The national tyre safety month campaign being arranged by TyreSafe for October, has received support from the Forecourt Division of the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers, formerly GarageWatch. The organisation represents the independent forecourt sector with some 6,400 forecourts throughout the UK.
Johnson Controls, parent company of Varta, recently commissioned a survey to test trade awareness of starter battery brands. The survey was carried out by one of Europe’s most respected market research companies and covered eight European markets. 150 garages were selected randomly in each market and there was a 92 per cent response rate.
VB Automotive Batteries Ltd. is the UK subsidiary for the Varta brand of Johnson Controls, the world’s largest automotive battery manufacturer, with over 1,000 locations worldwide. Effective 1st October 2007, VB Automotive Batteries Ltd. will change its name to Johnson Controls Batteries Limited.
Fast and furious rally driving prizes are up for grabs in the final quarter’s promotion from Viking International for its private tyre brands Viking, Gislaved and Barum Tyres. Each rally driving experience is for two people and is available at a number of locations across the UK. On the day, winners will begin with an introductory briefing session from an experienced instructor then take their place behind the wheel and put into practice some of the skills used by professional rally drivers to power slide around the track as quickly and safely as possible. There will be three pairs of tickets and dealers will be automatically entered into the promotion, running from 1st September until 30th November 2007.
Rema Tip Top UK Ltd are working with K-Tools International Limited to supply the UK and Irish automotive market with a superb array of impact tools from Taiwanese manufacturer Kuani.
Cliff Jones, Rema Tip Top UK Ltd, stated: “It is this emphasis on quality and affordability which our well informed customers recognise. Continued and repeat purchasing of this brand, allied to the fact that this is one of our fastest moving lines bears complete testament to the success of the Kuani tools and the excellent support of our business colleagues, K-Tools International Limited.”
Bus and Commercial vehicle maintenance facilities around the country are facing increased demand to follow the manufacturers’ recommended specifications on a wide range of bus and chassis components and sub systems. In response to a number of potentially catastrophic events, proper wheel tightening has become a critical procedure. Thanks to Chicago Pneumatic and its BlueTork range of tools – the name comes from ‘Blueprint’ and ‘Torque’ – workshops can now service vehicles back to their original, blueprint torque specification.
According to the company, the BlueTork range is the most advanced family of fastening tools in the industry and takes over where standard impacts and ratchets stop. The range offers torque-limiting (shut-off) impact tools, vibration-free, low-noise pneumatic and electric nut runners as well as wheel assembly machines. It also includes torque and angle measuring equipment, computer controlled tightening wrenches and precision measuring tools.
The European Commission has moved to ensure that car manufacturers will provide technical information about car repairs to all independent garages in the European Union. According to a Dow Jones report, the decision will legally bind DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, General Motors and Fiat to change their business practices and share technical repair information equally with branded and independent garages.
Vredestein (UK) Ltd managing director, Bert Stellinga, left the company on Friday 7 September. According to company officials, there are no plans to appoint an acting managing director and are no immediate candidates for the newly vacated position. Tyre & Accessories understands sales and administrative roles will be headed up from within the existing team while a suitable replacement is found.
After 46 years in the OTR Tyre industry Geoff Bradburn is to retire at the end of September 2007. Bradburn worked on some key accounts Bridgestone’s OTR business, including Ainscough crane, McAlpines, Foster Yeoman, to name a few that Geoff has had account management and responsibility for in his long career.
Commenting on his career and pending retirement, John McNaught, Bridgestone UK MD said: “Geoff has made a great contribution to Bridgestone OTR dept his commitment, professionalism, and dedication to his accounts makes him one of the best in the business, we wish him well in his retirement.”
In motor racing, accurate torque control of threaded fasteners is vital and the dangers of under- or over-tightening these are self evident. The driver needs the confidence to be able to push the car to the limit and the workshop has to have faith in the design integrity of each single component.
Norbar Torque wrenches have long been the tools of choice for the Triple 8 team, the company behind VX Racing – the most successful team in the history of the British Car Touring Championship. Says chief mechanic Martin Ellis: “We use a number of Norbar Torque wrenches here, ranging from the ¼” drives for the small suspension and gearbox sub-assemblies, right up to 1″ wrench that we use for the suspension bearings.
A unique opportunity has arisen for a computer literate salesperson to develop their career at Tyres & Accessories. T&A is seeking to appoint a creative and motivated individual to join the team and help maximise the development of our popular online products. An understanding of the various forms of online and print advertising will be seen as an advantage, but most importantly the right candidate will have a proven sales background. The position will be based at our UK offices in Stoke-on-Trent. Interested candidates should email theeditor@77.237.250.82 with details of their experience, qualifications and desired remuneration.
Drinking and driving may not be a sensible combination but pubs and tyre manufacturers seem to go well together. Michelin has launched the 2008 edition of its Eating Out in Pubs guide. Priced at £14.99, this year’s guide includes 564 of the best pubs serving good food in the UK and Ireland – and of these, 76 are new additions.
The guide is divided into counties and regions and each is preceded by a brief overview of that area followed by a map showing the location of each pub. Every pub has a full-page entry with a colour picture and descriptive text giving an insight into its character. Other essential information includes opening times, directions, prices, typical dishes and the beer they serve.
All the pubs in the guide have been selected for the quality of their cooking. However, a number of them deserve a special mention as they boast at least one extra quality that makes them particularly special. This could be the delightful setting, the charm and character, the excellent service, the overall value for money offered or the exceptional cooking. To distinguish these pubs we highlight them with our ‘we most liked’ Bibendum stamp.
Harvie Prema, the consumables specialist, is now offering its customers the opportunity to win a prize every month in its national competition. New and existing customers are encouraged to drop a business card into a prize draw box, located on the ‘Competition’ Harvie Prema sales van. Every month a geographical area in the UK will be selected as the competition’s focal point.
During the month a Harvie representative will inform potential and existing customers in the area of the draw and, furthermore, give them the opportunity to take a look at the superb range of tyre consumables and equipment available from the sales vans. At the end of the month a winner will be selected at random and presented the prize in person by the local area sales representative.
For the month of August a Mini Moto Scrambler Bike was the winning prize, which was presented to ‘Wellingborough Tyres’ following a fantastic response over the month. Wellingborough Tyres are a successful family run independent business, and have been trading since 1984 from the Leyland Estate on the outskirts of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Harvie Prema would like to thank everyone who entered the competition.
This battery season sees the launch of a new range of batteries supplied by Varta. With over six million cars in the 6-9 year old UK car parc and a further seven million in the 3-6 year sector, this new range is designed to help Viking International’s customers more effectively meet end user expectations. All Varta batteries incorporate the latest Calcium-Silver technology, adopted by top car manufacturers to enhance battery life by as much as 20 per cent. The range includes the Varta Black Dynamic, the Blue Dynamic, and the new Silver Dynamic, accepted as an OE fitment for Audi, BMW, Citroen, Ford, Peugeot, Saab and Volvo.
A burst tyre is an inconvenience no matter where it occurs, but at least motorists in the UK don’t have to worry about this…..
The education minister of Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan, narrowly escaped with his life after army troops mistook the sound of a tyre rapidly deflating to be a militant attack and began indiscriminately firing their weapons throughout the convoy of vehicles in which he was travelling.
Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed was en route to the wedding of a colleague’s son when the heavily worn tyre fitted to a military vehicle escorting the entourage burst. Soldiers in the vicinity, accustomed to the regional tensions with neighbouring Pakistan and the odd tussle with Islamic separatists, wasted no time in responding to the tyre’s loud, gunshot-like report.
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