Well known tyre wholesale stalwart Dick Anderson died suddenly on Saturday 16 July. The news was confirmed by RH Claydon group business development manager, John Parker who wrote to Tyres Accessories: “It is with great sorrow that I must inform you of some sad news in that Dick Anderson unfortunately passed away.” Anderson, who retired just over a year ago, was apparently working alone in the garden at his old home in Welnetham when he suffered a massive heart attack.
Continental Tyre Group has appointed Irish Global Logistics (IGL) as its distribution partner for the Republic of Ireland on a 32 county basis. Under the terms of the agreement, IGL will be responsible for transporting the various Continental Tyre Group tyre brands, including Continental, Semperit, Uniroyal and Barum, from Continental’s UK distribution centre to customers in Ireland. The agreement brings dealers in Ireland a number of benefits, including enhanced 24 hour deliveries and improved ‘track and trace’ on all deliveries. Continental Tyre Group will have the use of dedicated office space at the IGL headquarters in Swords, County Dublin.
Derbyshire based Eden Tyre Sales (ETS) reports that it has maintained “progressive momentum” during the past 12 months. Commenting on the company's encouraging tyre sales performance, managing director, Matt Eden stated: “Perhaps one of the reasons we have managed to keep on track in terms of sales and growth is our ongoing and successful business liaison with Team Systems, our IT partners who have provided us with a bespoke and completely customised system for many years now.”
According to Continental, the cost of natural rubber rose fourfold between January 2009 and February 2011 to a record high of more than US$5.60 per kilogram and the current yearly average price has remained at $5.40. Due to this ongoing increase and the rise in other raw material costs, the tyre maker will increase its prices for commercial vehicle tyres in Europe on May 1.
Thomas Philip Buckley, founder and owner of Industrial Tires Ltd (ITL) in Mississauga, Canda, died on 14 January. "It was with sad hearts that we learned of Tom's passing," said John Ryder, a vice president with prominent materials handling equipment dealership JH Ryder Machinery Ltd in Mississauga. "Our relationship with Tom and the ITL organisation spanned four decades. His unique blend of a colourful personality, visionary leadership and intuitive business savvy will leave a significant legacy in the materials handling industry."
Duncan Platt has joined Continental Tyre Group taking on the role of general sales manager – truck with immediate effect. Platthas more than 24 years experience in the tyre industry in a variety of sales and management roles, including most recently working with Bridgestone on their pan European, regional and national fleet accounts.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for me,” said Duncan Platt, “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of working across all the tyre brands but especially to working with customers to enhance their fuel savings with the benefits of Continentals fantastic product range and services.”
Michelin has topped Tyres & Accessories’ exclusive online brand prominence rankings for the sixth consecutive year, totting up a record high score as it went. In our second online brand equity measurement – sentiment – compiled in association with the artificial intelligence experts at Cambridge-based Envisional, Michelin won-out for the third year on the trot, demonstrating the firms continuing dominance in this field too.
The Envisional analysis into online appearances or “mentions” of 17 major tyre brands, followed identical studies (looking at 12 of these brands) carried out in September 2005, August 2006, July 2007, October 2008 and September 2009. The major difference this time round is that the 2010 report also includes five up-and-coming brands produced in the Far East and while the data shows that they have a way to go before they will be giving their premium competitors a run for their money, certainly as far as online marketing is concerned.
In North America Michelin is gearing up to launch a new Uniroyal winter tyre, the Tiger Paw Ice & Snow II. Scheduled for release on August 1, the new passenger car range will be available in 29 sizes, nine of which are Tiger Paw Ice & Snow I designs previously only available in Canada. Michelin describes the Tiger Paw Ice & Snow II as a tyre “provides both durability and reliability for driving in severe winter conditions at an affordable price.”
Michelin North America has celebrated the 40th year of production at its Ardmore plant in Oklahoma. The first tyre rolled off the line in 1970, and since that time the facility has grown considerably. Today the Ardmore factory covers almost 140,000 square metres of manufacturing operations and employs more than 1,700 people in the production of passenger car and light truck tyres.
In North America the Uniroyal brand belongs to the Michelin product portfolio, and a new high performance tyre released in this market is the Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All Season, which will be launched on July 1. According to Michelin North America, the tyre is engineered to meet the ultra-high performance needs of drivers of sports cars in a range of weather conditions.
According to Met Office statistics taken over a three-decade period, the UK on average experiences rain on 154 days of the year, and even during May, allegedly our “driest” month, more than 66mm of rain can be expected to fall. It is little surprise then that Kwik-Fit has decided to add Uniroyal to its tyre line-up. Uniroyal tyres, designed with wet conditions in mind, will be available through all Kwik-Fit outlets and through the company’s website.
Come June 1, North American customers wishing to purchase Michelin company tyres will require pockets that are up to six per cent deeper. The tyre maker has announced price increases for Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, private and associate brand passenger car and light truck replacement market tyres sold in the United States. Prices for replacement market motorcycle tyres will also increase by up to six per cent in the US, Canada and Mexico markets.
As of June 1 prices for Continental’s summer tyres will increase by an average of three per cent and winter tyres by an average of five per cent. The announcement made by the manufacturer on April 21 only refers to the German market, however Dr. Hartmut Wöhler, Conti’s head of Marketing and Distribution for the Car Tyre Aftermarket in Europe and Africa, stated the company is “currently preparing to implement these price increases right across Europe.”
Uniroyal is adding an element of Danger to the holiday season – Kim Danger, author of ‘Instant Bargains’, is collaborating with the tyre maker to share her latest e-book tips on inexpensive ways to make any celebration memorable and easy on the hip pocket nerve. The e-book from the US based savings expert, as the imagery used on the cover hints, is aimed at American readers, yet those domiciled outside the home of the brave can also benefit from its entertaining facts and tips for holiday fun that don’t empty the wallet.
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The stereotype of the über-efficient Teuton may still be a cause for mirth here in ‘Blighty’, but our European neighbour’s reputation for thoroughness is not wholly undeserved – so when leading motoring magazines in all three German speaking European lands recommend a particular tyre, it’s probably in our best interest to take note.
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