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Conti Report No Contact Over Truck Tyres

Continental has responded to claims from German news sources that Italian rival Pirelli are interested in buying the German manufacturer’s truck tyre business, stating that they have yet to be contacted. A spokeswoman for Continental said that “There are no sales talks whatsoever”.

The speculation follows reports in Germany’s leading commercial economy newspaper Handelsblatt that Pirelli’s Chairman, Marco Tronchetti Provera, has declared definitively the company’s interest in truck tyres. Coupled with the attention devoted to Continental’s truck tyre business by the German company’s management in April this year, conjecture continues to develop as to the fate of the department.

4th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to Start Russian Tyre Plant Negotiations

Pirelli & C. SpA and has signed a letter of intent to begin negotiations for the construction of a car, light truck and heavy truck tyre plant in Russia. The letter was sent to the Russian State Corporation for Assistance to Development, Production and Export of Advanced Technology Industrial Product (also known as Russian Technologies). The new facility will also produce steel cord tyre reinforcements and automotive filters.

Russian Technologies and Pirelli have agreed on an exclusivity period for the negotiation of the final agreements, until 30 September 2008. Upon its establishment, the two partners would jointly control the Joint Venture, while Pirelli would be responsible for the development of the business strategy and running operations of the Joint Venture, which would be carried out under the Pirelli brand name.

4th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

FAI Automotive Extends New Coil Springs Range

UK component distributer FAI Automotive has extended its new range of coil springs following research suggesting a growing market demand for the part.

Sean Walker, the company’s MD, suggests that perpetually evolving suspension design, coupled with the deterioration of road surfaces, has led to the greater vulnerability of such components.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Protector Proving a Popular Addition to Kirkby Offering

Based at an extensive site adjacent to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Kirkby Tyres & Wheels offers a full range of industrial tyre stock across several brands including Protector, which was introduced during 2007. According to company representatives, the Protector brand is “already proving to be a very popular addition to Kirkby’s portfolio and well accepted by distributors and end users alike.”

The Protector range is exclusive to Kirkby in both the UK and Ireland and includes sizes and patterns for industrial solid press-on, industrial solid resilient, agricultural implement, agricultural R1 and open centre implement, MPT, ATU, skidsteer, skidsteer turf diamond and port tyres.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Guarantees its Radials Last 2x as Long as Solid Tyres

Michelin is so confident in the performance of its XZM radial tyres that it is offering forklift truck operators a money-back-guarantee if they do not last at least twice as long as solid or cross-ply tyres. The manufacturer is also offering a 90-day satisfaction warranty.

“If you haven’t experienced the benefits of pneumatic tyres over solid, now is the time to try,” says Darren Lindsey, Head of Michelin Earthmover and Industrial Tyres at Michelin Tyre plc. “We are so confident in the performance of the Michelin XZM that if, for example, your solid or crossply tyres currently last 1,000 hours, we will guarantee that under the same conditions of use the XZM tyre will last 2,000 hours. If they fail to reach 2,000 hours, Michelin will reimburse you the difference – a promise valid for two years from the date of purchase.”

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kirkby Makes New Sales Appointments

Kirkby Tyres & Wheels recently announced the appointment of a national accounts director and a new addition to the sales team. According to the company the appointments further strengthen the company’s ongoing momentum as a dedicated one-stop-shop for all sectors of the industry.

Simon Michael becomes National Accounts Director and joins Kirkby from Cooper Tyres (UK) whom he joined back in 1995 as a Regional Sales Manager (when they were Avon Tyres). During the past 13 years Simon steadily progressed to the position of Senior National Account Manager and now looks forward to the new challenges ahead of him.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Zeus Solves Horsch Tyre Fill Quandry

Zeus Tyre Filling Systems, headquartered in Dortmund Germany, claims to have solved the long standing problem of flats and punctures on pneumatic agricultural equipment, by replacing the tyre contents with Zeus’ PolyFill a 2-Part poly-urethane (PU) tyre filling compound. According to the company, PolyFill is made up of a particular kind of two-part PU Material, which not only prevents punctures and air pressure losses, but also delivers greatly improved tyre life and performance.

One recent application saw PolyFill used on some Horsch ‘Multiple – Seed Drilling, Sowing & Back Filling’ agricultural equipment – a particularly important application, where this type of equipment is used in remote locations and/or on multi-day/weekly sowing operations. In addition to putting a stop to the kind of flats and punctures that cause farmers and contracters to fall behind and even lose work, Zeus claims its product is kinder to soil offering better compaction properties during back filling.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear’s “Satisfaction Assurance” to Australia

Goodyear has marked the Australian launch of its latest safety-conscious tyre with a “Satisfaction Assured Trial” – an option unique in Australia for consumers to have their set of four new “Assurance” tyres replaced after 1000kms or within two weeks, inclusive of all refit charges.

