Representatives of Cooper Tires and Toyo Tires have respectively confirmed they’ll not exhibit at this year’s The Tire Cologne, as previously planned. Their decisions come as governments across Europe announce rigorous measures to delay the spread of coronavirus and reduce its impact wherever possible. Michelin announced its withdrawal as exhibitor last week.
Although Angela Merkel predicted this week that up to 70 per cent of all Germans could catch coronavirus, people there are responding to the risk in very different ways. This can be clearly seen in plans for two automotive shows.
According to the latest information on its website, preparations for The Tire Cologne “are continuing as planned according to the current status for the determined date.” But the tyre trade show has been dealt a further blow in addition to restrictions on large gatherings that were announced yesterday. One of the largest names in the tyre industry has decided against exhibiting due to the risk posed by coronavirus.
No comment yet from organiser Koelnmesse, so perhaps it is too early to speculate on the fate of this year’s The Tire Cologne. Officially it is business with usual, with around 600 companies and brands expected to display their wares between 9 and 12 June. But with the show just three months’ away, Koelnmesse must decide its response to a new decree that restricts large events.
In order to assure the “health, safety and well-being” of all in attendance, the organiser of Tire Technology Expo has announced special attendance requirements for year’s show.
Anyone searching for Superior Industries Europe’s stand at next year’s The Tire Cologne will look in vain. The wheel manufacturer says it won’t exhibit at the trade show. Gerald Steinmann, Superior Industries’ director of marketing and e-commerce for the aftermarket, explains why.
The biennial Autopromotec trade fair will next take place in May 2021, and will be held over just four days instead of the traditional five. The dropping of a show day is one of several changes in format the organiser has announced.
The latest Davanti Tyres project, the Protoura Sport, made its Far East debut at CITExpo in August. We caught up with Michael Eckert, sales director for mainland Europe, at the show. He told us that Davanti was currently testing the Protoura Sport prior to submitting the tyre to product certification firm IDIADA. “Volume production will probably then start before the end of this year, and the first Protoura Sport tyres should arrive in Europe in March or April 2020.”
Tyres & Accessories has attended and participated in the China International Tire Expo (CITExpo) for much of its 16 years. During this time, we’ve witnessed the trade fair’s evolution in a changing tyre market, and did so again in August when we returned to the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center for this year’s show.
The organisers of The Tire Cologne are feeling pleased with themselves. Not only is 70 per cent of the next show’s exhibitor floorspace already booked and rented a good nine months before it begins, the exhibitor list includes all five of the world’s leading tyre makers.
Ceat Specialty will launch two new agricultural tyres at the Agritechnica 2019 show in November, the Ceat Torquemax for high-powered tractors and the Ceat Yieldmax combine harvester tyre.
The latest Davanti project – Protoura Sport – will make its Eastern debut at CITExpo in Shanghai. After appearances at Autopromotec and Automechanika Dubai, the developmental UHP tyre will be on display at the show to give Davanti partners in China, the Far East and Australasia an opportunity to take a closer look and ask the team more about their plans for the product.
Despite trade disputes and tariffs, China remains interesting for tyre distributors and buyers around the world. Furthermore, China’s tyre market itself stands to benefit from future growth in the country’s automotive aftermarket. Although the 28 million new cars sold in China last year represented a three per cent decrease on 2017 sales figures, the number of vehicles requiring replacement tyres will continue on an upward trajectory over the coming years. Against this backdrop, the China International Tire Expo (CITExpo) positions itself as an ideal trade fair for international and domestic visitors alike.
Autopromotec 2019 has opened with reports of a 4.4 per cent increase in the number of exhibitors. At the same time, total surface amounts to 162,000 square metres, 4,000 square metres larger than the last Autopromotec event in 2017. More than 1,650 companies are exhibiting and the share of non-Italian companies is 43 per cent, from 53 different countries.
Bridgestone will return to construction and mining trade fair Bauma in 2019, presenting a selection of tyres, industrial products and targeted solutions developed for the industry. Bridgestone produces tyres for the world’s largest mining trucks, and will display one of these four-metre-tall tyres, the largest in the world, on its stand, alongside several new products.
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