Wheel Alignment
Supertracker reports that a growing number of tyre retailers are using the company's concepts to tailor their own in-house training sessions. UK sales manager and principal engineer Jerry Barker was recently invited to sit in on a specialised advanced wheel alignment course by one of the UK's leading tyre and automotive retailers.
Pro-Align has trained Team UK Auto Tech’s Alex Knight on the Hunter Elite TD imaging aligner in readiness for World Skills Leipzig 2013. Pro-Align trainer Barry Sumner helped Knight familiarise himself with the Hunter imaging aligner with QuickGrip targets, which will be the featured alignment equipment at World Skills Leipzig, extending his alignment knowledge. Knight commented, “My previous wheel alignment experience has been rather limited, so today was invaluable. The Hunter is so quick, easy to use, and far better than anything else I have used in the past.”
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Wheel alignment specialist Supertracker has unveiled the prototype of its new STR210R aligner. The fully computerised laser wheel aligner will be introduced into the market in the near future, and was on display at the CV Show 2013 for inspection and discussion with a member of Supertracker's national sales team.
Nussbaum has premiered its new robotic wheel aligner, the RoboLigner. The fully automatic wheel alignment system, which includes a scissor lift, debuted this week's Autopromotec show.
Although originally scheduled to conclude at the end of May, Hofmann says its Spring/Summer collection will, depending on stock availability, will be available until this autumn. The promotion features a number of special offers for workshops. First up is the Geolite V3D wheel aligner, which Hofmann says delivers fast and accurate real-time alignment measurements and a profitable revenue stream. Workshops can now purchase a Geolite V3D for just £8,099, saving £3,400 on the list price of £11,499. The 3D aligner is also available as a twin pack with a four post, four tonne electro-hydraulic lift, with front turn plates and in-fill paddles worth £645 included, for only £14,499, a saving of almost £6,000 on the list price of £20,494. With the UK’s pothole ridden roads causing misalignment on millions of vehicles, Hofmann says its many garages make over £3,000 per month through its 3D wheel alignment technology.
To help workshops take full advantage of professional four wheel alignment servicing, equipment specialist Pro-Align has a comprehensive range of alignment lifts it says can be used to help maximise alignment efficiency and revenue opportunities. Both scissor and four post alignment lifts are on offer, and Pro-Align comments that the availability of both types ensures its customers have the choice and flexibility to suit a variety of space configurations and budgets.
With half of all tyres sold through tyre specialists, this is clearly the most influential route to market for tyre suppliers. Within this segment the balance of power is divided between a relatively small number of nationally influential retail chains and large numbers of smaller operators. In fact, according to the Tyre Industry Federation Factbook 85 per cent of tyre specialists operate from a single outlet. At the same time we have all been dealing with the financial effects of general economic upheaval. All this makes insights into the ebb and flow of the tyre retail sector all the more valuable.
With a 15-year track record as a leader in laser wheel alignment for commercial vehicles, Haweka UK is frequently asked to supply wheel alignment systems for passenger cars. In January this year the company, which is also well known for its Haweka range of centring accessories for wheel balancing, began test marketing a 4-wheel 8CCD camera alignment system for cars and vans.
Over the past twenty five years, Southampton based Supertracker has built up a reputation as one of the UK's leading wheel alignment specialists, and although the company has never expanded into Continental Europe it does have a rather unusual and successful association with Africa.
Toyo Tire & Rubber has entered the franchise retail service centre business in Malaysia through its local subsidiary, Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd. The first Toyo Premium Auto Centre in the country recently opened in Malacca; Toyo says its Malaysian subsidiary is “pursuing an aggressive retail marketing strategy to expand its distribution network nationwide to meet the increasing demand for high performance and ultra high performance tyres.”
Garage equipment manufacturer Hofmann has introduced the next generation of its Geoliner wheel aligner series. Two new models have been introduced, the Geoliner 670 Gen 4 and Geoliner 680 Gen4; both aligners feature Hofmann’s icon-based Pro 42 software, a ‘one-touch’ programme that is designed to make the most effective use of the information required by the technician carrying out the alignment procedure.
Pirelli has announced that BMTR has won its annual Pirelli Performance Centre (PPC) of the Year award, attaining a near-perfect score on the final audit of 2012. Founded in 1919, BMTR remains a family-owned independent tyre retailer as part of Group Tyre. Its flagship outlet in Perry Barr is Birmingham's largest tyre and wheel outlet, offering top wheel alignment and MOT technology. Pirelli Performance Centres are audited high performance tyre dealerships; the Italian manufacturer directs high performance car drivers to these centres preferentially. The annual award was inaugurated in 2007.
UK chancellor George Osborne has scrapped – or at least, postponed – the planned 3p rise in fuel duty in his Autumn Statement. With reports suggesting that UK mileage is holding reasonably steady, this represents a crumb of short-term comfort for businesses and motorists, though the Office for Budget Responsibility prediction of stagnant growth will keep the pressure on the UK economy. Though fuel price campaigner Quentin Willson welcomed the news, arguing “money that's spent on fuel duty is not spent on the wider economy”, it seems likely that campaigns to reduce fuel duty will also continue, since the chancellor will continue to be pressed to take gambles to help kick-start the UK economy. Tyre service specialist ATS Euromaster is amongst those calling for reductions in fuel duty, while PwC’s automotive expert also pointed out that the fuel duty rise is still due to happen on 1 September 2013.
Corghi’s Artiglio Master Code, released half a century after the company first introduced the automatic changer, remains the Italian manufacturer’s flagship light tyre changer. The Master Code utilises ‘leva la leva’, or leverless technology – which Corghi also pioneered a dozen years ago – and features automatic wheel dimension acquisition, enabling automatic tool positioning, and the Smart Corghi System demounting procedure; with these functions, opines the Nexion s.p.a company, the Master Code “rewrites the rule book for tyre changers.”
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