Tyre Changing
Through its recent acquisitions of Beissbarth and SICAM, Bosch has enhanced its product range and now reports it can offer workshops a complete range of tyre service and wheel alignment equipment. Its latest release is a new garage equipment line-up that it says focuses upon "around the wheel" products.
Snap-on Equipment equipment recently became the first garage equipment manufacturer to gain independent, third-party authorisation to provide training courses for mounting and demounting run-flat and UHP tyres at its European Competence Centre in Pfungstadt, Germany. WDK, the Association of the German Rubber Industry, provided the authorisation, which included certification of turntable and roller-type tyre changers.
Snap-on Equipment, Europe’s leading manufacturer of garage equipment, offers a comprehensive range including tyre changers and wheel balancers. Products under the Hofmann and John bean brands include entry-level machines that are ideal for low-volume workshops, through to top-of-the-range equipment for high-volume fast fit operations.
Less than 42,000 tyre changers and wheel balancers were sold across the seven leading European markets in 2008. A new report by LEO-Impact Consulting GmbH found that market volumes in this part of the garage equipment sector varied from -4.9 per cent to +0.2 per cent in the seven markets surveyed (Germany, France, Italy, UK, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux), but were down 2.7 per cent on average compared with 2007. UK market volumes were the forth largest after Germany, France and Italy. According to the report, the most important players (in alphabetical order are: Cemb, Guilano, Nexion, Samio, Sican (Bosch), Snap-On and Werther. However, there are a lot of regional and a few overseas competitors.
The latest generation John Bean, Hofmann and Boxer automatic tyre changers – the Quadriga 1000 and Quadriga 1 – are ready for their market launch. These changers from the three Snap-on Equipment brands offer fully automated mounting and demounting and are amongst the first changers of this type to come with certification from the ‘wdk’, Germany’s rubber industry association.
Snap-on reports that the changer offers outstanding dynamic procedures along with controlled power and accuracy and consequently; therefore, it says, optimum results are guaranteed as all operations, especially bead braking, are accomplished efficiently and without harm to tyre and rim.
In news out of Germany, Snap-on Equipment has become the first garage equipment manufacturer to have its training centre courses authorised by the country’s rubber industry association, the wdk (Wirtschaftsverband der deutschen Kautschukindustrie). The company’s European Competence Centre of Snap-on Equipment, located near Frankfurt am Main, has been authorised to conduct training courses related to the mounting and demounting of UHP and run-flat tyres in line with wdk requirements.
A prerequisite for wdk authorisation, notes Snap-on, was professional training rooms and workshops equipped with at least two wdk-certified turntable and roller-type tyre changers. The European Competence Centre is equipped with several certified tyre changers of these types; tyre/wheel assemblies, tyres and training materials are also available.
Snap-on Diagnostics has appointed Julian Woods as Under Car Product Lead with specific responsibility for Snap-on’s recently introduced new workshop equipment range. In his new role, Julian will be responsible for the new Snap-on range of lifts, tyre changers, wheel balancers and wheel aligners which were introduced in January this year as a result of strong customer demand. Snap-on Diagnostics’ VOSA-approved Sun VIC 3000 ATL Automatic Test Lane has now been added to the under car range and this now also becomes Julian’s responsibility.
The retreading market is – just like the new tyre market – highly diversified. A retreading market segment that usually doesn’t automatically spring to mind, even though it offers retreaders good sales opportunities and kudos aplenty, is motorsports. It is this specific market segment that the leading Portuguese retreader, R31, with focusing on with its “Fedima” retreading brand. Furthermore, as the company’s German distribution partner points out, Fedima – a Bridgestone Qualitread retreading partner – has in particular acquired a reputation for its 4×4 and light truck tyre retreads for road and off-road applications. R31, or rather Fedima, as the company is usually and simply called, continues to invest into these market segments.
Garage equipment specialist The Trade Group has introduced a new selection of wheel care equipment to its Trademaster range, including a new fully automatic tyre changer and a wheel balancer, designed in conjunction with Hofmann Megaplan. The company is a major distributor for Hofmann Megaplan and Beissbarth wheel care products in the UK, and is introducing new products to complement its range. Its Trademaster selection now contains products to suit many sizes of garage and tyre shop.
Representative of The Trade Group Steve Bullworthy explained the roles of the new additions: “The new Trademaster T2510 fully automatic tyre changer is designed to offer performance combined with versatility. An air operated tilt back column speeds set-up time whilst the turntable offers 24” clamping to accommodate the biggest wheels. If you need to deal with stiff, low profile or run-flat tyres there is a powerful, pneumatically operated robotic arm, T2510/1, which can be supplied initially or retro-fitted.
