As part of its efforts to promote, sponsor, and support cultural projects in Italy and around the world, Pirelli has established the ‘Pirelli Visiting Professorship in Italian Studies’ for a five-year term at Princeton University’s Department of French and Italian at Princeton University. The professorship’s stated aim is to support the dissemination of the study of Italian history and culture through new media and technology within Italian studies.
According to a statement released by German tyre maker Continental on 14 October, the joint venture project it operates with and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) is “on the verge of a breakthrough.” Recently, work began on the construction of a pilot facility at IME’s Münster site in Germany, and when finished this will be able to produce larger volumes of dandelion-derived natural rubber.
The Vehicle Operator Services Agency’s (VOSA) revelation that the number of MOT tests peak in March and September should be no surprise to many Tyrepress readers. These months coincide with the introduction of new vehicle registration letters. The agency has also taken the opportunity to note the parts of a car most likely to attract MOT failures, while advising on how the new 2013 regulations, introduced on 20 March, are affecting test results six months on.
New research published by Direct Line for Business reveals that Britain’s builders, plumbers, electricians and other tradespeople are living out of their vans – using them as mobile offices, bedrooms and entertainment centres. While not wanting to be accused of being asleep on the job, Britain’s tradespeople are using their vans as mobile homes with 11 per cent sleeping in their vehicle. Almost a third (31 per cent) of tradespeople use their van as a mobile office to manage their business. Vans are also used as mobile dining rooms, with just under a half (45 per cent) of tradespeople eating their meals in their vehicle.
When it comes to B2B selling online, automotive organisations are struggling to provide the online buying experience that their customers have come to expect. That’s the view published in the 2013 E-commerce Report from Intershop, which also reveals that smartphone usage, social media and the so-called “consumerisation of IT” are driving up B2B customer expectations. The report’s advice? Automotive firms have to adapt to changing customer expectations, driven by trends such as smartphone usage and social media. But how can that be done? In addition to assimilating the research data, Tyres & Accessories asked Chris Barling, chairman on e-commerce system developer SellerDeck for his views.
A £1.5 million government grant is winging its way to Dunlop Aircraft tyres. The grant was awarded by the Government’s Technology Strategy Board and the funds will aid the Birmingham-based company in its development and testing of tougher, lighter aircraft tyres.
Motorcyclists are an ageing consumer group – according to some figures, more than 60 per cent of riders now over 40 years old, almost double the proportion of ten years ago. While motorcycle performance has improved with significant increases in horsepower and top speeds, many riders run older models, and according to a recent report from German publication Motorrad, the average two-wheeler age in now more than 14 years old, two years older than in 2007.
Prior to breaking ground on its new US factory, over the weekend Yokohama Tire Corporation formally introduced Tadaharu Yamamoto as president of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi.
Tyre and wheel traders are among the UK's best businesses when it comes to answering customers' telephone calls, according to a survey of 3,630 companies by audio branding specialist PH Media Group. The survey revealed that tyre and wheel suppliers put callers on hold for an average of just 20.05 seconds. Only garden centres (17.44 seconds), demolition firms (17.67) and pharmacies (19.63) performed better. Still, there is room for improvement. Previous research has shown 50 per cent of callers will hang up within 20 seconds if forced to listen to silence while on hold.
Groundbreaking on Yokohama Tire Corporation’s new factory in the US will take place today, with a ceremony held at the Clay County, Mississippi plant site at 9:30am. The 23 September groundbreaking comes a day after Yokohama Tire Corporation held an honorarium event, at which it gifted US $250,000 each to Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College for workforce development efforts.
The London-based Royal Society of Chemistry writes that scientists in Spain have reported the first self-healing polymer that spontaneously repairs itself without any intervention. Although the material – dubbed the ‘Terminator’ after the shape-shifting terminator seen in the franchise’s second film – is some time away from commercial release, it may be suited to a wide array of applications, including in tyres.
At the Autumn Conference organised by Luxembourg-based broker Kepler Cheuvreux and held in Paris on 18 September, Michelin chief executive officer Jean-Dominique Senard confirmed the tyre maker’s 2015 operating profit target of €2.9 billion, some 20 per cent higher then 2013 estimates. He also said that capital expenditure is expected to peak between €1.8 billion and €2.2 billion in 2014 and 2015 before declining to between €1.6 billion and €1.9 billion in 2016 and €1.5 billion and €1.8 billion in 2017.
When it comes to B2B selling online, automotive organisations are struggling to provide the online buying experience that their customers have come to expect. That’s the view published in the 2013 E-commerce Report from Intershop, which also reveals that smartphone usage, social media and the so-called “consumerisation of IT” are driving up B2B customer expectations. The reports advice? Automotive firms have to adapt to changing customer expectations, driven by trends such as smartphone usage and social media.
Giti Tire has launched its new non-directional, all-position commercial vehicle tyre, the GAM831. Available in 295/80R22.5, the tyre extends the GT Radial mixed service offering, as the tyre has been developed for on and off road applications. It features a robust tread pattern and casing construction, with an extra reinforced sidewall to offer increased performance, even wear and good mileage in the most arduous terrain conditions.
On 2 September, Kumho Tire opened a new research and development centre near the South Korean capital Seoul. Located in Yongin City and built over the course of five years, the centre covers a 34,873 square metre land area with a total floorspace of 22,823 square metres. This space is shared by a research building and testing facility. Approximately 600 researchers from Korea and abroad will be employed at the site and work with supercomputers, physical testing equipment, chemical and instrumental analysis equipment, performance research equipment and more to develop new products.
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