the world’s most reliable and superior premium tyre brands to serve all the segments in the respective markets of Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and Iraq. And we are proud to be the exclusive partner of Continental in Jordan”, said Badie Dayeh who is business development and marketing manager of Nasco Automotive.
Cam Systems is on the hunt for IT professionals interested in careers with the tyre industry’s leading software supplier. The company launched a recruitment drive towards the end of 2008 designed to fill seven full time vacancies covering a variety of roles in project management, installations, helpline support and financial accounting. Three of the positions were filled by the end of the year but four more staff will be added in early 2009 as Cam gears up for continued growth and expansion.
Accounts assistant Petri Conradie, a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants has been hired to provide back-up for Cam’s suite of accounting software; customer support technician Nick Berry and installations and support technician Michael Indruch have also joined the company. All three will all be in place by early January, helping to bolster customer support services and functions.
Bridgestone Corporation reports that the financial crisis and resultant global economic slowdown has created a necessity for it to revise the consolidated financial projections for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 that were originally announced on August 8. These downward changes have mostly been caused by decreasing tyre sales in Europe and North America, the company says.
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