Wheels
(Akron/Tire Review) Stamford Tyres Corp. announced record net profit of 15.6 million Singapore dollars for the financial year ended 30 April, an 80.8 per cent growth over the S$8.6 million (£2.957 million) recorded in 2005. Revenue grew 32.4 per cent, to S$253.2 million (£87 million), the company said.
No expense was spared when it came to the construction and presentation of the Nexen stand – both signs that Nexen wants to be to seen to be taking its image “up a gear.” Tyres & Accessories met with managing director, David Sul, and found out about the sales growth that is propelling the company’s promotional drive.
The scale of Nexen’s Essen stand, placed near the centre of Hall 3, was probably the most surprising thing about the exhibit. Not only was it just seconds away from most of the premium manufacturers, but the large stand featured a Nexen-shod Ferrari 430 Spider – a move that can only be interpreted as a suggestion that the company has increasingly high aspirations.
(Interestingly Hankook’s stand also featured a Ferrari 430)
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(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America (MNA) and its subsidiary TCI Tire Centers unveiled a new disaster response service unit that will be used in areas hit by natural disasters. The Michelin Disaster Response Unit is a fully equipped 53-foot trailer – a “Tire Center on wheels,” according to MNA. It features six air stations for mounting, dismounting, repairing and balancing tires. The office area of the trailer offers satellite communications capability and sleeps up to six people.
The DJ Wheels range of alloys continues to expand – the latest addition is the DJ127, aimed specifically at drivers of Peugeot 106s and Citroen Saxos. The new wheel has five round-edge spokes, with a three-stud fixing and comes in size 6.5 x 15 inch with a satin-silver finish. It carries a 12-month unconditional guarantee.
Alcoa Wheel Products Europe is to raise its forged CV aluminium wheels prices between 8 and 12 per cent, depending on the product specification. New prices will be implemented for all shipments after 31 July 2006.
Experian, the global information solutions company, has launched a unique new service for the UK tyre industry in partnership with DriveRight, the global supplier of wheel and tyre data. Tyre Identifier is a new development allowing the UK automotive industry to access comprehensive tyre data instantly and accurately so that it can identify the correct replacement tyre for any given UK passenger car.
DriveRight holds an extensive database of over 9,000 specific vehicle platforms for aftermarket wheel and tyre retailers, distributors and manufacturers, which has been incorporated into Experian’s comprehensive vehicle database to create Tyre Identifier.
The Watts Industrial Group has been awarded the prestigious BSEN ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Standard by BSI. The standard is a benchmark for environmental control and the development of targets to reduce the environmental impact of the organisation’s activities.
The standard was awarded to the Watts group’s Gloucestershire site which covers rubber compounding from watts Industrial Polymers and the manufacture of industrial wheels by Watts Industrial Tyres, as well as the distribution of industrial tyres to the OEM and replacement markets.
The world’s largest wheel manufacturer Hayes Lemmerz (producing a total of approximately 60 million units annually), has extended its product spectrum to include aluminium truck wheels. The wheels are called “CentruStyle“ and are manufactured by Aluwheel W.L.L in Manama (Bahrain) in the low pressure casting process. “CentruStyle“ will be marketed using the existing sales team into the original equipment business, to fleets and into the aftermarket. In order to make the wheels the producer will use equipment it acquired from the former Tunaverken (Sweden), which went bankrupt at the beginning of the year. Hayes Lemmerz and its Bahrain-based partner will begin with size 8.25×22.5 and want to increase the production volume gradually depending upon customer interest.
Together with joint venture partner Inci (40 per cent of the shares), in June Hayes Lemmerz inaugurated a new aluminium wheel casting plant in Manisa (in the Izmir region of Turkey). Production is based on the low-pressure process and operates at the same standard as at all the original equipment manufacturer’s other facilities. 400,000 wheels will be manufactured this year, with some 17-inch products being sold to Toyota. In the next year production will increase to approximately 1 million units with further expansion plans in the offing dependent on the order situation.
Following detailed analysis of sales trends for the top selling DJ Wheels range, Sherbrook international has found that seemingly size really is important. Explained CEO Peter Whitehouse, “Until recently the most popular wheel size was 15 inch, but increasingly drivers are requesting the ‘Big Wheels’ look and are demanding a 17 inch option. We have responded by ensuring that all nine stunning 2006 DJ Wheels designs are available in the larger size, delivering real choice combined with attention-getting looks.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the foundation of Summit Wheels & Tyres. The company was set up by Peter Summers and specialised in tyres and wheels for the industrial sector, notably fork lift trucks and skid steer; both replacement and OE.
Summit swiftly established itself as a major player in this specialised niche and developed a reputation for being able to supply unusual or hard-to-get products and to deliver these quickly and efficiently, using its own fleet of vehicles.
The engineers at wheel manufacturer BBS are constantly striving to reduce the weight of the company’s alloy wheels. Of course, when making any improvements, safety is of paramount importance. So how to achieve these potentially conflicting targets? The answer, says BBS is the patented “BBS Air Inside Technology”, which can be described as “more air, less weight.”
The secret is to incorporate circumferential hollow chambers and hollow spokes into the wheel, which not only reduces weight, but provides considerably better stability, claims BBS, thus improving safety and driving comfort.
Watts Group of Lydney has announced that Mr. Jean-Paul Mindermann, who has managed the European subsidiaries for the past ten years, will succeed Mr. Doug Pearson as Managing Director of Watts Industrial Tyres PLC on 1st June 2006.
Apollo Tyres has launched a new range of DuraTread retreading materials for commercial vehicles in Southern India. The range, which Apollo says shows it is a step closer to being a complete tyre solution provider, will be produced at Apollo’s Kalamassery plant near Cochin. DuraTreads will subsequently be available across the country by leveraging Apollo’s operations network.
Cumbrian mother Carol Adams picked up the keys to her gleaming new Porsche Cayenne courtesy of ATS Euromaster and declared: “It’s too good to be true!” ATS Euromaster and Michelin presented the dream Porsche to 46-year-old Carol Adams as a prize to encourage customers to take part in a major safety drive. Free to enter, drivers who called into participating ATS Euromaster service centres were encouraged to have their cars inspected for the winter ahead by technicians trained to undertake ATS Euromaster’s free 10-point vehicle check.
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