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‘Car Dealers Ignoring Profit Opportunity’ Says Group Tyre

Those car dealers not offering a tyre replacement and fitting service are passing up a golden profit opportunity by not offering a one-stop service for fleet, business and private users, believes Group Tyre (UK).

Chairman John Church points out that dealerships are seeing their traditionally profitable sales opportunities, such as optional extras and accessory sales, being steadily eroded, as more and more vehicles leave the factory with higher specifications and features fitted as standard. Add to this the fact that service intervals are growing ever longer and it is easy to see that opportunities for profits are becoming more difficult to find.

13th September 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

“One-Fifth of Fleet Cars Have Unsafe Tyres” – Kwik-Fit

Mobile tyre safety checks on company cars and vans, instigated by fleet managers and carried out by Kwik-Fit technicians, reveal that around 20 per cent of vehicles “require attention”.

Typical findings include tyres that are wrongly inflated, the tread depth may be close to, or below, the legal minimum, tyre wear may be irregular, indicating alignment problems, or the sidewall may be damaged. The analysis is based on a month of safety checks – in a typical month, some 490 site visits are made, with 22,500 vehicles inspected.

12th September 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Maccess Acquires ADS

International Automotive Distributors Limited (IAD) has acquired the ADS business unit of Unipart Automotive.

Trading as Maccess, the company currently has 14 locations across the UK and will gain a further five sites from ADS. This coordination of resources has been done to improve product availability and offer, as well as delivery service levels to customers of both businesses.

6th September 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Remy Automotive Country Manager

Automotive parts manufacturer Remy Automotive UK Ltd. has appointed Michael Flensborg (43) as Country Manager for the UK and Ireland. He succeeds Managing Director Tim Rahill, who left the company at the end of August.

Danish-born Mr. Flensborg joins the UK operation from the Remy Automotive European sales team, where he has been responsible for the development of the Scandinavian and Baltic markets for the past six years, plus the recent successful launch of Remy into the Russian market.

2nd September 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Is e-Commerce Growing in Popularity?

10 years after the “dot-com” boom and bust, e-commerce technology is increasingly moving into the mainstream. Government statistics compiled at the end of 2004 show that 69 per cent of UK firms are now using broadband and that 30 per cent of micro businesses are trading online.

Furthermore when these numbers were calculated, the proportion of smaller businesses with websites went up 16 per cent compared with the previous year, bringing the total to 73 per cent. In the same period the number of businesses that saw the benefits of e-technology rose from 8 per cent to 53 per cent.

With this in mind Tyres & Accessories would like ask its readers what they think. How much of your business is handled using e-commerce technology? Click here to state your views.

31st August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Distribution Channels

The discussion of tyre distribution channels continues in the October issue of Tyres & Accessories, but this time on a more international level. How do the methods by which companies get their tyres to market differ on a European level, and can the UK tyre industry learn anything from studying other markets’ dealer to end user relationship?

30th August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

GEA celebrates Employees’ Service

The GEA’s administration controller, Helen Kelly, celebrated 10 years with the UK association last month at its annual golf day. Originally working alongside John Nelson, chief executive of the GEA, who recently retired, she has been responsible, among other things, for organising the association’s annual dinner, which is usually held during the Commercial Vehicle and Automotive Trade Show. She now supports Dave Garratt who succeeded Nelson.

Rodney Stafford, immediate past president, and treasurer of the GEA, presented Kelly with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne at the GEA golf dinner and expressed his thanks on behalf of the GEA for her continued efforts and hard work.

Dave Garratt, chief executive of the GEA added, “I sincerely hope that in 10-years time we will be celebrating Helen’s 20th year with the GEA”.

26th August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone UK Sales Team Appointment

Bridgestone UK has added to its truck tyre sales team with the appointment of Paul Emery as Trade Sales Manager (South). He replaces Terry Slater, who has become Bridgestone’s new retread business development manager.

In his new position, Mr Emery will manage a team of five salesmen and will be responsible for all Bridgestone’s truck and bus tyre sales in the southern half of the UK. He will report to head of truck sales, Julie Plumb.

23rd August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

New Deterrent for Car Thieves

The very latest device in the battle against the car thieves has been launched by security specialists, Autolok. Developed from the Autolok 2000, the new Autolok 2000 Plus incorporates the latest security technology and new user friendly features.

16th August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Training Team Receives Boost

Bridgestone has appointed Paul Turner to the role of technical training manager in the UK, replacing Steve Howat who has taken up a similar role at Bridgestone Europe. Paul Turner has more than 21 years’ experience in the tyre industry, and has worked for Bridgestone UK for more than a decade in a variety of roles ranging from sales office supervisor to technical engineer, where he ran the company’s RFT (run-flat technology) dealership certifying courses.

11th August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Pressure Monitor (UK) Signs Distribution Deal

Tyre Pressure Monitor (UK) Ltd. has signed an exclusive deal with Automotive Aftermarket Products, of Coral Springs, Florida, for the distribution of the “Quik-Chek” Tire Pressure Monitor for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

When the tyre has been inflated to the desired pressure, Quik Chek fits on to the tyre valve. To check pressure, the button on the Quik Chek is depressed and a colour-code indicates whether the tyre is at the correct pressure, or over- or under-inflated. It works at pressures from 20-44 p.s.i. (1.4- 3.0 bar).

8th August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

New Kayaba UK Website

Kayaba has revamped its website, giving it a fresh, user-friendly look. It is divided into two sections – one for mechanics and one for distributors – and the latter section features an online version of Kayaba’s 2005 shock absorber catalogue, plus company information, press releases and product information.

5th August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

New Vans for Viking

UK wholesaler, Viking International, has invested more than £500,000 in distribution by replacing 34 of its vehicles with new Mercedes Sprinters vans for its nine warehouse distribution centres.

This investment further strengthens its fleet that already consists of 100 vehicles. Mike Curry, managing director for Viking International, explained: “We need to guarantee at all times that our customers get the best possible service and that means we have to continually invest in our company.

“These vans are our face to the customer and they cover considerable distances each year. It is essential that they remain in top condition to ensure that we can continue to maintain our reputation for service delivery.”

3rd August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Snap-on Announce Growth in Profits

Snap-on Incorporated, parent company of UK companies UK Equipment, Snap-on Tools and Sun Diagnostics, has just announced a 20 per cent rise in second quarter pre-tax profits to US$ 26.6 million.

Jack Michaels, Snap-on’s CEO commented on the company’s goals: “We continue to believe that by placing urgent emphasis on improved customer responsiveness, and maintaining our strong heritage of product quality, performance and innovation, we can substantially strengthen our brands’ global appeal.”

“These results demonstrate that our corporation continues to deliver profitable growth in a very competitive business environment”, said Brian O’Sullivan, general manager UK Equipment. “In recent years Snap-on has invested heavily in new product design and the rewards for this can be seen in the continuing improvement in the companies fortunes”.

3rd August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

TIC Introduce Training Award

The Tyre Industry Council has announced the implementation of a new training award set up in association with technical service provider Entyrety.

The award will form a part of the council’s tyre safety scheme established two years ago, and has been instigated to recognise and reward those companies operating within the UK industry that make a “positive commitment to improving the quality of their in-house training programmes.”

2nd August 2005/by Tyrepress Editors