Scotland’s Finance and Economy Secretary, Derek Mackay, held urgent talks yesterday with trade unions and the management of Michelin Tyre Company Ltd. to discuss the future of the Dundee car tyre plant, following confirmation of Michelin’s intention to close the plant by 2020.
An analyst report published by Jefferies International Limited has stated that the closure of Michelin’s Dundee plant “supports [the company’s] intent to accelerate cost savings during 2019-20.” Presenting its nine-month 2018 results in October, Michelin warned that demand had deflated in the car and truck markets and it was revising down its guidance; subsequently Michelin shares fell to a seven-year low.
Two months after the tyre manufacturer began a restructuring programme at its factory in Dundee, Michelin is set to close the plant at the cost of about 850 jobs. Michelin, which has run the Dundee site since 1971, says it plans to leave the city by 2020.
Soltyre’s Brechin branch has joined Michelin’s pan-European Exelagri network. Soltyre’s first centre in Dumfries previously gained Exelagri accreditation in 2013, and its new Brechin depot passed the 48-point Michelin audit months after opening in January of this year.
Lothian will continue to roll on premium Michelin tyres after the largest municipal bus company in the UK renewed a three-year Effitires contract with Michelin solutions.
The new agreement will see Michelin solutions supply, fit and manage tyres across Lothian’s fleet of more than 800 single and double-deck buses, which is used to operate more than 70 services in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas of Midlothian and East Lothian.
An Ayrshire tyre recycling company was fined £27,000 on 18 April 2018 at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court for waste offences at a site in Irvine. A manager was also ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work under a Community Payback Order and to pay a Confiscation Order of £44,711. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is reminding all companies of the importance of working within the regulations following this sentence.
Tyre businesses are being urged to act now to embrace the economic opportunity of sustainability by the VIBES – Scottish Environment Business Awards.
The leading environmental awards underlined the need for urgent action to address the environmental challenges currently faced as well as highlighting the potential business benefits which this can deliver.
This April, Autoinform LIVE will be returning north of the border, this time to Glasgow’s GTG Academy, bringing the UK’s biggest and best automotive training event back to garage owners and technicians in Scotland and the north of England.
Scottish fuel firm Carnegie Fuels typically delivers to farms, industrial areas and residential properties that can often only be accessed on rocky off-road terrain – putting the 6×2 rigid tanker fleet’s fitments at an increased risk of stone cuts and ingress.
Following a visit from one of Michelin’s Technical Managers, Dan Lamb, last summer, owner Kevin Carnegie agreed to trial sets of Michelin X Works D drive axle tyres and XZY3 steer and tag axle fitments on two of his 13 delivery vehicles.
M M Auto Services, a Dingbro Ltd customer and member of the Servicesure Autocentre network, has received Car Leasing Bargain’s ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ for the second year in a row. The award recognises its innovative approach to vehicle sales. Owner Murdo MacIntosh decided to diversify the aftermarket independent business by selling new cars. The Dundee garage sold 38 vehicles through its ‘virtual forecourt’ in the past year, covering vehicles from a range of 11 different manufacturers.
Engine decontamination specialist, EDT Automotive – now in its fifth year of trading – is looking to replicate its runaway success within the English market in Scotland for 2018. Having already treated over 45,000 vehicles since the company launched, according to founder David Holmes, things are now gathering pace north of the border: “Ian Stubbs, our regional director for the North, joined at the start of the year and our first machine (in Scotland) went live just before Christmas. Since then we have had enquiries from Scottish garages who have heard about our machine and what we do.
The Parts Alliance Garage programme Servicesure has yet another award winner J R Auto Services. They took home the prestigious ‘Best Tradesmen’ award at the Perth and Kinross regional ceremony in this year’s Scotlands Business Awards, held at the Huntingtower Hotel, Perth on 12 November.
Carbon Clean, the revolutionary engine decarbonising system that works with tap water, has further expanded its network with the recent appointment of Kolborta Ltd as a Carbon Clean Engineer.
SGDetailing in Livingston has been appointed as the sole AlloyGator distributor in Scotland with the aim to build a close personal working relationship with Scottish fitters. As a result of the announcement, all existing Scottish trade accounts will now be able to order AlloyGator’s wheel protection system directly through AlloyGator Scotland.
Stevie Galloway, owner of SGDetailing and AlloyGator Scotland, said: “I’ve been an approved AlloyGator trainer and fitter for two years so I see first-hand the benefits to motorists of having AlloyGators fitted to their vehicles.
Demand for larger tyre sizes continues to increase, and Michelin intends to better equip its Dundee factory for their production through a project being implemented at a total cost of £16.5 million. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday that Michelin’s own investment will be supported by a £4.5 million Environmental Protection Grant from Scottish Enterprise.
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