News from the world’s largest tyre industry show, Reifen 2012, at Messe Essen, Germany
Al Dobowi Group present its new Eternity brand during the recent Reifen 2012 show in Essen. Aimed squarely at the European market Eternity is described as “a new tyre brand for a new generation” and will feature both passenger car and truck and bus lines.
Next week Toyo Tire & Rubber will release its Nanoenergy 0, or Zero, for sale in Japan, complete with a very favourable label rating. The new tyre has been given the highest grade possible for rolling resistance and wet grip performance under the voluntary labelling system established by JATMA, the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association. Toyo claims the Nanoenergy Zero is the first tyre in Japan to achieve an “AAA” grade for rolling resistance and an “a” for wet grip.
Although Eversafe Rubber has been producing retreading products for more than three decades now, this year was the Malaysian company’s first time exhibiting at Reifen Essen. During the show Tyres & Accessories spoke with export manager Eu Hong Lim, who shared that business had been good for Eversafe Rubber during the show. “Reifen is the most prominent, important tyre show in the world,” he commented. “This is our first time exhibiting in Essen; we chose to attend as an exhibitor this year as we want to start expanding our presence in Europe. Reifen also gives us an opportunity to meet old friends and customers.”
Although almost five thousand miles lie between the Messe Essen exhibition halls and Tire Group International’s headquarters in Miami, Florida, attending Reifen 2012 provided the US-based wholesaler with numerous business opportunities. When Tyres & Accessories spoke with TGI’s CEO Tony Gonzalez, he shared that he and his colleagues had spent time with a lot of quality buyers during the show week.
Heuver Tyrewholesale says it is able to look back on Reifen 2012 with a great deal of satisfaction. The Dutch company says the introduction of new products at the show ensured an exceptionally high volume of visitors and interest from customers, with a record number of orders being placed during the show. “This is something we haven't experienced before at Reifen,” said company director Bertus Heuver.
In applications where punctures are an issue, operators often rely upon polyurethane tyre fillers to ensure downtime is kept to a minimum. Yet with the introduction of Reach regulations and the growing significance attached to eco-friendly tyres, the need for a filler that is equally green is also increasing. German company PURinvent says it has the answer. During June’s Reifen show, Tyres & Accessories spoke with PURinvent managing director, Dr. Frauke Petry, about the firm’s patented Bio-Fill filler, a product she says fits the bill perfectly.
It’s always refreshing to speak with Jamie Ma. The CEO and president of Federal Corporation abounds with enthusiasm for his company’s products and the tyre industry in general, and this certainly proved the case when he was on hand at Reifen 2012 to launch Federal’s latest winter tyre, the Himalaya Iceo. “This year the Himalaya Iceo will be a big hit,” he declared before explaining the tyre’s pertinent features.
Label results, especially good ones, were a conversation topic throughout Reifen 2012. One company at the centre of this label attention was Inter-Sprint, who displayed the Sentaida Group-produced Landsail brand – including the labelled LS988 range. One particular LS988 size, 225/45ZR18 95WXL, featured a ‘B/B/70dB’ label result.
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One thing made clear for Lanxess at this year’s Reifen show is that a new era is dawning upon the tyre sector. The specialty chemicals manufacturer noted the high profile enjoyed by green tyres, particularly those aimed at meeting the requirements of the European tyre label.
Russian tyre maker Nizhnekamskshina says that if demand for the coloured tyres it presented at Reifen 2012 is sufficient, it will begin commercial manufacture of the products. The producer of the Kama brand presented its Viatti Strada Asimmetrico tyres in white, red, green and blue. At present the coloured tyres are strictly a limited edition item.
While falling demand for truck and bus radials is putting pressure on sales of premium and import brands alike, the number of factories and the amounts of tyres each are producing continue to proliferate. Tyres & Accessories recently met with several companies in the same boat at the recent Reifen Show in Essen Germany in June. While the consensus agreed in general terms about the decline in truck tyre demand across Europe as a whole, clearly not everyone’s experience is the same and there could be key strategic reasons why production output seems to carry on regardless.
According to Brisa UK brand manager Vicki Tillson, at this year’s Reifen exhibition Lassa focused not just on presenting its current product line-up, but also on showcasing things planned for the future. Most notably, the Turkish tyre maker displayed its first eco-friendly tyre, Greenways, at the trade show. This new range, which Tillson says will enter the market in early 2014, represents Lassa’s attempt to get in line and meet compliance standards for EU regulations coming into effect at the end of this year.
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During the recent Reifen 2012 show in Essen Maxxis shared details of how the company is preparing for the rolling out of tyre labelling in Europe, including the launch of its own label finder software.
Sailun reports that it has been enjoying a period of strong establishment across Europe as well as a successful time in Essen this June, when the Chinese brand made its Reifen show debut.
The streets of the beautiful Spanish port town of Valencia will host the Grand Prix of Europe on 22-24 June 2012. The third consecutive street circuit contains the highest number of corners of any track all year (25) and is likely to be run in high temperatures – Pirelli will supply its P Zero White medium tyres and P Zero Yellow soft tyres for the occasion. Overtaking is notoriously difficult at Valencia, just like Monaco, so qualifying will be crucial, and Pirelli says the speed of the soft tyre will be vital at this stage. During the race, teams will utilise the additional strength and consistency of the medium tyre to form an essential part of their strategies.
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