September will see the launch of Tyrexpo Africa 2006 – the only independent tyre trade event focusing on every aspect of the tyre industry – which will take place from 12 to 14 September at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. Look out for full coverage in Tyres & Accessories magazine and online services over the coming months.
(Akron/Tire Review) Tire-fill maker Arnco will provide its polyurethane flatproofing material to the American Commercial Tire Network (ACTN), a buying group representing a group of commercial tyre dealers. Founded in 1999, ACTN is an alliance of 17 independent commercial tyre dealers located in 41 states and with more than 75 retread plants and 320 service locations.
BIPAVER, the European Retread Manufacturers Association, has announced that it has taken substantial further steps towards Pan-European co-operation in the retreading industry following the Association’s General Assembly, held in May during the Reifen 2006 exhibition in Essen, Germany.
(Akron/Tire Review) Treadways Corp. has selected TireWare to provide business software solutions to independent tyre dealers through the company’s Treadmasters marketing program, slated for launch in July. TireWare will provide point-of-sale, wholesale and commercial software solutions to Treadways’ wholesale tyre dealers and associated retail dealers through the marketing program.
Retreads working in one of the most extreme applications imaginable – is this possible? In conjunction with its Italian partner Ghelardini, retreading specialist Kraiburg has proven that it is possible to marry up these two apparent opposites, and highly successfully. One fact that demonstrates this is that today virtually 80 per cent of all retreaded tyres used in the marble quarries in Carrara, Italy, run on Kraiburg compounds. And the customers are more than satisfied with the performance of these retreaded tyres.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the foundation of Summit Wheels & Tyres. The company was set up by Peter Summers and specialised in tyres and wheels for the industrial sector, notably fork lift trucks and skid steer; both replacement and OE.
Summit swiftly established itself as a major player in this specialised niche and developed a reputation for being able to supply unusual or hard-to-get products and to deliver these quickly and efficiently, using its own fleet of vehicles.
(Akron/Tire Review) With Ohio Governor Bob Taft on hand, Yokohama Tire Corp. dedicated its new 650,000-square-foot distribution center in Groveport, Ohio, near Columbus, yesterday. The new facility, Yokohama’s fourth distribution center in the US, will be fully operational in July and can hold some 1.2 million passenger and light truck/SUV tyres. The warehouse, which was finished to Yokohama’s specifications and is being leased, will service tyre dealers and other customers in the northeast.
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is accepting nominations for the 2006 Hall of Fame from April 30 to June 30, 2006. The Hall of Fame is open to individuals in the tyre industry, including manufacturers, inventors, publishers, equipment suppliers, tyre dealers, tyre and rubber recyclers, and retreaders. A new category that was added in 2005 for “Historical Contributors,” will be included again in 2006. This category recognizes those individuals who have been out of the industry for at least 20 years or more. These individuals may be retired, deceased, or may have begun their career in the tyre industry and moved on to a different industry.
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has announced the appointment of Peter Tye as Franchise Development Manager. This new role has been created to spearhead the company’s recently-announced move towards developing franchise opportunities in the vehicle servicing and tyre fitment market. Goodyear Dunlop is investing in its Hi-Q retail chain, and will complement the core of company-owned stores with a relaunched network of franchises, offering the consistent high standards to consumer and fleet customers across the UK. This follows the company’s decision to separate the Hi-Q and Truck Force businesses into two distinct business units in a strategic move to offer focused, dedicated service to satisfy the different needs of both markets.
Continental has today confirmed its plans to further expand the ContiNetwork beyond the UK through the appointment of Advance Pitstop as the ContiNetwork Partner responsible for the Republic of Ireland. This move facilitates ContiNetwork’s growth into Ireland and marks the second phase of increased geographical coverage – the first being the recent appointment of Modern Tyre Group in Northern Ireland.
(Australian Tyre Dealer) After a little over 14 months, King Wheels Australia Pty. Ltd. reports that its results keep getting better and better. Steel wheel sales are said to have “surpassed all expectations,” necessitating relocation to a much larger warehouse facility. Still based in Seven Hills, Brisbane the company’s new address is 6 Prince William Drive.
Bridgestone has underlined its commitment to educate tyre dealers and fitters about run-flat technology after registering a near 20 per cent increase in participants on its Run-Flat Certificate Programme. A total of 237 dealerships are now certified to replace run-flat tyres after completing the free training scheme – an 18.5 per cent increase in numbers in the first quarter of 2006.
“With a growing number of manufacturers fitting run-flat tyres as original equipment, its vital tyre technicians are up to speed about the technology,” said Paul Turner, Bridgestone UK’s technical training manager.
Kirkby Tyres operates from a three-acre site in Liverpool, close to John Lennon airport, and has grown to become one of the largest wheel and tyre wholesalers in Europe. For most of the UK, next working day delivery of stock items is the norm. The company has long-standing links with major players in the international tyre and wheel markets, which means that it can obtain products from a variety of sources.
The alloy wheel aftermarket in the UK has seen a number of changes over the past decade many of which are continuing today. If we go back 10 years, the majority of the wheels sold were sold by tyre dealers. Admittedly, not every tyre dealer felt comfortable selling alloys and many shied away from what they perceived as potential technical problems, but for those who did, it was a nice little earner. The market potential was not lost on the Auto Accessory stores and they began to make inroads.
What was worse from the tyre dealers’ viewpoint was that the Auto Accessory stores more often than not offered a wheel and tyre package, so not only was the tyre dealer losing the wheel sale, but the tyre sale as well. One of the people who supplied information for this article – and I pass on my thanks to those who contributed, whether they asked remain anonymous or not – estimated that nine out of 10 Auto Accessory store sales were wheel and tyre packages, with customers either fitting the wheels themselves, or going to local garages for fitment. Apart from the loss of business for tyre shops, fitting tyres at home offers potential for incorrect fitments, wrong sizes and so on.
It was back in January 2005 that Michelin launched its Michelin Accreditation Programme (MAP), aimed at recognising excellence in independent tyre dealers and raising standards of professionalism and customer services to the highest possible level. Then in February, MAP crossed the Irish Sea when Heffernan’s Tyres of Kildare became the first Michelin Accredited Centre (MAC) in the Irish Republic. Heffernan’s is a family-run business, founded in 1952 by Joe Heffernan and now run by Thomas Heffernan and his wife Linda.
The road to MAP accreditation is not an easy one – initially the Michelin Account Manager conducts a Gap Analysis, which essentially outlines the gap between the way the centre operates now and the standards required to become a MAC. When the centre believes that it has reached the required standards, a mystery shopper puts it to the test and, if this proves satisfactory, a full audit is carried out. Success in this leads to accreditation, but the story does not end there, as further mystery shops are carried out and, a year after accreditation, another full audit is conducted.
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