Ranger Products has announced that the launch of its new range of “robust and reliable” tyre changers and wheel balancers will be accompanied by a special team of installation and after sales demonstration engineers. The company believes that “a lot of the problems workshops have when they buy wheel service equipment for the first time is that personnel do not know how to use the equipment correctly.” It hopes that by offering additional technical advance, workshops will experience fewer problems with fitting and balancing modern tyres and wheels.
Based in the Hampshire town of Alton, Ranger Products provides nationwide service from its depots in the north and south of England.
Parts supplier Unipart Automotive has teamed up with market leading garage equipment manufacturers to launch the latest edition of Megawisebuys offering vehicle workshops, body shops and commercial vehicle operators added-value deals on quality capital and mobile equipment.
Some of the deals in the March/April edition include: A free remote control handset with any set of Stertil Koni mobile column lifts ordered in March or April along with a free two-year warranty on the FORCE30 two post three tonne hydraulic lift from Maywood; a free set of high lift pads with the Bradbury 2903CD 2 post 3 tonne mechanical lift; a free Karcher domestic pressure washer (inc accessories) with selected Karcher hot & steam pressure washers along with a free hose storage trolley with selected Karcher cold washers for a limited period only.
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A full product range should include something for every requirement and budget, and Rema Tip Top reports that its workshop equipment line-up includes run-flat solutions spanning the spectrum from entry level to high end solutions that will keep even the most demanding workshop happy.
The Butler Topline tyre changer is a superb introductory machine, reports Rema Tip Top. It adds that this unit represents an intelligent evolution to the award winning Airdraulic and Aircombi tyre changers. One of the new standard features on the Topline is the ‘safety belt’, which has been developed to reduce the mounting stress particularly whilst fitting low profile, UHP and self supporting tyres, thus preventing damage to any part of the tyre or rim.
John Bean and Hofmann, brands within Snap-on Equipment, have unveiled their new cabinet designs and equipment overhauls for the company’s ranges of wheel aligners, balancers and tyre changers. Hofmann has redesigned its high specification monty 3300 racing tyre changer, in order to allow it to handle run-flat and ultra high profile (UHP) tyres, while the John Bean range of aligners now features ergonomically designed cabinet fittings.
Correggio, Italy-based Corghi are no strangers to innovation and adaptability. From building the world’s first fully-automated tyre changer – 2001’s Artiglio Master – the company has also specialised in a “Blue Light” vision system, which allows the engineer to interact with the wheel, balancing it from a touch screen monitor. The company also specialises in motorsport, supplying exclusively Ferrari workshops and the official tyre changer for the World Rally Championship (Artiglio 50).
Founded in 1954 by brothers Remo and Erminio, Corghi has strived to be at the forefront of its sector, especially from 1960 – the year in which the two Corghi brothers invented and patented the world’s first tyre changer. Corghi continued its development in this field, arriving at a position of leadership in the market for specialised tyre equipment. Now the firm boasts a wide range of products including automatic tyre changers, wheel balancers, wheel aligners, lifts, testing lines and applications for diagnostics, as well as many other products in the sphere of workshop equipment.
Antwerp, Belgium-based tyre changer manufacturer DQN – Du Quesne is going into its 80th anniversary year with its Pro-Fit and Trident machinery. The company believes that the duo, when used together, represents an excellent solution for “effortless mounting and demounting of low-profile and runflat tyres.”
While the company has offered the Pro-Fit in the past, its newly designed and patented accompanying tool, the Trident, should aid the mounting and demounting process for the most rigid tyres. The Trident is placed under the rim edge when pushing down the upper bead with the helping arm. Then, as the wheel rotates, the tool automatically fixes itself into position and the bead is guided – without other intervention – into the rim base, no matter the resistance of the tyre.
Next September’s Brityrex exhibition in Manchester has got off to a flying start with some of the best-known names in tyres, workshop equipment and accessories committing to exhibit at the UK’s only dedicated tyre trade event. Among those making an early decision to support the show are tyre manufacturers Toyo Tires and Uniroyal truck tyres, together with two of the UK’s leading tyre wholesalers, BITS and Kings Road Tyres.
Brityrex09 will take place from the 22-24 September 2009 at Manchester Central, formerly known as G-Mex. The show is sponsored by the NTDA, who will stage its highly popular Annual Dinner and TAFF Awards presentation as part of the event, on the evening of 23 September.
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