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Investing in the Future

The future of the UK tyre industry belongs to those who invest in their staff, believes David Boulton from Entyrety. Boulton, technical sales manager for the Birmingham based supplier of tyre and fleet training and support services, is concerned that a lack of investment in training will not only perpetuate existing bad workplace practices, but also will ultimately drag these businesses down.

“It is well known that in certain areas of retailing there is a shortage of good tyre technician/fitters,” comments Boulton, adding that this problem stems from a lack of investment over many years in the people who carry out this function. As a consequence, he believes, in some areas the ‘interface’ between the tyre industry and the public has been found wanting. “There has been some improvement in recent years,” admits Boulton, “but this is only in the businesses who recognise that to safeguard their future they have to invest in their staff and provide training and development schemes. These will be the companies that survive long-term, and those that do not invest could face a bleaker future.”

2nd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Announces latest Addition to Sportmax Range

Prominent motorcycle tyre manufacturer Dunlop has launched the Sportmax Roadsmart, designed for sport touring motorcycles. This is a tyre that Dunlop is confident delivers outstanding performance on wet roads and matchless all around sport touring performance, qualities that are the fruit of more than two years global research effort.

The new tyre, which is reported to out-perform its predecessor, the Sportmax D220ST, in all areas, shows strong performance improvement on wet surfaces. This result was obtained whilst improving the conflicting demand of mileage performance, which was already recognised as one of the major strengths of the Sportmax D220ST.

“These improvements result from the combination of our latest Dunlop Sportmax hypersport tyres’ attributes with new compounding and construction technologies for an optimised performance in all riding, road and weather conditions,” said Sanjay Khanna, managing director Dunlop Motorcycle.

2nd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Primacy Alpin Awarded Highest Distinction by ADAC

The new Michelin Primacy Alpin tyre has been awarded the highest distinction – a “highly recommendable” rating – in a test conducted by Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC), the German Automobile Association and Europe’s largest automobile club.

Carried out by ADAC and its Austrian and Swiss counterparts – Österreichischer Automobil-, Motorrad- und Touring Club (ÖAMTC) and Touring Club Suisse (TCS) – the comparative test involved 16 brands of 205/55 R16 H winter tyres.

The tyres were tested for their grip on snow and ice covered roads as well as on low temperature wet and dry surfaces. Tyre life was also measured, and in this category the Michelin Primacy Alpin received the highest overall score, ahead of all its competitors.

The Michelin Primacy Alpin responds to the dual challenge of optimising safety and longevity. During the design phase, Michelin research and development teams focused on meeting three performance objectives.

28th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Rated Top by US Independent Dealers

Toyo has been named “#1 Overall Brand” for both consumer and in Tire Review’s annual Tire Brand Study of North American tyre dealers. Conducted by Babcox Research for Tire Review for the past 15-years, this prestigious survey measures tyre dealer opinions and perceptions about the brands they carry and sell. Toyo has received this honour a remarkable seven out of the past eight years for consumer products (passenger, performance and light truck/SUV) and four of the last six years for commercial products (medium truck).

26th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Varta Does Well In Awareness Survey

Johnson Controls, parent company of Varta, recently commissioned a survey to test trade awareness of starter battery brands. The survey was carried out by one of Europe’s most respected market research companies and covered eight European markets. 150 garages were selected randomly in each market and there was a 92 per cent response rate.

25th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Canadian Tire Rated “Outperform”

Analysts at Credit Suisse recently gave Canadian Tire Corp Ltd an “outperform” rating, setting the target price at C$88. In their research noteg, the analysts mention that the rising mix of square footage for the company’s new format stores is likely to lead to an improvement in returns going forward. Canadian Tire is expected to post growth in the high-single-digit range, aided by growth in its gross average receivables balance, the analysts said. The company is also expected to witness EPS growth in the low-double-digit range going ahead, driven by apparel and financial services segments, Credit Suisse added.

24th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Fuel Prices Drive Increase in DIY Activity

(Akron/Tire Review) According to new research from the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), DIY activity actually increased last year, a shift that AASA said may have been driven by rising fuel costs.

“Fuel price increases in 2006 may have strained personal budgets, so consumers’ search for savings in other portions of car ownership is a logical reaction,” said Frank Hampshire, AASA’s senior director of market research. “Consumers looking for ways to cut repair costs may have performed their own maintenance, while those looking to improve fuel economy may have purchased products related to that end.”

The study showed that in 2006, 52.9 per cent of vehicle owners performed light DIY on their vehicles, compared to 40.0 per cent in 2005. Medium DIY efforts increased to 29.4 per cent in 2006 from 27.9 per cent in 2005, and heavy DIY rose to 25.6 per cent in 2006 from 25.0 per cent in 2005.

21st September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Fleets Increasingly Switching to Non-Franchised Servicing

With a new report rating customer care at franchised dealers at just 6.3 out of 10; it is no surprise that 39 per cent of companies are switching to non-franchised dealers for routine servicing.

The 2007 Business Car Perceptions Report by business and management consultants BearingPoint suggests that the traditional franchised dealer network, which car manufacturers depend on as their key channel to market, is under strain as a result of a growing fall-off in aftersales business. reveals that fleet servicing business, which provides an important source of revenues for car manufacturers and franchised dealers alike, is being lost to non-franchised dealers.

The research, which was conducted by Professor Peter Cooke, the recently appointed Professor of Automotive Management at the University of Buckingham, in association with BearingPoint, shows that almost two-fifths (39 per cent) of companies already use non-franchised dealers for routine servicing. This number is set to grow, as nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of those respondents still using franchised dealers expect to switch to non-franchised dealers in the future.

