According to a press release published on November 12 by Swiss based banking firm UBS AG, its share in Continental AG now stands at 5.34 per cent. In late September Continental’s website reported the bank’s shareholding as being 1.97 per cent. No further details were disclosed by UBS.
Drivers in today’s Lombard Rally have been given the option to switch to Vredestein following C-Tyre’s entrance into administration. Yesterday Kenny Owen, clerk of the course at Lombard Rally, said: “We’ve been working tirelessly for two weeks to try to resolve the situation and we’ve managed to get most of the competitors to run on Colways. We’ve found suppliers all over the place…”
However, later statements on the official Lombard Rally website reveal that race officials had to call in a second control tyre: “We have arranged supplies of an alternative control tyre from Vredestein to be available at the start and on route. The Vredestein control tyre may be used in addition to the your existing Colways.”
FleetOnlineSolutions, Goodyear’s internet-based truck and bus fleet tyre management system, has hit a significant milestone for the company. The system, which provides fleets with consistent high quality service and agreed pricing across Europe, now has more than 100,000 vehicles on contract – a ten-fold increase in just two years. The business has grown from just 10,000 vehicles in early 2005 to a sector now worth approaching 25 million euros, covering 23 countries and with 280 fleets on contract.
FleetOnlineSolutions integrates with Goodyear’s main computer systems. It works via the internet linking Goodyear, the customer and the service providers. Customers with FleetOnlineSolutions (FOS) contracts have all their vehicle data and contract details on the system. Goodyear TruckForce service providers, whether they are the fleets’ regular workshop or in another country providing roadside assistance, can access the FOS website. This provides information in their own language and enables them to carry out all necessary work, create invoices and update the system.
The Maywood Equipment Group has announced the arrival of a brand new electro hydraulic 2 post lift, the KH32. This lift is produced exclusively for Maywood and its introduction comes subsequent to extensive market testing in France and more recently in The UK. The KH32 is available in either single or three phase and has a 3.2 tonne capacity. It features a baseframe, extending its suitability to almost any floor, subject to good concrete conditions. Maywood reports the KH32 is competitively priced and available from the company’s distributors, including Unipart Automotive.
Features of the KH32 lift include arms that swing inwards to fit in between wheels and has a double cable lifting mechanism. It is suitable for general workshop use but also for tyre bays or body repair shops. The lifting pad height is 110 mm, suitable for most cars, and the lifting height of 2074 mm is higher than many lifts. The KH32 comes equipped with many safety features including integrated emergency lowering feature.
Autodiagnos, manufacturers of professional diagnostic equipment, namely the Multi Tester Pro, have added a four channel automotive oscilloscope to their product portfolio. The four channel AutoScope from Autodiagnos has an autometers function that provides dedicated presets for injector, O2 Sensor, MAP/MAF Analogue, MAP/MAF Digital and TPS signals and allows the user to browse the integral waveform library to compare healthy and faulty waveform signals.
The AutoScope comes equipped with four colour coded ‘bed of nails’ type probe connectors that offer superior wire connectability. It has a 50 frame live record with playback and also glitch capture, which enables the technician to easily review anomalies. To ensure the AutoScope is always ready for use, it features a one-hour fast charge function as well as the standard trickle charge option.
The planned launch event for Revolution’s new tuning megastore near Gateshead, has had to be put back to Saturday 10 November. Why? Well, despite managing to complete the entire £1 million build on schedule and on budget, owner Glenn Campbell has faced been beaten by the gas board and has to wait to be hooked up to the mains! After all, what’s an open day without a decent cup of tea?
The new site covers an impressive one acre and is expected to house the largest selection of wheels and tyres in the UK. Located just off the A1 in Gateshead, the Megastore will also boast no less than 4 fitting bays, a team of 4 highly trained technicians and the very latest in wheel alignment and tyre-fitting technology. Nitrogen tyre inflation and facilities for up to 30″ rim fitments are all now ‘business as usual’.
Public perception of cold weather tyres in New Zealand has been dealt another blow, with the country’s leading motor industry organisation, the Motor Trade Association, again calling for a ban to be placed upon the importation of cars fitted with cold weather tyres, more commonly known in New Zealand as snow tyres. The association has also proposed denying a warrant of fitness – the 6-monthly New Zealand equivalent to the MOT – to any vehicle fitted with cold weather tyres outside the cold season and away from “colder regions of the country.” Demands for such measures have been repeated throughout this year following the occurrence of two well-publicised fatal accidents involving vehicles fitted with a combination of summer and winter tyres, and this negative attention appears to have overshadowed the benefits that correctly fitted winter tyres may bring to motorists.
