Galgo promotes retreading at the OSBMA annual workshop
Pre-Q Galgo Corporation promoted retreading at the annual OSBMA (Ohio School Bus Mechanics Association) workshop in Columbus, Ohio, on 3 October 2023.
Truck Tyres
Pre-Q Galgo Corporation promoted retreading at the annual OSBMA (Ohio School Bus Mechanics Association) workshop in Columbus, Ohio, on 3 October 2023.
Midland Tyre Group has made two senior leadership changes to its leadership team that the well-known Irish truck and off-road tyre supplier described as “pivotal”. Chris Parle, the company’s current chief operating officer (COO), is transitioning to the role of group commercial director, with a focus on training and regional business development. At the same time, Neil O’Gorman has been appointed as COO and is said to bring “extensive experience in driving operational excellence”.
Recently, Bridgestone stated that it will withdraw from the Chinese truck and bus radial (TBR) on 31 December 2023. Tyrepress China has learned that the tyre manufacturer’s TBR business in China’s replacement market will operate normally.
As the war in Ukraine continues, so do the Russian Army’s tyre problems. We have previously reported on the observations of military analysts that the Russian military has been let down by the combination of low-quality and very old tyres. More recently – and bizarrely – we learnt that presumably end-of-life tyres were being used as defensive camouflage for Russian air force jets. Now, the problem is just lack of supply.
Vaculug’s second Sustainable Thinking Fleet Forum of the year is officially sold out. Vaculug representative report that they are “excited to be hosting this exclusive event, as it demonstrates their commitment to promoting sustainability and driving positive change within the tyre industry and fleet management sector”.
Roads Minister Richard Holden has confirmed allocations for 64 local authorities across England from the £80 million investment in the Bus Service Improvement Plan+ (BSIP+) for 2024-25. Local authorities can use the funding to improve local buses by bringing in new services or routes, extending timetables through new morning or evening buses, or by making tickets cheaper.
On 30 August, the first tyre rolled off the production line in the second phase of the Thailand factory run by Huayi, which owns the Double Coin brand. Tyrepress China learned that the project’s second phase involves the production capacity of 300,000 all-steel radial tyres and officially started construction in March this year. If the second phase reaches capacity, the annual production capacity of Huayi’s Thailand factory will be increased to 1.5 million pieces.
The term resilient tyres refers to a particularly durable sub-segment of the industrial tyres business, but it also neatly highlights the strengths of the especially business-to-business-orientated material handling sector. While industry observers often highlight the consistency of the wider commercial vehicle segment – especially truck tyres – material handling tyres have also remained stable in the face of adversity and are arguably just as critical to business and therefore national economies. In addition, the turmoil of recent years has led to significant changes in the distribution and service side of the material handling tyre business. That’s why October’s issue takes a closer look at industrial tyres in general and material handling tyres in particular.
18 months ago, David Almazan joined the Bridgestone North Region as commercial business unit director. During that time the commercial vehicle sector in general as well as the UK fleet business proved their resilience and creativity and the market has experienced a number of shifts. Tyres & Accessories caught up with Almazan at the company’s relatively recently refurbished Warwickshire headquarters in order to find out more about how the leading tyremaker’s commercial vehicle strategy is evolving.
Michelin started retreading tyres back in 1923. In the years that followed, the process was refined and demand grew, with the Michelin Remix process (REmould, MIchelin, and X the designation for the French tyremaker’s radials) born in the 1960s. Demand for retreads continued to increase, leading to the expansion of production at the Stoke-on-Trent plant in 1968. Since then, around 30 million worn tyres have been remanufactured at the Michelin plants in Stoke-on-Trent, UK and Homburg, Germany. With around 10 million of those retreads manufactured at the Campbell Road, Stoke-on-Trent operation, Tyres & Accessories went to see the latest developments at the largest retreading facility in the UK and arguably one the most modern retreading facilities in Europe.
Enliten is now present in Firestone-branded products, with the Bridgestone technology featuring in the latest Firestone on-road regional truck tyre range. The line-up consists of the FS424 steer axle tyre, FD624 for the drive axle and FT524 trailer fitment, tyres that Firestone describes as “combining value for money with reliable performance.”
Yodel, one of the UK’s leading parcel carriers, has awarded a five-year tyre management contract to Halfords Commercial Fleet Services. Halfords Commercial Fleet Services’ position as the UK’s largest commercial service network with 104 depots and over 500 dedicated mobile vans was cited as a major factor behind decision.
Hamaton has launched a new TPMS sensor for trucks, trailers, and buses. The EU-Pro Truck 1.0 sensors are also available in the UK through the Tyresure brand.
Hawthorns Logistics, a family run business based in Washington, Sunderland, has signed a 12 month Pay-as-You-Go contract with Prometeon Tyre Group for the company’s entire fleet. The contract includes Prometeon’s central billing tool, PRO Management.
15 years after our first market share survey of its kind, and almost 10 years after we identified that “the UK truck tyre market is a five-horse race”, this month we’ve taken another look at the figures and spoken to sources close to the leading players in order to provide an up-to-date snapshot of what is going on in the UK truck tyre replacement market (see pages 14 to 31 of the September magazine).
This article is an example of the editorial comment that introduces every edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine. Not a subscriber? No problem, click here to become one.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.