The Assurance tyre is the product of nearly two years’ development at the Goodyear Technical Centre in Luxembourg. It features an interlocking “Waffle Blade” system with silica-based tread, designed to provide greater levels of grip in wet or dry conditions, as well as an incorporated layer of Kevlar and silica-reinforced Durawall technology in the sidewall to provide increased resistance to cuts and tears. The company has named these features “ArmorGrip Technology”.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Wins Collease Contract Following Trial

An extensive in-house trial conducted by Collease Truck and Trailer Rentals has led to Michelin winning a contract from the Norwich-based firm.

The trials, which compared the performance of Michelin’s truck tyres against a number of other manufacturers’ products, have resulted in Collease fitting Michelin-branded tyres across a 3,350-strong fleet of commercial vehicles and trailers, ranging from vans to 44 tonne tractor units and trailers.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

UK Exclusive for Pirelli-Alfa Collaboration

Alfa Romeo’s new special edition Brera S – the latest model of the Italian coupe – will be fitted exclusively with Pirelli P Zero Nero 235/40 R 19 96 Y tyres. Pirelli join Prodrive, a leading motorsport specialist who provide the car’s suspension system, in collaborating with Alfa.

The Brera S was placed on sale on 2nd June after its initial presentation on 19th May, and is limited to 500 numbered vehicles.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

US Motorists Driving Less

A sharp drop in the amount US motorists are driving, coupled with continued raw material price pressures has led financial analysts to lower US manufacturers earning predictions. Estimated vehicle miles travelled on all US roads declined 4.3 per cent year-on-year in March, according to the US Federal Highway Administration. The drop is apparently the steepest in the history of the data. This coupled with concerns about the effect of increasing raw material costs led Detusche Bank analysts to write: “In the near term, the combination of hyper-inflating raw material costs and weak demand will present major challenges for the tyre industry.”

“While we continue to see robust pricing behaviour within the industry, with price increases of “up to 8 per cent” having been recently announced by Goodyear (effective June 1) and Cooper Tire…we note that pricing may not completely offset raw material cost inflation in every quarter.”

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Feddi Ready to “Woo Masses” with 2008 Promo Gift Range

Federal Tyres of Taiwan are proving that mascot Feddi is “much more than an advertising tool or corporate logo” with a range of promotional goods bearing the corporate icon’s grinning visage.

Feddi has come a long way since his “first kick in the womb” in 1893, reportedly helping Federal to interact “physically and psychologically with the public” – so much so that Feddi is now ready “to strike more playful postures to his fans.” Among the promotional items “to accommodate your style and discriminating taste”, Federal list a Feddi Sport Bottle, Ball Pen and Memo Sheet, though surely the highlight of the range is the “cute and cuddly collectible” Feddi Doll, complete with baseball bat.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Interested in Continental Truck Tyre Unit

Pirelli is said to be interested in buying the truck tyre division of Germany’s Continental AG, German news sources have reported. “We are looking at all attractive targets. Truck tyres are definitely interesting for us,” Pirelli Chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera told the Handelsblatt newspaper.

Continental’s management recently scrutinised the truck tyre department’s first-quarter figures after its pre-tax earnings (EBIT) margin of 3.8 per cent came in below the company’ target of 10 per cent for all divisions by 2010. The announcement lends credence to suggestions that Pirelli is aiming to expand its tyre business through acquisitions.

3rd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Jury for Michelin Challenge Design Named

The 2009 judging panel for Michelin Challenge Design has been announced, and in July the panel will meet to select the vehicle designs and concepts that will make up the special exhibition at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

The central theme for this year, the eighth in which the international competition has been held, is ‘Brave and Bold, America’s Next Iconic Vehicle’, and Michelin says that companies, studios, design teams and individual designers from more than 45 countries have submitted full-size vehicles, scale models and renderings. The designs will be evaluated, says Michelin, for uniqueness, emotional appeal, design courage and technical execution.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Right to Repair Group Calls for Sector Specific Regulations to Remain

The UK Right to Repair Campaign (UK R2RC) has welcomed a statement from the European Commission that its evaluation of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation’ of 2002 does not prejudge any decision on the future of that legislation. However, UK R2RC also said that parts of the Commission’s proposals would add uncertainty, and penalise the independent aftermarket by making it harder to remedy incidences of market abuse. The independent aftermarket, the organisation added, needs simple and sector-specific legislation.

Jim Mazza, Chairman of UK R2RC, said “though the tone of the report is softer than expected, it still understates the benefits to consumers and the independent aftermarket alike of having a single piece of legislation regulating the availability of service and repair information and the supply of replacement parts.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors