News articles on the tyre retail business
Pro-Align has announced that it has made the conscious decision to take a sabbatical from exhibiting at the Automotive Trade Show, which runs alongside the CV show. Pro-Align will instead attend the Brityrex International show at the GMEX centre in Manchester 1-3rd May 2007.
An inventor in India has come up with a novel alternative to run flat tyre technology. Designed for motor scooters and cycles, the new invention, known as the modular portable castor wheel stand or, more simply, as the ‘X Wheel’, makes it easier for riders to keep their vehicle moving in the event of a sudden puncture.
The good turn-out at what was only the second TRA Forum at the end of January demonstrated that the subject of tyre recovery and reprocessing is still a priority for the tyre industry. The 2007 day-forum featured seminars on “Scamps and scams – at the sharp end”, “The new TRA certificate”, “Tyre recovery and the retailer”, and “Supporting the Responsible Recycler Scheme” – not to mention the announcement that new officers had been elected to the TRA board.
Goodyear has launched a new tyre designed to replace the much vaunted Eagle F1 GSD3, which scored top marks in almost every test going – including Auto Express, Autocar, Max Power, Evo and Which? But while the old tyre’s symmetrical tread design was key to the product’s success, Goodyear is expecting the new product to succeed exactly because it isn’t. In addition to an asymmetrical tread design, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric features an asymmetric casing construction designed to reinforce one side and squeeze more grip from the tyre. Goodyear representatives told Tyres & Accessories they were gearing up for more award success following the introduction of the ‘Active Cornergrip Technology’ into the design of its latest tyre.
Maxxis is setting its sights higher for 2007 having signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Group Tyre (UK) Ltd – the UK’s leading independent tyre wholesaling operation – to grow its PCR business in the UK. In addition to the distribution agreement with Group Tyre (UK) Ltd, Maxxis plans to build a network of ‘centres of excellence’ utilising Group Tyre’s experience to target national, regional and local retailers. Maxxis will assist Group Tyre (UK) Ltd to recruit retailers as Maxxis Centres by providing a package of signage, advertising, POS, literature and merchandise.
The UK’s Tyre Recovery Association has elected both a new President and a new Vice President / Treasurer each to serve two year terms. The Association’s new president for 2007/08 leading industry figure Tim Stott, general manager of Sapphire Energy Recovery Ltd, the Lafarge/Michelin joint venture. Tim replaces Roger Hicks, managing director of Charles Lawrence International Ltd and the TRA’s first ever President, who also served a two year term.
The Australian Performance Car Championship (GTP) is expected to be a more closely contested competition following the announcement that all cars in the series will be required to race on identical Pirelli “control” tyres. Series Organiser Craig Nayda announced that Pirelli motorsport distributor Trofeo Motorsport has won a tender to provide tyres and event technical support to GTP for the next three seasons.
Amtel-Vredestein N.V. has confirmed that talks regarding cooperation in Russia with Germany’s Continental AG have been suspended.
The company further announced that it will consider opportunities to reduce its debt including attracting equity participation in, or spinning off, its AV-TO subsidiary, Russia’s leading auto parts tyre distributor and number one tyre retail centres network.
Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper had previously published the comments of an unnamed member of Continental AG’s board, who said that the “deal has died for now.”
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plans to introduce a new tyre in July that caters for a customer base that purchases premium high-performance cars. This tyre, the carbon-fibre, reinforced Eagle F1 All Season tyre, was revealed at the company’s annual tyre dealers’ conference in held Orlando, Florida at the start of February.
Nokian Tyres has developed a number of new products for the fast growing European winter tyre market. These tyres have been produced with Central European driving conditions in mind and therefore their design and construction features place maximised safety especially in winter conditions as their number one priority.
New legislation and improving economic conditions in Eastern Europe have been two of the main factors behind the rise of the winter tyre market, a market in which about 67 million passenger car winter tyres were sold in 2006, some 12% more than the previous year.
(SA Treads, Douglasdale, South Africa) When we first met Claudio Boezio in early 2005, he had just assumed responsibility for Continental Tyre SA in his role as MD. At the time and by his own admission, he was fortunate to inherit a well-run, stable ‘ship’. But if there’s one thing that remains constant in the tyre industry, it’s change.
(Akron/Tire Review) Long-time TBC Corp. executives Ken Dick and Orlando Wolford have been elected to the company’s board of directors. Dick is currently president and CEO of TBC’s wholesale and private brands divisions, while Wolford is CEO of TBC’s company-owned retail stores division.
Although the Indian tyre market is mainly characterised by its strong growth, it still is a market that is relatively self-sufficient. India still imports tyres, and the volume of imports is forever growing. Nevertheless, the import market still accounts for less than three per cent of the total, although decreasing tariffs and duties over the coming years will certainly facilitate tyre imports. But the question remains why Goodyear and Bridgestone remain the only foreign tyre manufacturers to have established their own production base in India – despite all the talk about how important the Indian market, as part of the so-called emerging BRIC states (Brazil, Russia, India and China), is considered to be.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced the appointment of Judith Swales to the position of managing director and chief executive officer of its Australian-based South Pacific Tyres (SPT) business. Swales replaces Joe Copeland, who has been named vice president of Goodyear’s Global Off-Highway business based in Akron.
(Tire Review – Akron, Ohio)
by Mary Aichlmayr
Robert H. Oudshoorn has been CEO of Vredestein Banden BV since 1994. Prior to that, he was director of commercial operations at a Michelin-Okamoto joint venture in Tokyo and also worked as representative director for Groupe Michelin in South Africa.
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