Wheel Alignment
Following the retirement of two of its founding directors, Paul and Kathryn Beaurain – who retire after more than 30 years, Pro-Align is now under sole ownership. Established in 1990, husband and wife paring Paul and Kathryn Beaurain founded Pro-Align alongside Philip Wylie, who will continue as the company’s sole owner, utilising his extensive automotive industry and investment banking experience.
A Kent auto services and tyre supplier has upgraded its wheel alignment system to rectify axle and wheel misalignment with greater speed and accuracy. A2 Tyres, which operates four retail sites in the south-east, three for retail and vans and one for commercial vehicles, switched from a basic wheel alignment system to a Josam Cam-aligner upgrade kit after receiving a demo from Josam’s exclusive distributor, AES UK (Automotive Equipment Supplies). Accurate wheel alignment can reduce tyre wear, improving safety and saving fuel.
One of north Yorkshire’s largest and best-known bulk hauliers, Alfred Hymas, is using a wheel alignment system to reduce tyre wear and cut workshop time. Established near Harrogate in the early part of the 1900s, Alfred Hymas operates a mixed fleet of 76 vehicles, predominantly serving the aggregates and agricultural industries.
PSV operator, Go South Coast has invested in a number of wheel aligner systems to provide a more accurate and faster service. Go South Coast runs 150 bus routes in Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. It owns brands including Bluestar, Damory, Hants & Dorset Trim, Excelsior, Morebus, Salisbury Reds, Southern Vectis, Swindon’s Bus Company, and Tourist Coaches.
Nexion Group and ATR International AG report that during 2023 they are continuing their cooperation in the Automotive Repair sector. The main objective of the agreement is to facilitate new collaborations between Nexion and ATR-associated companies and reinforces what’s already in place.
Pro-Align’s Quick Tread Edge has joined the Quick Check Drive in offering garages the opportunity to identify servicing opportunities with great speed and efficiency, while also offering a customer-friendly interface designed to support businesses’ relationship with their customers. The exclusive distributor of Hunter garage equipment also explains how electric vehicles are increasing the need for accurate and efficient wheel balancers.
Absolute Alignment has launched a new version of its popular Bluetooth Lite wheel aligner. The wheel alignment equipment specialist has developed the new model on the existing ‘Lite’ product. The new Bluetooth Lite has an extremely small footprint and is quick to put to work anywhere in the workshop. It can be used over a pit or on a variety of lifts, including two and four-post ramps and a scissor lift. The measuring heads have the power capabilities for a full day of use and the attached fixing clamps fit a range of vehicles, to meet most workshop demands.
As transport industries strive to balance commercial considerations with safety, compliance and the general ‘green’ issues of the day, digital analysis and sustainable technology developer, RL Automotive, has introduced a unique tyre management platform with a range of monitoring systems which enables fleet managers across all commercial sectors to reduce running costs, increase safety and limit the environmental impact of their operation.
Recognising the proliferation of ADAS within the car parc and the servicing demand it brings, Corghi has expanded its product range, with the release of the Proadas. The new product enables the calibration of safety-critical front sensors such as camera, radar and lidar, and targets businesses ready to enter ADAS servicing with an “easy to use” solution. The Corghi Proadas is available in the UK via distributor Rema Tip Top and is compatible with most equipment produced by the brand’s parent company, the Nexion group.
Wheel alignment checks offer garages the opportunity to demonstrate professional customer service while boosting profitability considerably, with a sizable proportion of the car parc suffering from misalignment, according to a leading garage equipment company. Pro-Align, the distributor of Hunter garage equipment products, says that 70 per cent of cars on the road today are misaligned. This, it continues, means there is a prime opportunity for workshops to help identify these issues through free alignment checks for every customer, regardless of what they had originally booked in for. After returning the initial outlay on machinery, Pro-Align says realignment jobs can then typically return profit margins of 88 per cent.
Absolute Alignment has officially opened its new head office located in Aldershot, Hampshire. The bespoke headquarters features a training area including a two-post lift, a dedicated build area – to calibrate and test equipment before dispatch and delivery, a main office area and a storage area.
TyreWatch has recently expanded its tyre management platform with AutoAlign, continuously monitoring for wheel misalignment, an issue it estimates affects a third of UK commercial vehicles, and VanSmart, a specific system for light commercial vehicles. With the new systems, TyreWatch has expanded its service offering further around the transport industry as it strives to balance commercial considerations with safety, compliance and ecological green initiatives. It says they enable fleet managers across all commercial sectors to reduce running costs and increase safety while limiting the environmental impact of their operation.
One of the UK’s leading independent vehicle repair groups, Motofix has extended its four-wheel alignment capabilities with a new Hunter wheel aligner, supplied and installed by UK distributor Pro-Align. The Towcester firm recently completed the latest installation at one of Motofix’s repair facilities in Northampton, allowing customers to access premium four-wheel alignment.
SharkEye introduced three new wheel aligners in June – the BigEye, the Husky and the Ibex.
Pitched as “the ultimate in car and LCV laser wheel alignment”, the BigEye takes its cue from the company’s Zubra Truck multi-axle aligner, which is designed to enable precise interaxle alignment. According to SharkEye representatives, the BigEye is the only laser aligner on the global market that offers its “unique and simple way of completely aligning a vehicle’s axles”. The machine can also be used as a standard four-wheel laser aligner and, just like all SharkEye products, is handmade in Sheffield, England.
Vehicle technicians studying at Stratford-upon-Avon College can now learn wheel alignment analysis and adjustments on all types of cars and vans using Hunter wheel alignment equipment. The opportunity follows the recent addition of wheel-balancing and wheel-alignment equipment from supplier Pro-Align.
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