19th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Top Online Brand – 2007

Online Brand Equity

Michelin and Bridgestone are the dominant online tyre brands, according to the latest research. The report, exclusively published in Tyres & Accessories for the last three years, was conducted by Cambridge-based online brand monitoring specialists, Envisional and found that Pirelli was the biggest faller in its unique online brand ranking exercise.

The analysis shows that the Michelin brand, as observed in previous years, continues to stand well clear of its rivals. Envisional found that this brand achieves the greatest degree of “online prominence” by a significant margin, though this lead has narrowed again since 2006. The top six most prominent brands are the same as those observed in 2005 and 2006 and there is still a sharp drop between the six leaders and the chasing pack.

19th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Amerityre Signs License Agreement with Desert Research Technology

Amerityre Corporation has entered into a Manufacturing License Agreement with Desert Research Technology, Inc. (DRT), granting DRT the exclusive, worldwide rights to manufacture paddle-type sand tyres that employ Amerityre’s polyurethane elastomer chemicals. DRT will first use the Amerityre technology to create polyurethane treads/paddles on conventional rubber tyre casings, but their goal is to manufacture the entire tyre from polyurethane materials.

17th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Wins Evo Tyre Test

The new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric has taken its first major independent tyre test victory, with ‘Evo’ magazine declaring the latest Goodyear ultra-high performance tyre as the winner in a comparison of nine brands. The test was particularly significant because the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric topped the handling tests in both wet and dry conditions.

The test took place at the Bridgestone Research and Development centre, and measured handling, aquaplaning resistance and braking using a Volkswagen Golf GTi. The Goodyear set the fastest lap times in wet and dry conditions, generated the most cornering force and had the shortest stopping distance in the wet. The test drivers raved about the Goodyear performance: “The steering feels clean, direct and positive. It is a decisive win for the new Goodyear” stated Jethro Bovingdon from Evo.

17th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Top in US OE Tyre Satisfaction Across All 4 Segments

Michelin ranks highest in customer satisfaction among original equipment (OE) tyre manufacturers in all four segments examined, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study. Bridgestone was rated average or below average in every survey, coming last in the sport/luxury research where Bridgestone may have expected to have been strongest.

The study measures overall customer satisfaction with their original equipment tyres in four segments: luxury/sport; mass-market/non-luxury; pickup/full-size van; and SUV. Within each segment, five key factors are examined to measure customer satisfaction. They are: wearability, appearance, traction, ride and handling. Rankings are based on owner experiences with their tyres during the first year of ownership.

Michelin ranks highest and well above the industry average in each segment and performs particularly well in all segments on all five factors. Additionally, the 2007 study marks the fourth consecutive time Michelin ranks highest in the luxury sport and SUV segments, and the third consecutive time within the pickup/full-size van segment.

13th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Mad Max to Support Malaysian Tyre Recycling IPO

He starred in the blockbuster Mad Max and Lethal Weapon series, went on to produce epics such Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ, but now Mel Gibson is putting his name to a Malaysian tyre recycling companies listing on the London stock exchange. News reports emanating from Singapore explain that Gibson has a minority shareholding in Green Rubber Global, a company that focuses in devulcanisation technology.

Bankers are valuing the company at between £150 million and £170 million, according to sources. Petra Group is owned by Vinod, who also owns 84 per cent of Green Rubber via Petra Trust. The remaining 16 per cent is held by the various celebrities named above. Part of the listing exercise is expected to include a share sale of up to 20 per cent.

11th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

BBC Top Gear Presenters Race on Dunlop Tyres

The BBC Top Gear team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will make their endurance racing debut this weekend at Silverstone in the annual Britcar 24 Hour race. The team will be joined in their BMW 330Dti race car by the mysterious ‘Stig’ and will be tackling Britain’s biggest race event on Dunlop race tyres, reportedly made at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham. Their attempt at the race, which features a vast array of sportscars from Porsche GT3s, Ferraris and Aston Martins to BMW M3s and Honda Civic Type-Rs, will be the feature of a forthcoming BBC Two programme.

Dunlop are delighted that the team are tackling their first endurance race on their race tyres, according to spokesman James Bailey: “Dunlop has won more Le Mans 24 Hour races than any other tyre manufacturer and are dominating many saloon and sportscar racing championships around the world. No-one knows much about The Stig, but we do now know that when it comes to gripping performance, he chooses Dunlop.”

7th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

All-Season Protection

Vredestein believes there is a need and a good future for cold weather tyres in the UK, and is backing up its confidence in this often ignored market with the release of more winter weather products, including the new Quatrac 3 series, which will be launched at the end of September.

The Quatrac 3 can be visually distinguished by its non-directional asymmetric tread, and Vredestein adds that an examination of the tyre’s summer and winter tread profile sections will also reveal a clear distinction between the two. Upon its initial release the new tyre also offer a world first for all-season tyres – run-flat variants. Vredestein will offer two run-flat sizes when it launches the Quatrac 3.

For discerning motorists the new Quatrac 3 is a very attractive choice. As it is an all-season tyre, there is no necessity for the twice annual change between summer and winter tyres. “The Vredestein Quatrac 3 is a first-rate alternative for countries without extreme driving conditions like snow-covered, icy roads or steep hills,” Bert Stellinga, managing director Vredestein UK and Ireland, explained. “In plain or gently sloping areas and in temperate climates, the Quatrac 3 is the all-season tyre of choice. It offers optimum ride and grip characteristics under all circumstances.”

31st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors