Truck Tyres
The Qingdao Doublestar Tire Industrial Co., Ltd., which is based in Qingdao (Shandong province), is one of several Chinese tyre manufacturers undergoing strong expansion. The company was founded in 1996 and belongs to the Double Star group that mainly produces the Doublestar brand, but also a secondary brand called Huaqing.
Continental Tire North America plans to raise prices for US market tyre lines, including Continental and General brand passenger car and light truck tyres, by up to 6 per cent. The price increases will take effect on October 1.
The company reportedly attributes the price hike to the industry’s usual suspects – an escalation in transportation and raw material costs, including natural rubber.
Tym International has continually improved its truck tyre sales in the last five years, by an average of 41 per cent. This year the company proudly boasts that Triangle brand sales are already up 72 per cent on 2006. Another key part of the company’s offering is its range of Matador truck tyres, which company representatives say can be sold on “name, reputation and quality.” The Matador portfolio starts from the 205/75R17.5 through to 385/65R22.5. The company produces three patterns on most sizes in both drive and steer fitments to meet the needs of customers.
Four years ago, Tym International was invited to discuss importing products produced by the Triangle Tyre Corporation. Like Matador, Triangle’s range is said to be comprehensive to the needs of the UK.
TYM is the only UK company to sign a three-year agreement for 2007, 2008 and 2009. Steve Eke (General Manager) informed Tyres & Accessories: “We at TYM International are continually impressed with the level of commitment Triangle has and with that and the depth of knowledge they have on their products, it is no surprise that the company, indeed the whole of the Chinese economy, is thriving the way it is.”
Maxxis is continuing to put its 22.5 inch truck tyres through a rigorous testing programme, working with a number of leading UK fleets to establish performance and PPK (pence per kilometre) figures and casing value. “We’re another year down the line with our road tests and the results to date have been extremely positive, exceeding our expectations in a number of areas,” says Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.
“When we launch the full range, Maxxis truck tyres will compare favourably with the current market leaders by offering operators quality, reliability and value for money, and we should be able to report more in the not too distant future.”
The Maxxis range of 22.5 inch tyres is available in steer, drive and trailer applications in sizes 10R22.5, 11R22.5, 12R22.5, 275/80R22.5, 295/80R22.5, 315/80R22.5 and 385/65R22.5.
The degree of individualisation that goes into commercial vehicles selling for six-figure sums is much higher than for passenger cars. In the world’s largest truck assembly plant, the Mercedes Benz facility in the German town of Wörth, more than 100,000 vehicles are manufactured during the course of a year, and not a single one has an identical twin. One component affected by the uniqueness of each vehicle is the tyre. When ordering a new truck the freight forwarder or fleet operator can select what tyre he would like to see fitted to his new acquisition. In the past such a choice formed an integral part of each purchase and led to the situation where Michelin held enormous quantities of shares in a number of truck manufacturers, in some cases to the extent that supply amounted to “single sourcing.”
In recent times this situation has become much less pronounced, and this shift was accompanied by Michelin declaring a change in strategy at the Commercial Vehicle IAA in 2004, indicating that they wished to shift their focus more towards the aftermarket business. Nevertheless, Michelin remains the undisputed market leader in Europe (see chart). Today, Peter Matzke (Continental’s global head of Original Equipment Truck Tires) estimates the proportion of consumers desiring a particular brand of tyre for a tractor unit or bus at somewhere between 10 and 20 per cent. This figure varies from one brand of truck to another and is also affected on whether the vehicle is intended for long distance, suburban or off the road use.
Despite reporting first half operating profits below analysts’ estimates, (860 million euros, up 34 per cent instead of 910 million euros, up 41 per cent), Deutsche Bank has described Michelin’s first half financials as “good.” They see the difference as mostly attributable to adverse raw material price fluctuations between semesters and as a result are predicting a better than expected second half. Therefore the bank has left its full-year operating profit projections for the company at 1.72 billion euros, up 30 per cent, which equates to a high 10 per cent of sales.
Looking further ahead, the analysts pointed to the 19 per cent margin achieved by Michelin’s specialty tyres division, which was loss making four years ago. According to the analysts, this is a “good indication of what truck tyres can achieve in the future.”
As fuel prices continue to increase, resourceful fleet operators are seeking ways to offset their rising costs. One answer is to make more efficient use of fuel to lower the cost per kilometre driven, which is where tyre design has a significant influence. Although on paper tyres only appear to constitute a nominal proportion (3 per cent) of the operating costs of a 40-tonne truck in Europe, the choice of tyre directly influences both fuel costs (17 per cent) and maintenance/repair costs (9 per cent) – so ‘tyre-dependent’ operating costs in fact total 29 per cent.
For a truck tyre to contribute to the operating economy of a fleet, it must of course be maintained at the correct pressure to achieve optimum fuel consumption and ensure low casing wear for long service life. More significantly, it must possess low rolling resistance. An it is this area that has received renewed attention Continental Truck Tyres product development teams.
In contrast with some other premium manufacturers Bridgestone’s 2006 and first half 2007 sales both grew 1 – 2 per cent. According to Bridgestone UK’s commercial sales director, Greg Ward, the key to the company’s continued growth in the mature market is consistency and continuity. From his perspective, the recent news that the company has retained the Ryder contract for another three years is case in point. (In this instance Bridgestone beat off early competition from another competitor to retain the 10-year long working relationship it has with the Ryder fleet). “If the second half is as good as the first half, I will be delighted,” added Ward.
Most sources agree that the influence and volume of Chinese products grew during 2006, but at the same time premium manufacturers like Bridgestone appear unfazed by their rapid growth. In response to the question of increased competition from the Far East Greg Ward commented: “Chinese & Budget brands may be trialling their products on fleets, but the biggest, most professional fleets need professional service providers in addition to tyres. The Truck Point Network is a real winner in this respect.” In addition, the recent US recall situation should be take as a warning, Ward added.
Derbyshire based Pneu-Logic Ltd., now a subsidiary of Advanced ID Corporation, has entered into a strategic partnership with Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK to provide Pneu-Logic Fleet Management System (EFM) products in the United Kingdom under the Goodyear Dunlop brand name. This latest agreement reflects Advanced ID’s current global activities, which has seen the company present Goodyear Dunlop EFM in Europe, the US and Australia. Advanced ID also report that they have received strong signs of interest from Asia and the Middle East.
According to a Goodyear Dunlop press release from the recent CV show in Birmingham, “Goodyear Dunlop EFM is a result of the strategic partnership with Pneu-Logic, manufacturers of hardware and software solutions for transport operators. Goodyear Dunlop UK began using Pneu-Logic equipment in 2006, and following the success of the initial trial, the tyre giant has chosen to launch a version of the system under its own brand name, tailored for the specific needs of Goodyear Dunlop customers.” The tyremaker intends to use these units in the UK and across Europe to collect tyre tread and pressure data from vehicles on their key fleets.
Much has changed since Tyres & Accessories first met the then fledging Giti Tire Europe team at the 2006 Essen Show. Now, more than a year later, the staff count has doubled with the addition of some high profile executives; and sales are up 30 per cent year-on-year. When Tyres & Accessories met up with Giti Tire Europe’s UK, North & East Europe, and Russia sales director, Richard Lyons; and marketing manager Europe, Peter Foulkes, news of the Giti Assist truck service programme and the company’s new Heifei factory were top of the agenda. But these expansion plans are only the beginning, and the word is that an extensive new marketing programme is underway, with a rack full of new product releases scheduled for next year.
Ryder has awarded Bridgestone UK and its Truck Point network partners a new three-year contract. Under the arrangement, Bridgestone UK will supply new replacement and original equipment tyres, Qualitread retread truck tyres and tyre services though its national Truck Point service network.
Greg Ward, Bridgestone UK Commercial Director, said: “We are delighted that Ryder have awarded Bridgestone and Truck Point a new three year contract. We have been in partnership for over ten years and the new contract extends this even further. We share the same beliefs and hold the same values, the new contract is a great vote of confidence in our products and services.”
China’s official quality control body has disclosed the disturbing statistic that 14.3 per cent of Chinese made truck tyre inner tubes it recently tested for safety failed to meet the predetermined criteria. According to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, 51 truck tyres and tyre tubes produced by 30 companies were tested, and while all 37 of the tested tyres passed muster, one-seventh of tubes were found to be sub-standard.
“The tensile strength of some tyre tubes did not meet standard and were inclined to burst when the trucks ran on roads,” reported a General Administration spokesperson, who added that the tyre tubes tested were exclusively domestic market products and none were destined for export.
(Akron/Tire Review) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has certified Goodyear’s medium truck tyres featuring its Fuel Max Technology for use on SmartWay-eligible trucks. Goodyear said its medium radials with Fuel Max Technology can improve truck fuel efficiency by 4 per cent, and when used with other SmartWay-qualified components, each truck can produce savings of up to 4,000 gallons per year, or more than $11,000 annually. Goodyear’s Fuel Max line includes steer, drive and trailer tyres and retreads.
“Obviously we’re pleased that these Goodyear tyres are recognised for their fuel-efficiency by the EPA,” said Steve McClellan, vice president, commercial tyre systems. “We’ve enhanced fuel economy in our platform of line- haul tyres, so this is a win-win for our customers and the environment.”
Goodyear tyres featuring Fuel Max Technology include the Unisteel G395 LHS steer tyre, Unisteel G305 LHD drive tyre and Unisteel G316 LHT trail tyre in standard (11R22.5) and low-profile (295/75R22.5 and 285/75R24.5) sizes. Goodyear also offers UniCircle and precure retreading with Fuel Max Technology.
Double Coin tyres are produced by Shanghai Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd., the oldest tyre manufacturer in China – the company was established in Shanghai in the early 1930s as a manufacturer of rubber products and tyres. In its current form the company was established in 1992 when two tyre factories based in Shanghai were merged (Shanghai Ta Chung Hua Rubber Factory and Shanghai Tsen Tai Rubber Factory). This 75 per cent state-owned company, located on the outskirts of Shanghai, mainly manufactures all-steel radial truck tyres, bias-ply truck tyres, radial as well as diagonal light truck tyres and agricultural tyres.
According to the manufacturer approximately 350 different tyre specifications are available. Products are marketed in 80 different countries and are DOT- and E-marked for export markets; they also carry a CCC mark (China Compulsory Certification) for the local market. The two brands the tyre manufacturer is primarily known for are Double Coin and Warrior. These brands are well received on both European and Chinese tyre markets.
Continental has made a new addition to their Passenger & Light Truck Tire division’s press team. Starting July 1 was new international press officer Ansgar Wilkendorf (48). Wilkendorf’s main duties are coordinating activities between headquarters and the international market organisations for passenger and light truck tyres and providing assistance in the day-to-day business.
“I am very much looking forward to this new challenge with a leading German tyre manufacturer,” said Wilkendorf. In the past fourteen years he worked as a motoring journalist, since 2002 as editor-in-chief of a major European magazine reporting on the automotive world. Trained as a motor mechanic, Wilkendorf’s life has revolved around motor vehicles, and he is thus well acquainted with the needs of the groups he will be working with. As international press officer, Wilkendorf reports to the head of Public Relations – Passenger and Light Truck Tire, Alexander Lührs.
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