Public perception of cold weather tyres in New Zealand has been dealt another blow, with the country’s leading motor industry organisation, the Motor Trade Association, again calling for a ban to be placed upon the importation of cars fitted with cold weather tyres, more commonly known in New Zealand as snow tyres. The association has also proposed denying a warrant of fitness to any vehicle fitted with cold weather tyres outside the cold season and away from “colder regions of the country.” Demands for such measures have been repeated throughout this year following the occurrence of two well-publicised fatal accidents involving vehicles fitted with a combination of summer and winter tyres, and this negative attention appears to have overshadowed the benefits that correctly fitted winter tyres may bring to motorists.
Viking International’s improved website and online ordering facility appears to be on the up, with number of online orders doubling year-on-year and the number of site visitors increasing “significantly,” according to the company. The site displays products by size, speed rating or price according to the customer’s preference, with special offers highlighted for ease of use.
All the latest stock and pricing information is constantly updated, allowing customers to see what stock is immediately available from their local warehouse. An account management area enables customers to view their order history, statements and invoices to help keep track of their account, and new users need only log on and request a user name and password to begin.
The chairman of Nexen Tire Corporation, Mr. Byung Joong Kang, has presented Stapleton’s commercial director Peter Allen with a commemorative plaque to congratulate the tyre wholesaler on its 70th anniversary year. Speaking at the presentation, Mr Byung Joong Kang said: “We wanted to mark this special anniversary by presenting a plaque to Stapleton’s in appreciation of the years of its dedicated efforts and outstanding accomplishments in promoting the Nexen brand in the UK Market.
“Since the beginning of our commercial relationship, Nexen Tire Corporation has been extremely proud of working with Stapleton’s and we consider the company to be one of the leading and most creative partners in the tyre business.”
Haymarket Exhibitions has launched a brand-new website for The Aftermarket Show 2008 and industry professionals can now take advantage of an online registration facility to reserve their tickets in advance. Held at the NEC near Birmingham, The Aftermarket Show (January 10-13) is regarded as one of the UK’s leading aftermarket trade shows. It is expected to attract more than 4,000 factor, retailer and installer visitors during the four days that it runs alongside Autosport International.
A manufacturer that cannot be accused of making “black circles” is releasing its tyres in the UK. The US company SweetskinZ – who on its website asks the poignant question “when’s the last time a tyre design made you feel freaking pumped?” – has been manufacturing colourful glow in the dark bicycle tyres since 1999, but until now cyclists looking for something a little different could only cast an envious eye at their counterparts across the Atlantic.
A number of styles will be launched here before the end of the year, including the SweetskinZ urban, mountain, and BMX models. The colour on the tyres apparently does wear off in areas where contact with the road is made, however SweetskinZ points out that the colour of the underlying rubber has been chosen to “compliment the original tyre design.”
UK online tyre retailer etyres has teamed up with Vicki Butler-Henderson – the face of Tyre Safety Month – to produce two tyre safety videos showing the dangers of driving on worn tyres. Both are now available to view on the eTyres website www.etyres.co.uk or through the TyreSafe website, www.tyresafe.org.
The dramatic videos, which were shot at the Motor Industry Research Association in Nuneaton, clearly and graphically depict how dangerous braking in the wet can be in a vehicle fitted with worn tyres. As Vicki says in the video, stopping on a wet road with 1.6mm tread can extend the braking distance by 8 metres compared with new tyres!
Research by TyreSafe has also shown that almost three quarters of all cars on the UK’s roads have tyres that are under-inflated, and during Tyre Safety Month the organisation seeks to hit home the message that vehicle handling can be adversely affected by under-inflated tyres, leading to a potential accident.
Several months after unveiling its new corporate identity, Broadway Tyres is making steady progress on the roll out of its rebranding. Depots, vans, staff uniforms and office stationery are now increasingly seen sporting the distinctive new double-tyre Broadway “B” logo. But the company has not stopped at merely sprucing up its image. In late September Broadway Tyres ran the pilot of a new training programme aimed at increasing professionalism amongst the approximately 1,200 independent tyre dealers that purchase from the company – and increasing their ability to generate strong sales.
“I want Broadway Tyres to become a world class company,” stated managing director Jonathan West to an audience of industry representatives – the ‘guinea pig’ audience for this first-ever training session. “And we are committed to our customers’ success as much as our own.” These customers, the smaller independent tyre dealerships that make up 29 per cent of the market, have been the cornerstone of Broadway Tyres’ past success, and West is confident this will continue to be the case.
TyreSafe has teamed up with Experian, to provide a website that gives drivers the tyre pressures for their vehicle. Just logging on to www.tyresafe.org and entering a vehicle registration number results in the tyre pressures for both front and rear tyres being displayed. The free pressure check facility is being provided to motorists in the run up to, and including, tyre safety month which runs throughout the month of October. Drivers checking their tyre pressures on the TyreSafe website will also be entered into a free prize draw to win an Apple iPod Nano MP3 player worth £200.
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